Customer Reviews

Creative Metal Clay Jewelry: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book includes some good how to projects, general information, specific working problems w/silver clay & some gorgeous as well as creative examples of what can be done with precious metal clay. The projects & techniques are easy enough for beginners, but give "artists" who want to try this stuff technical meat to apply to more advanced projects. Many of the pieces that she includes in the book as examples of what can be done are very inspirational & get one's creative juices flowing. I highly recommend this book. I keep coming back to it for inspiration, information & frankly can't wait to get back into the studio after flipping through it.

If you want just one book on PMC that covers techniques, tempts with beautifully photographed pieces, is clearly written and, when followed, gives you good result, get this book. From the beginning of the book, you share Wire's enthusiasm for the medium. By the end of chapter two, you want to start.
Just in time, Wire helps you out by providing a clear introduction to tools, equipment and the space you need to work. But wait, there's more! A satisfying and visually pleasing book of projects, from easy to challenging, will keep you busy for a long, creative while.
From the beginner to the experienced enthusiast, PMC lovers will find projects that they can practice on. Best of all, with the techniques shown and the gallery to drool over, this book becomes a starting point for your own work and outlet for the considerable creative energy this book inspires.
A great plus to this book is the variety of projects--earrings, bracelets, pendants, rings, pins, beads and sculptural pieces are all covered in enough detail to fire you enthusiasm and whet your need to move forward with your own ideas.

If you are interested in trying your hand at Metal Clay then this is the book for you. Even experienced Metal Clay people will find it enjoyable and informative. It is a lovely book which truly does inspire as well as instruct. Fine craft and photography make it a pleasure to view. Clear, easy-to-follow directions assure sucess with the projects.

I first borrowed this book from the library, and now I have finally been able to order it. I have used two other books on this subject, but I think CeCe Wire's book is best suited for me. I am a beginner with this material, however, I want my finished projects to have a certain streamlined sophistication, and I feel that of all of the books I have read on this subject, this book suits my needs and goals best. Ms. Wire has a wonderful grasp on the technical aspects of working with metal clay. Her projects are great for beginners, well illustrated and explained, but the final results are professional and stylish. One does not need to invest in many additional tools or materials in order to finish her projects. I also find that her projects and gallery of finished pieces provide a great springboard to encourage the reader to envision and create their own great jewelry pieces. There is a non-jewelry piece in here, but that does not bother me at all. It encourages the reader to consider other uses for metal clay, and who says jewelry must only be worn on the body? Why not create decorative objects as "jewelry" for the home? If you do not have a kiln, do not worry. I fire my pieces on my gas stove or with a small butane torch purchased from my local home improvement store. Also, I hear that bead and jewelry stores that have PMC or Art Clay Silver classes or paint-your-own-ceramics studios are often willing to fire your pieces for a reasonable fee. So give this book a try, I hope you will be as pleased as I am!

The photos and projects in this book are very inspiring. Without being able to get a 'real life' view of the pieces, the photography here is well done and is the next best thing. Cece leads you through a selection of projects that build on techniques and provide a way for beginners to explore the media and create wearable jewelry.

The details and explanations for the material and supplies and equipment are well done. The medium is still in the new stage so that every book has a beginning chapter or two on what you need to get started working. Cece's book is no exception and gives her preferences and techniques for metal clay. This book provides a good addition to a metal clay artist's library for that reason.

The one thing that I found lacking was the detail in the projects. Expecting the book to be a good how to for my students, I can't honestly say that I could recommend it for the beginner. Beginners need step-by-step photos (the best)or illustrations to answer the plethora of questions that are part of learning. The written explanations are good, but without pictures, there is just no way to know what a project should look like at each stage!

Therefore, I recommend this book for someone who is past the beginner stage in their exploration of metal clay. There aren't enough advanced projects to interest the experienced artist, but the photos are creatively inspiring just the same!

CeCe Wire has a winner here, projects that will guide you from initial forays with this material through to more advanced techniques, such as ring making and sulptural pieces. A good solid Introduction on tools and equipment. The instructions combine both lovely photos and sketches which are easy to follow, even projects that are a photo of the completed piece and written instructions only are achievable. Whilst some of the finished projects may not suit all tastes ( what book does!!), it is the idea and technique that is useful, it can be adapted to a design of your own making. One of my favourites is the Twig and Leaf Condiment Spoon, I have made a set of these and the awe factor from my guests is wonderful when they are used. Nice to go outside just jewelry. I recommend three books to my Silver Clay students, this is one of them, with Sherri Haab and Tim McCreight being the other two. Well worth adding to your bookshelf.

I am a new to PMC and this book is fantastic. It gives clear instructions and wonderful ideas for projects from beginner to advanced. I can't wait to get started working with PMC!

This book has wonderful photographs that are clear enough to see the details of the jewelry and steps involved in creating them. I highly recommend this book.

spacedust
pmcer.com

Ms Wire's book Creative Metal Clay Jewelry is a nice little handbook of techniques and ideas for metal clay work. I have yet to try the medium, but I've gotten several books on the subject to get myself primed.

The author includes most of the general manufacturing techniques and materials descriptions that other artists do, but I found the designs for her projects were a little more inspiring and less daunting. I'm a major beginner with this art and need something simpler to begin learning the technique.

I was a little less impressed with the work of her guest artists than I have been with other books. The Penland Book of Jewelry: Master Classes in Jewelry Techniques has incredible if somewhat complex work by guest artists and Ms Wire's own book New Directions in Metal Clay: 25 Creative Jewelry Projects has wonderful work by both herself and her guests. Since it was primarily the "how to" aspect of the book I was interested in, however, I did not find this aspect necessarily a "put off." For a beginner, these projects are probably the ideal.

I was particularly pleased with the technique for woven work earrings and with the lost-burlap and lost-leaf techniques for producing texture and natural design. I'm definitely encouraged to get started and have the materials at hand now. Hopefully photos will follow.

I just received this book today and I leafed through it and put it down. Normally with a book of this type (art instruction, projects etc) I'll just get lost in it and read it from cover to cover. I bought this book based on the reviews here and also that Ms. Wire is the head cheese at the PMC Guild, but if I had seen this book first in the store I probably wouldn't have purchased it. The jewelry projects are not my style at all, and the layout and photography isn't that exciting either.

A better book about PMC is The Art of Metal Clay by Sherri Haab. I love the projects in there and the pictures are totally inspirational.