Jewelry and Beading Designs For Dummies [Paperback]

Heather H. Dismore (Author), Tammy Powley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 2008

Do you love jewelry and beading? Would you like to know how to make chic jewelry and accessories? Jewelry & Beading Designs for Dummies is packed with patterns, step-by-step instructions, and inspiring color photos to get you stringing, knotting, and looping in no time. From earrings and necklaces to pins, purses, charms, and more, you’ll discover new techniques for making just the right pieces to suit you — or give as fantastic, fashionable gifts!

This easy-to-follow visual guide speeds you right into the basics of jewelry making: assembling your gear; working with pliers; and fine-tuning your stringing, bead weaving, and wire wrapping skills. You’ll use elastic cord, ribbon, leather, a wire jig, and more to make bracelets, bookmarks, pendants, and napkin rings. Before you know it, you’ll take your skills to the next level and beyond, using multiple techniques and materials on thrilling and unconventional designs. Discover how to:

• Make more than 75 fresh, fun, and practical projects
• Hone your basic jewelry making skills
• Work with silver, leather, glass beads, and crystals
• Create rings, bracelets, phone covers, wine charms, and more
• Use bead crimping, knotting, and weaving to make beautiful designs
• Make stunning earrings and necklaces using a wire jig
• Fabricate beads and wire components
• Find nontraditional materials such as hardware, beach glass, and more

Add beauty, skill, and satisfaction to your life with a little help from Jewelry and Beading Designs For Dummies!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Your visual guide to building up your beading techniques and creating stunning jewelry!

Do you love jewelry and beading? Are you looking for some clever, creative projects to make chic jewelry and accessories? This easy-to-follow guide is packed with step-by-step instructions and inspiring color photos to get you stringing, knotting, and looping in no time. From earrings and necklaces to pins, purses, charms, and more, you'll discover new techniques for making just the right pieces to suit you — or to give as fantastic, fashionable gifts!

• The basics of jewelry making and beading — assemble your gear, work with pliers, and brush up on stringing, bead weaving, and wire wrapping

• Start with simple projects — use elastic cord, ribbon, leather, a wire jig, and more to make bracelets, bookmarks, pendants, and napkin rings

• Incorporate multiple techniques and materials — take your skills to the next level with unconventional designs

• Complete more advanced projects — craft custom jewelry components, learn advanced bead weaving, and make jewelry with polymer clay

• Create unique, one-of-a-kind accessories — see jewelry in a fresh way by utilizing nontraditional materials

• Avoid common jewelry-making mistakes — discover how to read directions properly, buy the proper tools from the right places, remember findings, use the right tool for the job, and more

Open the book and find:

• More than 300 pages of projects and an 8-page color section

• A picture of the finished piece at the beginning of each project

• Technique-based chapters — ramp up your skills in stringing, crimping, knotting, weaving, and wire wrapping

• Clear illustrations of complicated steps so you don't get lost — see exactly what your piece should look like at key points

• Coordinating pieces grouped together to help you accessorize with style

About the Author

Heather H. Dismore is a veteran Dummies author and editor who is actively involved in crafting jewelry.

Tammy Powley designs and manages content for About.com's jewelry-making Web site and is the author of numerous jewelry-making books and articles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (August 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470291125
• ISBN-13: 978-0470291122
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profusely illustrated, step-by-step instructions for more than seventy-five original projects, October 9, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jewelry and Beading Designs For Dummies (Paperback)

Once reserved for experienced and seasoned professionals, the making of colorful and creative jewelry is now accessible for everyone thanks to "Jewelry & Beading Designs For Dummies" by Heather H. Dismore and Tammy Powley. Aspiring jewelry makers are provided with profusely illustrated, step-by-step instructions for more than seventy-five original projects and taught how to work with silver, leather, glass beads and crystals. There are design projects for making rings, bracelets, phone covers, wine charms and so many more crafts projects that will enable the aspiring craftsmen to stretch their skills through acquiring proficiency in new techniques including working with polymer clay and nontraditional materials. "Jewelry & Beading Designs For Dummies" is an ideal addition to personal and community library reference collections.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Oh how I wish I could rate this book higher, February 9, 2009

By 

Beading by the Lake (South Salt Lake, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jewelry and Beading Designs For Dummies (Paperback)

I got this book from the library, and am almost disapointed I wasted a queue spot for it! There are no projects in this book I am interested in. Nearly everything in the book is tired, uninspired, and easily made by the average 10-year-old. I would have outgrown the designs by age 12.

There is only a small section of color pictures, four double-sided pages of poorly photographed projects. There are only 25 color photos, and the few photos on the covor show the same projects seen in this color section.

The necklace on the cover of the book is very much the kind of thing you can expect to learn to make from this book.

Though the book is nearly 300 pages long, it is filled by such things as half a page used to illustrate and describe how to make an overhand knot, and another half page on how to make a square knot. Every step is seemingly over-explained. There is a lot of filler in the book, and it could have easily been edited down to a much smaller book, for all the information it contains. But then it wouldn't fit the For Dummies format.

There are many other much better beginning bead books out there, and they all look better, have more photographs, and more intelligent instructions than this one.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have Title for Bead and Jewelry Designers, July 13, 2009

By 

margot potter "margot potter" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jewelry and Beading Designs For Dummies (Paperback)

Ms. Powley and Ms. Dismore have created a thorough and thoroughly delightful tome on the basics of jewelry making that is a must have for any novice. They cover absolutely everything you need to know to get started and to ensure continued success. This book is designed for the beginner and the projects are totally appropriate for someone ready to dip their toes into the jewelry and beading pool, but there is plenty of information for the more advanced beaded jewelry maker as well.

The illustrations are clear and the directions meticulous and concise. My only wish is that there were more color pictures because the designs are so lovely, but there's a several page glossy color gallery of designs that helps immensely. It begins with the basics and progresses to intermediate and even advanced techniques. You get a taste of mixed media, bead weaving, poly clay, wire work and even learn how to make your own findings. They give good, solid information and show you how to do things properly which will ensure good results. That's the key component to a good how to book.

As a professional designer and a jewelry book author, I have a discerning eye and a high level of expectation. I wholeheartedly recommend this book for every bead lover's library. Ms. Dismore and Ms. Powley are both competent and respected experts and together they've created an indispensable guide to the many facets of jewelry making and beading.

Margot Potter
Author and Freelance Designer
The Impatient Beader Series
Bead and Wire Jewelry Exposed
Beyond the Bead