Customer Reviews

Marcia DeCoster's Beaded Opulence: Elegant Jewelry Projects with Right Angle Weave (Beadweaving Master Class Series)

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I pre-ordered this book back in March of this year, and have eagerly been awaiting its publication. I've been fortunate enough to have taken a class with Marcia before and have also completed a few of her kits. Her designs are always beautiful and elegant -- and the projects in this book are no exception.

The book is divided into six chapters: Chapter 1 covers beading basics; Chapter 2 provides a good overview of right-angle weave (RAW) that will benefit both experienced beaders, as well as novices; Chapter 3 covers projects that involve flat beading that resembles fabric; Chapter 4 covers rope-based projects; Chapter 5 covers beaded armatures; Chapter 6 covers embellishments; Chapter 7 covers curved projects; and Chapter 8 covers layered projects. The Appendix also contains a lovely Gallery of RAW projects by other bead artists such as Nan C. Meinhardt, Huib Peterson, etc. that makes for great eye candy.

In total, there are 24 projects to choose from; some of them (like Terracita and Etruscan Treasure) are older designs of Marcia's, but there are also plenty of new designs to choose from. There is also a good range of projects for both beginning beaders (such as earrings and bracelets/anklets) and more advanced ones.

Another nice feature is that the supply list for each project lists the precise colors of the beads being used, which should make it easy to replicate the exact look of each piece. A few of the supplies (like various widths of rubber tubing for the projects that involve armatures, etc.) looked like they might be a bit hard to find, but a quick Google search revealed that they should be easy to track down, and Amazon even carries some of them. This is a definite plus since it's always frustrating to discover that a beading project requires hard-to-find materials.

What I also noticed is that the directions in this book are very thorough and clear. I've had a few problems in the past following along with Marcia's directions, but the directions here are very clear and the diagrams are excellent. The instructions have definitely benefited from some good editing by the publishers of the book.

I don't have the first book in this new series by Lark, so I was also pleasantly surprised to see that the book is hardback since hardback books are so much easier to work from while you're beading.

I can't wait to get started on some of these projects!

Twenty-four beautiful bead projects from Marcia DeCoster, one of the very best beading artists and teachers out there, make this book a standout essential. It's the second title in the Beadweaving Master Class series -- the first was the wonderful Diane Fitzgerald's Shaped Beadwork: Dimensional Jewelry with Peyote Stitch (Beadweaving Master Class) -- and Marcia maintains the series' true excellence for serious beaders. The instructions and illustrations are clear, and the stunning photography reveals the lovely elegance of these spectacular jewelry pieces. They simply shine.

All the projects are done in right angle weave, and Marcia covers all the needed techniques for this stitch in her Fundamentals section. The complexity of the pieces varies, but there are many serious, challenging designs in this book, as well as straightforward ones for a beginner to try her hand at. Marcia makes pieces using woven beads as ropes, fabrics, armatures, embellishments, and more. This book and its designs will astonish and please you.

Marcia also is one of 36 featured artists in the fabulous gallery book Masters: Beadweaving: Major Works by Leading Artists (Masters (Lark Books)), as is Beadweaving Master Class pioneer Diane Fitzgerald.

We in the beading community have been waiting a long time for a truly inspiring book about Right Angle Weave. Well, the wait is over and may I say that it has truly been worth it. Beaded Opulence is the second in a series of books by Lark and this book is going to be hard to top. Its projects are absolutely awe-inspiring! How is it possible for one artist to comprehensively design from basic to advanced with the end product resulting in a stunning piece of jewelery? It simply boggles the mind!

For you beginning beaders, don't be afraid! Marcia has a whole section devoted to learning the basics of Right Angle Weave and for you advanced beaders, there are many challenging pieces that you will want to make for yourself.

Beaded Opulence is beautifully done with fabulous graphics and incredible photographs. It's eye candy for bead weavers! What a wonderful testimony from Marcia as one of the country's premier Right Angle Weave designers.

Buy your copy soon, if just for the beautiful photos. This book is a guaranteed sell-out.

I wouldn't call myself a beader...more a dabbler. Have played with beads frequently in my life and have been intrigued by the smaller ones, but always stayed away. They just intimidated me! So small, so easy to mess up the pattern and have it really look bad. BUT...Marcia's book has shifted my reality so that I now realize that I really can work with small beads and make it look amazing! The book's photography is stunning and her clear written instructions, illustrations and supply lists are easy to follow. There are great projects, from earrings, bracelets, rings to necklaces. The Cappadocia bracelet caught my eye and I found it easy to get in the rhythm quickly with her precise illustrations. My daughter also fell in love with the bracelet and now I've made two! I'm hooked on right angle weave! I would encourage anyone wanting to create a beaded jewelry piece that is original and exquisite to buy the book and begin creating your own "must have" jewelry right away!

When I saw Beaded Opulence, my first thought was, "Is this a coffee table book?". It's that pretty. Then I thought, "Geeze, this looks like a Sotheby's fine jewelry catalog". The pieces are that beautiful. As a beginning beader, my next thought was, "I could never make any of these gorgeous Right Angle Weave pieces". But my fingers were itching, so I opened to the Medici earrings. I was wearing them half an hour later. The instructions are that clear. So if you are a beginner, allow this book to be your entree into an amazingly colorful and sparkling world. If experienced, the uniqueness of the designs and construction of every elegant piece will no doubt inspire you to make them.

If you are in the San Diego area, Marcia DeCoster is doing a book signing at The Grove at Juniper & 30th at 3010 Juniper St., San Diego, on September 13, from 3-5pm. I understand that many of the pieces in her book will be there.

I have completed a couple projects out of this book, but not easily. The instructions are mostly accurate, but not entirely. The bigger challenge has been finding supplies for the projects. I have improvised, not being able to find exactly what the instructions stated, which also means the pattern has had to be adjusted to fit the bead or beads that had to be improvised. Honestly, I have yet to find a project in here where I am able to find all of the supplies.

The abacus bracelet was the first project - couldn't find the square beads so used Swarovskis which caused me to modify the section they were in significantly... and it really didn't turn out the way it was supposed to. It looks fine when I wear it though.

Then I made Shimmer Queen and am working with someone on Etsy to custom make me the focal bead as I cannot find anything like it anywhere. Lark Book says they have a supply section on their website, which has been under construction since I purchased the book, over a month ago. Then I was going to make Spun Glass and after much searching I did actually find a 6 loop slide clasp.

Went to make the Medici Crop, using 9 x 36 cubic zirconia drops side drilled; have only been able to find front drilled, which means another alteration to the pattern. I did find some other nice side drilled beads which turned out ok, but definitely not like the project intended.

The frustration is that I have to search and search and search to find everything for any single project, cannot go to one supplier for everything, and I still can't find exactly what I want. I guess I'm learning how to improvise with beads, which is I good thing.

The really GREAT news is that the projects are all pretty easy once you figure out what you have to change to make it work. Shimmer Queen, other than not being able to find a focal for it, was extremely simple and the rope, even without the focal, is absolutely beautiful.

I am a visual learner as well as needing very specific step by step instructions. I take things quite literally, so hate it when something (however small) is left out of a set of directions or the teacher/writer assumes you know what to do next. Marcia's instructions do not leave you hanging. She is clear and precise. Many people seem to have a bit of trouble with right angle weave until they finally "get it". Marcia has made learning the technique easy and the huge bonus is that we get to create fabulous and beautiful pieces of art jewelry.
I have taken in person classes with Marcia and she is an excellent teacher. This book is the next best thing!

Beaded Opulence is a beautiful book. The projects, mainly new ones for this book, are richly photographed and diagrammed. If you like right angle weave, or you've wanted to learn it, this is the book for you. Marcia is a classical designer, her projects will always be in style. My bead group has already started several of the projects, including Abacus and the stunning Fanfare. I have previously made the Terracita bracelet and it is lovely. This is one of those books that you will look at time and time again and always find something new.

I have taken classes from Marcia and worked with her in the past, and this might have swayed my reasons for owning this book. Upon closer inspection of the book, many of the projects reveal ways that I didn't know I could use this versatile stitch. Clear written directions, concise illustrations and beautiful photography have made this book a "must have" for any bead artist wishing to take their Right Angle Weave beading to a higher level.

I found the projects in the book to be beautiful and the information helpful. The designs are easy to follow, and the gallery is wonderful. The reason I rate it as 3 stars instead of 5 is that the materials are rather difficult to come by. Perhaps I just haven't looked in the right places, but searching through both brick-and-mortar and online retailers, I have only been able to locate about 70% of the materials for any given project. I love beadworking, and I found this book to be well written and illustrated, but I was rather disappointed to find that the materials are so difficult to locate. If you are experienced enough to improvise highly successfully, then dive into this book, but it is not for novices or those without adequate access to rather obscure beading items.