Customer Reviews

Rejuvenated Jewels: New Designs from Vintage Treasures

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Like one perfect decadent chocolate truffle in a little gold box, this book luscious, rich, heavenly and make you want to savor every little bit!

Rejuvenated Jewels, is a book you will be reaching for again and again, not only to drool over the creations but to get inspiration from them as well. In the into the author wrote "A friend asked me what did I want to share with my readers ? Did I want this book to teach people how to wire wrap? No. Did I want this book to teach people to use their creativity, to not be afraid to take chances and to believe in themselves? YES!" And that is what this book does.

The instructions are written clearly to help beginners enough to get through the projects but also keep the experienced jewelrymakers inspired as well. Because all of the projects use vintage pieces, you probably won't be able to do an exact replica of any project. Fear not, Amy offers places to search for treasures as well as alternative material suggestions if you can't find the exact item she uses in a project.

This is a gorgeous and inspiring book for jewelry makers who love vintage and using antique/vintage supplies.

I bought this book recently and enjoyed reading it very much. I placed "post-its" on so many pages in this book, because the ideas can be used in so many different ways.

For example, there are many necklaces shown, that have double & triple "connectors" which are made by using vintage jewelry pieces, via pearls, old rhinestones, old broken rosaries, etc.... Another example are the author's use of clasps. In the book, the author shows how to turn an older pin clasp into a necklace clasp, and then she will add another piece from yet another old jewelry piece, to make yet another necklace connector. It's hard for me to describe the author's "style" by just writing this review, because a person really needs to see the photos and read the authors' directions in order to fully understand the author's process and her ideas.

Anyhow, I call the author's method of jewelry-making, as a form of "deconstructing" because she uses vintage photos,ribbons,pins,rosaries (etc) and transforms them into something else, by taking the older pieces apart & re-building them. Very creatively so! Also, it's important to note that the author's pieces are often made to look even older, by oxidizing the metals. Thus, the author's jewelry does not look like something that can be bought at a modern store. The pieces in this book often look like older family heirlooms.

Anyhow, the author's jewelry ends up looking very "old fashioned" in the end, so if a reader is looking for a book on making "newer-looking" jewelry, then this book may not be it for them.

In a nutshell, this book is not a basic BEADING BOOK,like so many BEADING BOOKS out there. "Rejuvenated Jewels" is more than just being about BEADING; it's about giving a new life to old jewelry and old ideas & transforming them into UNIQUE products. No two pieces will ever look alike, because each person that reads this book will transform their own old jewelry into a new creation.

So, if you are the type of person that loves "old" things, or vintage jewelry, or very unusual pieces that are transformed from vintage trinkets and findings, then this book will please!

the book is as solid as the jewels shes using
the book is clear, yet detailed in creating your own pieces
my collection is in fact rejuvenated and i strongly recommend it
great find!

Yes, this book is full of great ideas and pictures of re-using old costume jewelry, but the author doesn't even talk about the best way to remove a pendant clasp or a clip-on earring backing. In addition, there is no list for supplies at the end. Very pretty, but not very useful.

This book is by far the most visually inspiring book I have ever owned. Not only is the instruction clear in regards to the pieces created, but the antiques used and pictures alone are so unique. It brings back so much nostalgia. I would recommend it to artists and non-artists alike. There is so much stored up in this treasure of a book!

Loved this book. Great photos and instructions. It gave me some wonderful new ideas for ways to put together my jewelry designs. Is a great book for anyone with basic soldering and wire wrapping skills.Also great ideas for anyone with a nice collection of vintage or antique jewelry tidbits who needs some creative insight. A must for your design library.

I AGREE WITH THE EARLIER REVIEW. WHILE THE BOOK IS BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED IT LACKS CERTAIN IMPORTANT THINGS. FOR EXAMPLE, INSTRUCTION ON HOW TO OXIDIZE TO GET THE AGED LOOK. I ALSO THINK MORE INFO ON USING THE STERLING WIRE IN TERMS OF SIZING AND GEMSTONE USE.HOW TO DEBROOCH PINS, ETC.YOUR ON YOUR OWN TO FIGURE ALL THIS OUT, SHE DOESNT HELP WITH ACTUALLY MAKING THE JEWELRY. SHE ONLY GAVE GENERAL INFO ON WHERE TO PURCHASE SUPPLIES, FOR ME THIS WAS VERY IMPORTANT INFO THAT WAS MISSING. SHE USES A PIECE OF ANTIQUE FRENCH JEWELRY AND REFERS TO THE DESIGN ON IT AS BEING A DOG, ITS AN ERMINE(A MINK)!!FOR ME THE BOOK WAS MORE OF AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR HER JEWELRY THAN AN INSTRUCTIONAL JEWELRY BOOK!!

I love this book. I am always inspired by Amy Hannas use of color and the unexpected!! Her treasures as well as this book are keepsakes!!

We did a review of this great book on our site and included sample project pictures: http://www.chicaandjo.com/2009/02/20/rejuvenated-jewels/

Very nice projects but you have to have a stockpile of vintage jewelry parts to do any of them. Otherwise instructions were very basic and simple.