Customer Reviews

Semiprecious Salvage: Creating Found-Art Jewelry

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As I flipped through the pages of this book I was inspired by its beauty from start to finish. Stephanie's projects that may look initially intimitdating are easily understood through photos and clear instructions. The layout of the book is very easy on the eyes and the photos are lovely as well. I would not say this is a beginner jewelry book as it requires soldering, etching and epoxy which take some investment in time and money but doesn't all good art? I would encourage brave mixed media artists to try something new by choosing one of the projects in Stephanie's book and see how you might use the processes in your art. Happy reading!

I just checked this book out from the library and love everything about it. I got on here to put it on my wish list and had to write a review. Learning to etch, how to work some cold joins in the metal, and connecting things like silk, leather, and other odd charms and beads--it's all really exciting! There's information on soldering and how to make charms out of different items using the soldering techniques, which I'm trying next. I have experience with finer soldering techniques, but not with the messier ones described in the book, and I'm eager to learn about it. I tried the etching today as described in the book and it worked perfectly. I noticed that brass seems to work better than the copper (I didn't have nickel).

I've been finding myself drawn to steampunk jewelry lately, and this book is by far better than the steampunk jewelry book currently on the market as far as the techniques that are taught. Nearly every project in this book, whether you like the finished piece or not, seems to teach some new technique or show some other idea for how to use some common thing in your own work. I'm excited to apply some of this information even to my pieces that look anything but antique.

If you like the steampunk look, this is for you. Just add a key or a gear and there you go. ^_^

Anyone who loves mixed media art jewelry will thoroughly enjoy this book. Foremost, the projects are spectacular. The instructions are clear and concise with excellent photographs. The inspiration alone, is well worth the cost of the book itself! That's because Ms. Lee takes you on a virtual "expedition" with her as she moves from one project to the next. The overall experience of this book is absolutely fabulous!

This is a great book for ideas on how to do some womderful found art jewelry. It's most entertaining in spite of the sometimes flaky prose incorporated into a story lesson book. If you like to do out of the ordinary pieces. This book is for you.

I had seen works from this author at a local art fair, but waited to buy the book from Amazon at a better price. A beautiful book with thought provoking ideas, however some instructions were too complete (redundant) and some not complete enough. Also would have liked to have more information on suppliers/resources, still have not found supplier for what the author calls "etchant" solution. Would like to have trade name to find this. All that being said, I think the book is a valuable and inspirational addition to my library.

If you are into rustic, funky, and atypical jewelry, you'll love this book! If you prefer dainty and elegant classic styles, probably not so much. I like both, and of the six books I've purchased recently on designing "found object" jewelry, this is by far the best.

The materials are varied, and many of the designs can easily be adapted. There is no 'right' way to do these. The techniques are explained clearly, and while I am spending a fortune on supplies, most of them are enough for several projects.

The designs are featured in a storyline that isn't really that essential...I could have done without that to leave room for more projects. Yet, I'm not going to knock off a star...it's that good.

This is a great book. I often buy books for the information and techniques rather than the projects. However, this book has great information and techniques, and great and interesting projects. The little stories before the projects are also a lot of fun to read. I would highly recommend this book!

More than a simple how-to (though it succeeds famously as that alone) Semiprecious Salvage is an exploratory expedition in imagining possibilities and repurposing found items as one of a kind jewelry pieces exuding elegance, ingenuity, and wit. In the form of a daybook, Stephanie introduces each project with a journal entry setting the stage and allowing us a glimpse into her creative thought process. Cleverly woven into each entry with her imagined setting and circumstance is a discussion of tools and techniques necessary for constructing that particular piece. Step-by-step procedures are accompanied by plenty of visually explanatory photos. She covers processes for aging, using resin, soldering, wirework, and there's an eye-opening section on working with plaster. The Encased-Stone Ring is stunning, the Guardian Cuff, breathtaking. If making your own jewelry appeals, Semiprecious Salvage will provide a solid road map with some exquisite side trips off the beaten path.

First let me say I like this book and it is inspirational and well worth buying, as you can see from the many comments. I agree with most of what they say and won't repeat it. The problem, however, comes with the technique when etching from copier paper transferred with finger nail polish remover acetone. This formula works when you use a rubber stamp as she explains in one demo; it does not want to work for me with the copy machine paper transfer. I have used these type of transfers before, on fabric, and they did work. But it is very hit and miss on metal. So I see this as a rather big problem. Something is missing in the recipe, unless everyone else has had a great success with it. Then I guess something is missing in my technique!

Be sure to use the "Look Inside" feature when deciding whether to buy this book; if you don't love the projects featured the rest of the book won't have much to offer you. The steps are well photographed and the book is attractively laid out, but not one of the projects appealed to me. As someone who likes to use hardware and found objects in designing jewelry I should have been the perfect target market. Most of the projects are very rustic, for lack of a better word, and most lack visual appeal -- just my opinion, but I couldn't find much symmetry, rhythm, or flow to many of the finished pieces. The elements sometimes seemed randomly assembled and not always compatible with or complementary to one another. This book would be most useful (if those that like the projects) for people who already have experience in metal and wire work. As another reviewer mentioned, it's sometimes possible to pick up techniques from a book even when you're not crazy about the projects, but in this case the techniques are either so project-specific that it's not easy to generalize from them, or the techniques are not gone into in enough depth that a beginner could fully learn how to do them (soldering, casting with clay, working with resin, for example).