Customer Reviews

Simply Modern Jewelry

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This jewelry design book, Simply Modern Jewelry, by Danielle Fox, who is the Editor of Stringing Magazine, delivers just what the title implies it will deliver: a collection of stunning, cleanly designed jewelry projects which you will thoroughly enjoy making!
Each project is totally lovely to look at. There is a lot of variety as well. Yet there is even more than this to Simply Modern Jewelry.
The author writes in an easygoing, understandable manner, and comes up with great ways of teaching her projects. They each invariably have a wonderful appeal to the reader, as they are all pretty and "finished" looking. There is a good reason for this. It is one of her intentions to teach how to make jewelry which looks professionally made. She recalls in the introduction to the book that she once bought a special piece of jewelry for a special occasion. It looked so complicated to make! But it wasn't, she now knows, and she demonstrates how to create your own fabulous pieces right here in her book!
There are six sections to this book. The first is a section packed full of explanations of how to shop for beads, what tools and techniques to use, and how to understand the level of expertise you will use for each of the upcoming projects. I really loved the photos of the beads chosen as examples in this section, as I am a bead collector and they were lovely! The section is very clearly written as well, and a good kick off to getting the reader involved and ready to learn.

The following sections are all encompass different styles of making super pretty jewelry. The first is called "Find your Inspiration". This is something I believe is essential for beaders to grasp in order to truly be successful at creating good designs, so I was delighted to see such a great explanation of how become inspired by even the most everyday things around you, such as a pretty piece of wrapping paper which appeals to you, or a recent purchase of a dress, which is so lovely to you it seems to call out to you for special adornment.

The section called "Mix It Up" is very well done and inventive. I like unusual designs which use all sorts of combinations of things. This chapter has many projects which are great fun and are very surprising, like "Snap Fizz Pop", which makes use of soda pop bottle cap beads in a most entertaining manner. You could easily buy the book for this design alone! It's great! But wait! There's more!
The author has a wonderful flair for symmetry, as she shows in the following section called "Play with Symmetry". Once again she demonstrates that jewelry design should be fun as you learn to create beautiful, lasting pieces which you will enjoy for years to come. She doesn't miss a beat intriguing you with balance, color and drama in these projects. There is a great use of different forms of metal in this chapter. I really liked "Brass Menagerie"!
"Experiment with Sizing" and "Easy Does It" are the last two sections of this fine design book. The first one mentioned involves employing unusual lengths for design impact, and the second and final section has some sweet, quick projects so that all of us who feel like making a fast flowery ring (I am a sucker for flowers and rings!)or knotting up a cool cord necklace in a few minutes can satify that urge to create, and come up with some swift style.

If you want to learn how to shop for beads, what to look for in different components used in making jewelry, how to buy your tools and what to do technique-wise...if you wish to learn more about the principles of design, how to use color, and ways of obtaining inspiration from the things which surround you in your daily life, I recommend this book. If you want to make some perfectly lovely jewelry, I recommend this book. It has it all going on. There is a huge range in style and mood. There is much lovely color juxtaposition offered, as well. I think the author really outdid herself in that area!
The interesting thing is that I would bet if you looked through this book you would choose a design and say, "Ooooh! That is so ME!" I know that was one of my responses, frequently. And yet I am not you and you are not me! It is this fine teacher, Ms. Fox, who is imparting her enthusiasm and her knowledge who is making us feel this way.
That is what a good designer and teacher can elicit from her readers: a desire to learn to bead, and bead well, simply because the projects are so lovely, clear, interesting and unique. I recommend this book for all levels of beaders.

This is a great book! The photographs are clear (no annoying fade outs so you can't see the image) and there are many detail photos. The directions are well written and easy to follow. What I like best about this book, is how modern the projects actually are. I could easily picture finding the jewelry in this book at an upscale boutique or gallery. What's even better, the designs aren't trendy, which means you'll get a lot more wear from a piece and not feel its outdated a season later. I highly recommend this book!

This is a well presented book. I purchased it because I usually love the author's jewelry designs. There are a few cool ones in the book, but the methods are very basic, so it's definitely a beginner's book and I didn't find it challenging enough. If you're a beginner, I recommend it, otherwise, you might want to pass.

At this point I am wondering why I ever bought jewelry when I can make these fabulous designs at home. The easy to follow instructions are a huge help. Thanks, Danielle, for a great book. I will be making some of your creations for my daughters' and nieces' birthday and Christmas gifts.

I am a new beader and was so excited to receive this book.
It's great for me because it shows all different shapes of beads and explains eveything very simply.

The projects in this book are ugly and don't appear to have much time or thought invested in them.

This is a great book with beautiful jewelry. Danielle has done an excellent job of combining exquisite taste with modern flare. For someone who likes to make jewelry but lacks "vision" this is a great guide. And I'm not just saying this because she's my sister!