47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great beginning book for learning to make pearl and gem jewelry, August 29, 2006
This review is from: Simply Pearls: Designs for Creating Perfect Pearl Jewelry (Paperback)
If you love the new styles of pearl plus briolette or pearl chip jewelry, you are going to love Nancy Alden's book. The designs shown are simple enough to accomplish, simple to inspire but not so unusual as to stunt your own creativity.
I particularly liked the green garnet and pearl strand, but the pearl chip earrings had me wondering if it wasn't time I got out a pair of pliers and some jewelry wire. There are interesting combinations of pearls and briolettes and pearls and other beads.
Advanced jewelry makers will probably not find a lot new in this book, but newer jewelry makers will find this is a great basic text for learning about making bead jewelry that features lustrous pearls, whether round, flat, irregular or seed.
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37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good ideas, basic materials, October 24, 2006
This review is from: Simply Pearls: Designs for Creating Perfect Pearl Jewelry (Paperback)
I viewed this book at a bookstore and really liked it. The instructions are easy to follow and the photos are excellent. The materials were not extravagant. Several of the pieces used charlottes as spacer beads rather than knots or precious metal beads. The patterns were basic enough to allow for substitutions. The section on pearl grades and quality was particularly helpful for someone who goes to beadshows and is overwhelmed by the selection.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Simple Pearls features designs ranging from the simple to the amazing, March 10, 2007
This review is from: Simply Pearls: Designs for Creating Perfect Pearl Jewelry (Paperback)
Pearls are unique in the gem world in that they are made by living creatures rather than being mined from the earth. When an irritant is introduced (accidentally or intentionally in the case of cultured pearls) into a shellfish like a mollusk. In order to better tolerate the irritant, the mollusk coats the pearl with layers of a hard, smooth substance called nacre (rhymes with "acre") that mollusks have coating their shells--these shells are commonly known as mother-of-pearl.
Due to the nature of their creation high quality, round pearls can be pricy when shopping at a jewelry store. Paying a lot for pearls, however, is nothing new. Pearls have been considered elite jewels since ancient times. Cleopatra is rumored to have dissolved a priceless pearl in wine and drank it to illustrate Egypt's wealth to Mark Anthony. That anecdote is a favorite of Nancy Alden in her jewelry-making book Simply Pearls.
Alden begins her guide with an introduction detailing how pearls are created and how the cultured pearl industry in China has made pearls available at much lower prices for jewelry makers all over the world.
Even if you can't afford to work with pearls, this book provides clear instructions for basic jewelry making techniques such as stringing necklaces and working with head pins to make earrings. The book is also packed with exquisite pictures that will, if nothing else, serve as excellent eye candy and inspiration for the jewelry maker in you.
While Alden makes a point of emphasizing that pearls deserve respect and should be combined with quality materials, many of her designs could be adapted to use regular glass beads and base metal materials. The designs range from a simple beaded strand of pearls to a necklace simply known as "A lot of work--but worth it!" These varying designs even offer some interesting projects for advanced beaders.
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