Teach Yourself VISUALLY Jewelry Making & Beading (Teach Yourself VISUALLY Consumer) (Paperback)

by Chris Franchetti Michaels (Author)
Key Phrases: jewelry making supply stores, knotting board, macramé square knot, Repeat Steps, Hill Tribe, Bead Stopper (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

You've probably coveted jewelry you've seen in artsy boutiques and fashion magazines or envied friends who have the perfect bling to accent everything. With this book, you'll learn to craft designs that are chic but inexpensive. With hundreds of detailed photos, this book covers tools and supplies, bead stringing and weaving, wire wrapping, and more. Terrific projects will get you started and inspire you to create your own jewelry and beadwork designs.

Concise two-page lessons show you all the steps to a skill and are ideal for quick review

• Each skill or technique is defined and described

• Detailed color photos demonstrate each step

• Step-by-step instructions accompany each photo

• Helpful tips provide additional guidance

About the Author
Chris Franchetti Michaels is the editor of the Jewelry Making site on BellaOnline.com; she writes weekly articles and hosts online discussions about all aspects of jewelry making. Her original jewelry designs have been featured both in print and on television, including on several episodes of the DIY Network's Jewelry Making. Chris creates jewelry at her studio, Chetti Designs (www.chettidesigns.com), and some of her projects are available as kits at www.chettibeads.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Visual (October 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470101504
• ISBN-13: 978-0470101506
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,703 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #1 in	Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Beadwork
  #1 in	Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Jewelry

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really great guide, November 14, 2007

By	T. Decker (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is really great for telling you everything that you wanted to know about jewelry making of all types from wirework, to bead weaving, to macrame. It gives you the little details that other books leave out and answers all of the questions you may have. There are step-by-step pictures of each technique, so you don't have to "guess" at how something is done. I think that every jewelry creator should have this book on their shelf, especially if you are just learning.

55 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book to start and grow with, November 9, 2007

By	A T - See all my reviews

I chose this book over others because it had chapters on both beginning techniques as well as more intermediate ones once you had mastered that. I also liked that it combined bead stringing, bead weaving and wire work all in one resource. Project ideas are provided but not as many as you might find in other books - just something to know depending on what you are looking for.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal teaching tool for the dedicated beader, August 12, 2008

By	H. Grove "owling6683" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you want to get into beading & jewelry-making, Chris Franchetti Michaels's Teach Yourself VISUALLY Jewelry Making & Beading is a fantastic place to start. It's a thick book loaded with photographs, and it tackles a comprehensive spread of topics.

Thorough charts detail everything from the common lengths for various styles and sizes of necklaces (both men's and women's), bracelets, and anklets to common finishing methods used for different stringing materials. Photos clearly display techniques for knotting strings, creating eyepins and headpins (not to mention clasps), and making your own Byzantine chain from jump rings. Wire gauge is demonstrated visually, with an image of each gauge's thickness, and with examples of what each gauge is used for.

The book goes through bead-stringing techniques; wire-work; bead-weaving (by hand and on a loom) and even macrame. If you truly want to delve into beaded jewelry as more than just a way to make a few pieces for yourself, then I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Michaels's book. It's extremely valuable and highly instructional. The use of brief, clear instructions combined with a ton of tables and photographs make it a quick read that teaches you an incredible amount of material. It's also a fantastic quick-reference book for use while making your creations.