Making Designer Bead and Wire Jewelry: Techniques for Unique Designs and Handmade Findings (Paperback)

by Tammy Powley (Author)
Key Phrases: vermeil beads, simple loop technique, loop eye pin, Basic Hook, Quadruple Loop Eye, Basic Eye (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Jewelry making is one of the most popular craft trends, and its audience continues to grow. Few jewelry books on the market emphasize the importance of the design relationship between beads, wire, and jewelry findings-the "nuts and bolts" of any piece. This book will show not only how to design and build your own spectacular jewelry out of beads and wire but how to design and create your own findings as well.

Most jewelry making books are geared for the beginner and provide little information for intermediate to advanced jewelry makers. Making Designer Bead and Wire Jewelry contains illustrated how-to techniques, full-color project photos, project instructions, and numerous tips that enhance the styles and skills presented. Intermediate and advanced jewelry makers will learn new techniques for creating signature elements for their designs, while beginners will get a handle on honing their skills.

About the Author
Tammy Powley is a jeweler, teacher, and writer. She is the author of Rockport's Making Designer Gemstone and Pearl Jewelry (2003), a frequent contributor to Jewelry Crafts magazine, and the host and manager of About.com's jewelry-making website for which she writes regular columns. She resides in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Quarry Books (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592531660
• ISBN-13: 978-1592531660
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #441,167 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to jewelry making!, September 23, 2005

By	Sharilyn Miller (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you're seeking an introduction to making jewelry using your favorite beads and simple wire fastenings, you've found it! The jewelry projects offered here are professional and stylish, yet easy to make with just a few tools and techniques provided by the author.
One of my favorites is Tammy's Cubism Earrings, which are made with clever triple-loop ear hooks, crystals, silver spacers, and metal links cut from a commercial chain. Brilliant! She also offers clasps, a figure-8 chain, jump rings, and more in this beautifully photographed text.
The author's instructions are complemented by line-art diagrams in the Jewelry Techniques section, making it easy to follow along. Also included: a helpful chapter on buying beads and wire, using a jig, and a description of the tools.
Some have complained that this book is too basic, and perhaps if you are an advanced wire and/or bead artist this may not be the book for you. But the designs are lovely nonetheless, and because the author's workmanship is excellent and her instructions are so easy to follow, I'm recommending it for beginners as well as intermediate jewelry artists.

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Handmade findings accent beautifully strung designs, September 12, 2005

By	K. Rominger "Dream with your eyes open..." (Show Low, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book provides exactly what the title promises -- clear instructions and tips on making jewelry findings by hand, accented by lovely beaded designs. There is a nicely presented introductory portion at the beginning detailing "the basics" -- wire types, tools, and "what makes a bead." (The answer -- for the truly addicted, anything with a hole in it!) It provides clear information for beginners, and a good refresher for the more experienced artist.

The book progresses in a stepwise fashion when it begins to show jewelry artisans a varitey of techniques for making findings -- everything from hook and eye clasps embellished with beads to earwires and head and eye pins. The author shows you how to make these findings by hand with a variety of pliers, so you literally "have a hand" in every component of your jewelry. The gallery of designs provides you with wonderful inspiration (in fact, I found the necklace on the front of book so compelling that I had to buy it) and clear photos accompany the instructions.

The only thing I was a bit disappointed in was a lack of designs to be used on a jig. Though the author does a great job explaining why a jig might appeal to some artisans, the fact that designs to practice with were lacking seemed to make this section an afterthought.

Nevertheless, I still refer to this book frequently, and take great pride in my good looking handmade findings. It takes practice, of course, but this book is an excellent teacher in my opinion.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Simple but effective, August 19, 2005

By	Jean Leslie "Jbyrd" (Delaware, USA) - See all my reviews

This is a good book for beginning wire workers. I'm giving this a 4 instead of a 5 because many of the projects are strung jewelry using handmade wire findings that are taught in the book instead of exclusively bead and wire/wire-only jewelry. The instruction is clear with step by step line drawings for the wire-techniques that include the basics, the loop and the bead wrap. Then there are instructions for earwires, clasps and connectors. What makes this book useful is that Ms Powley shows how to make 3 and 4 loop connectors by hand instead of on a jig, which is the only way I've seen this wire classic taught.
Another plus is the gallery of jewelry by other well-known wire-artists. Every piece by these experts uses techniques found in the book. Every project also shows a variation, like in her previous book , Making Designer Gemstone and Pearl Jewelry.
Tammy Powley is the hostess for jewelrymaking and has a very simple, straighfoward approach: You won't find lots of coils, spirals, multiple-guage wires for one piece or liver-of-sulfer here.