Designing Jewelry with Glass Beads (Paperback)

by Stephanie Sersich (Author)
Key Phrases: silver accent beads, snug the beads, lampworked beads, Repeat Step, Spiny Knotted Bracelet, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I really enjoyed the colourful designs and the simple way the projects are explained and broken down. Highly recommend."  —Whipup.net

"Lots of creative ideas for incorporating lampwork and other glass beads into jewelry."  —About.com Guide to Jewelry Making

Product Description

In this collection of inspiring pieces, aspiring jewelers and practicing designers alike will find accessible advice across a range of 20 glass bead projects. Explained in a conversational style and with step-by-step instructions, the guide—which includes projects such as necklaces, bracelets, pendants, and brooches—encourages crafters to use a mix of inexpensive, commercially available beads as well as one-of-a-kind, handmade glass beads. This comprehensive handbook also explains wirework, stringing, sewing, and a variety of knotting techniques, while throughout the book sidebars on the inspirations and creations of glass jewelry artists offer unique perspectives on creating artful glass jewelry.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Interweave Press (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596680474
• ISBN-13: 978-1596680470
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #78,398 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #90 in	Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Decorating
  #92 in	Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Beadwork

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Teacher Shares Her Beading Talents and Her Passion for Glass, March 18, 2008

By	Jean Yates "jean, jewelry designer, book and... (United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Stephanie Sersich's colorful book, Designing With Glass Beads, is easy to love! It has so much going for it. First, she gives you a great history of glass, very complete and well done, something which I enjoyed and found thoroughly fascinating. She also shares "her world" throughout the book, which means that you get to understand in a profound way why her glass designs are so beautiful. She comes from a super family of artists who live in Maine. In fact her very first quote which "taught me something" I hadn't thought of in that particular way before is, "Beading is a miniature game of organizing space". She says in the book she got this organizational talent from her father. You also "meet" her remarkable mother, an artist as well, and other friends such as the great glass artist Dustin Tabor.

However, even more than this, you get to play in Stephanie's exuberant world of glass! She is famous for her spectacularly beautiful Spiny Knotted Bracelet. The instuctions for this great bracelet, and for so many other beautiful pieces, will really thrill you if you love her style. They are all in this book! She has a great talent for using wire, ribbon, types of sewing, waxed linen and other bases for her jewelry pieces which enchance each one's unique and energetic beauty.
I particularly liked her Wispy Necklace (such a collection of beads and fringe!), her Tinkerbell Drop Earrings, which are simple but hip, and so many more! She is so good at what she does! It is a very exciting book to read and to have. There are all kinds of glass beads. There is lots and lots of color to entrance you as well.

There are also lots of small extras which are pleasing, such as the way she writes about what it is like to look forward to summer in Maine (an area which is pretty cold a lot of the time), and then ties that in to her signature lampworked starfish which she makes. She even shows the very first starfish she ever torched. It is sweet and pretty good!

She offers other pages of extra info like "The Art of Lampwork" which shows her making her glass beads as she explains in writing exactly what she is doing.

I like the book as much for the jewelry as for the information she shares. She is definitely an excellent teacher and a fascinating person. Her beads are beautiful and her jewelry is absolutely worth knowing how to make.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book by a fantastic artist, March 3, 2008

By	ArtsyMartha (Chapel Hill, NC USA) - See all my reviews

I have attended two workshops with Stephanie and I was thrilled to see that her book captures her personality and artistry. She gives you a taste for how she creates her wonderful lampwork beads and reveals her techniques for turning them into unique and fun jewelry. The photos are gorgeous and so inspiring, I immediately made a few of her stacked pendants for myself and my friends.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your average beading book!, March 11, 2008

By	B. Lindsay (Rochester, MN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is full of unique, creative beaded jewelry projects as well as Stephanie's helpful comments on color, texture and design. Great for all levels. If you want to expand your beadwork skills, this is the book for you!