Making Designer Bead & Wire Jewelry: Techniques for Unique Designs and Handmade Findings

I purchased this book well over a year ago, and am still pleased that I did so. It helped me on my way to make my own jewelry findings using various types of wire. Other books are now available with similar information, but I do appreciate the knowledge I garnered from this purchase. The black and white "pencil" drawings of the process on making the findings were clear and helpful. Jeweler's Tips - scattered throughout the book, particularly in the design section - have also been helpful. I would classify this book as a beginner's guide to wire work jewelry...one to get if you are not really sure that you want to really delve into wire as a focus in your designs. One half of the book is focused on tools, techniques, and basic wire findings. The other half is loaded with projects, but using only a minimal amount of the wire work knowledge that you might have gained in the first half. Yet the Variation Ideas, in nearly every design project, were often the focus of my first jewelry designing. Other recommendations are also good for beginners to set out for further work in jewelry design (e.g. Design Advice - keep a sketchbook with ideas for future work/ideas, consider using wire elements in different ways for each project for different looks, become innovative and play around with the wire and beads in order to possibly come up with a design worthwhile, etc.). However, I feel that so much more could have been included in this book, particularly with all the empty spaces scattered throughout the book - e.g. more images of other variations, more info, more designs, step-by-step images to go with directions and more. The Gallery and Resource sections of the book were good to great. The photographs of each design were spectacular and often set up on various stones/backgrounds for wonderful effect and the clarity/close-ups allow for the beginner to see the wire work involved in great detail. So even though I gave it 4 stars in regards to a beginner book, overall it would actually fall into a 3.5 star category for me based on other wire design books available. I would recommend getting several beginner books first and then go to the intermediate/advanced wire jewelry books if this is your focus in jewelry design.

I was disappointed with this book because it had the same info with less design ideas, as 'Bead on a Wire' by Sharilyn Miller. To be fair, if I had bought this book first, instead of vice-a-versa, I might not have felt as let down as I was; but, I don't think so...All the wire designs seem to be based on one theme--the two, three or four 'Loop Eye' headpin, and how to string beads.The book should have BEGINNER'S somewhere on the front cover. If you have already have a book listing the basic tools & techniques, you don't need this one.

I bought this book as a gift for my mother. She has found it useful, easy to understand. It is full of photographs and illustrations of all the procedures and so it is very "user friendly".

There are some great ideas in this book. The instructions are clear and the pictures are nice size. Simple styles that will last.

This was more than worth what I paid for it. I have only been wireworking for a few years even though I've been beading 15 years and selling my jewelry in a gallery for 3 years. I've been making my own ear wires but was inspired by the ear wire ideas in this book. The directions are concise and easy to follow. I'm teaching a beading class and we're using it for project ideas already. I love the way the author expands on her designs with ideas for using the concept to create other jewelry designs. I just wish the book was hardcover or spiral bound because it will be sure to be used constantly.

I can not rate it. I thought it was a book and I bought it doesn't for a friend. I contacted amazon to get my money back and got no response. So the money was wasted. Please refund payment.

I original discover this book in my local library and found it so helpful that I decided to see if Amazon had it and sure enough it did. This book is ideal for a newbie like myself and I have learned so much from it already. I offers some really great and unusual designs to earring hooks and the such. Also it just helps you with the most basic that one needs to start off jewelry design.It was packaged super great and came in the mail in no time so I was pleasantly surprised by the quickness!!

didn't mean to buy it. couldn't get it to refund

My wife says its a good book as she is starting to make jewelry and a complete novice .

The best wire jewellery making book I've found!