Review of Beaded Jewelry: Wirework Techniques.
I will admit this is a first for me, reviewing a how-to book. If you ask my husband, the amount of them I buy or borrow from the library I should be qualified to review one.
Skills, Tools, and Materials for Handcrafted Jewelry. A Storey Basics ® Title
Carson Eddy, Rachael Evans, Kate Feld
The book is not a very long book, which I think is a good
thing. Too long a book can make someone feel overwhelmed by all the information.
Let’s start with what I liked about this book. Firstly, I like
how the first four chapters cover the basic knowledge you should have before
you even start trying to make wire jewelry. I will admit when I began I didn’t
have a clue and the guide I had bought didn’t cover much more then different
types of wire gauges. This one however covers wires types all the way to what
basic tools you will need. I never knew there
where that many types of pliers that you could get.
The second thing I liked about this book was the little tech
tips that were inserted periodically throughout. These tips are basic
suggestions that you may not think about that can help make your jewelry look
better as well as help in the crafting itself.
Only because I don’t think there is a perfect anything out
there I will note that the book ended kind of abruptly. I anticipated some type
of closing paragraph or note. Something to say “Hey this is the end” before you turn
the page to the index.
Overall I think this a good beginner’s guide that would stand
on its own or supplement a how-to handbook. It has information a beginners will need as
well as it can be used by an experienced person that needs a quick
reference.
