4 comments about Beaded Collars: 10 Decorative Neckpieces Built with Ladder Stitch.

1. As I looked through this book at each beautiful collar, they made me think of a pretty little white bead collar of my Mother's, from the 1950's. It was in two pieces, which I tried to repair, but it just didnt look the same. Now I can make her a beautiful new one.



2. This book is well written and helpful pictures to help you get started making collars. Bead work and different ways of making the collars are very helpful. There are alots of steps to make the collars but the book makes it very easy to understand how to incurperate different patterns into one collar. I recommend this book for any beader beginners and ones that have been beading for years. I am sure anyone that gets this book will really like it like I do.



3. I've greatly admired Julia Pretl's fantastic collars and pre-ordered this book. I hope that Julia considers putting out an advanced version - because I'd hoped to learn how she incorporated bead embroidered pieces into her collars and didn't find any reference to that here. Still, I give her book full marks as a reference and learning tool. The information is clear, the illustrations second-to-none and the projects are interesting. Although the concept of the collars is simple - learning how to construct and use a template, how to use one or two needle methods and her many tips are invaluable. I know I'll enjoy teaching myself her methods. Next book - my wish list is some additional embellishment techniques and a gallery section, but for now - I feel I more than got my money's worth from this excellent book.



4. I thought the beaded collar on the front of this book was beautiful. The projects throughout this book are exquisite. One breathtaking design after the other.

1 comments about How to Make Polymer Clay Beads: 35 Step-by-step Projects Show How to Make Beautiful Beads and Jewelry.

1. I think that I own or have read just about every polymer clay book out there. This one has some recipes for faux gemstones that I haven't seen in any of the others, particularly one for turquoise that can produce a flat surfaced object instead of the bumpy surface that all the other books have for turquoise. Most of the projects I thought were very attractive. Some of the instructions could have been written more clearly, but I believe that any reasonably experienced clayer could figure it out.

5 comments about Making Metal Beads: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration (Lark Jewelry Book).

1. I often look for great silver smith books that can either inspire me with some great design, or challenge me with some interesting techniques.
   
   This book does both. ALl techniques are cold-joining for the most part.
   
   Even if you do not make beads, the techniques can be applied to rings, pendants, brooches, and so much more. It is great to have a book that can inspire and teach less experienced and shake the cobwebs out the brains of those of us who have loved working with metal for years.
   
   I highly recommend this book.



2. WOW! I really love this book for it relates to both the beginner silversmith to advanced. Tools needed are covered in enough detail and yet shows that you don't need all the fancy tools in order to make incredible handmade metal beads. I believe that even the most amateur silver worker can master bead making with this book and learn to grow on their own using the guidelines/techniques that are shown in this book. As mentioned by other reviewers, I wish I had purchased this book over a year ago for I used to stumbled along using other references to make my own pendants and wish I knew more to make better metal/silver beads --- well this book is a great help and eye opener for me. I think all interested in silver or metal beads should have this book. I know I will apply techniques learned from this author in the making of my pendants, thus giving them a unique flair seen nowhere else. Thanks to the author for putting her experience and techniques in print and providing excellent images to help guide us in the development of these beautiful beads.



3. When I received this book, I read it from cover to cover. I became excited and enthused when I realized that I could DO these projects. The photographs are phenomenal, instructions are very clear, concise and easy to follow. There are several projects that do not need a torch, they are cold connections only. I design jewelry and am a beginning metalsmith student as well. This book gave me so many ideas my head was spinning. I highly recommend this book to those looking for inspiration, and as well for those who need a good technical book on making metal beads!



4. As a contemporary jeweller I was looking for alternative design ideas to create beaded jewellery that made a statement and utilised my skills - this book more than satisfied my creative quest and inspired a few new techniques I'd never tried. And generated a new group of buyers who loved the designs this book inspired.



5. I like this book. Lark books give nice examples and well-illustrated projects. I got lots of nice ideas, but I haven't gotten them into practice yet.

4 comments about Easy Beaded Jewelry: 75+ Stunning Designs.

1. I am a beginning beader and I found this book to be wonderful! I purchased this book because I enjoyed just leafing through it and looking at all of the projects inside. Many of the designs offered me inspiration for my own jewelry creations. One thing that made this book stand out when I looked through it was that the margins were used to show the jewelry and point out what kinds of beads were used in each design. This made it really easy to see the design impact of different types of beads and help me to select what elements I want to use in my own jewelry.
   
   The book also contains instructions on how to create the jewelry and lots of helpful hints and background information. She includes comments on such things as what to consider when purchasing beads over the internet and where to find the tools you will need (maybe in the toolbox in your garage!). Lots of good, practical advice.
   
   I found this book to be very informative and inspiring. I can't wait to get back to my beading!



2. This book is a terrific combination of simple techniques and artistic merit. The diagrams are a pleasure to follow as they are printed--and inspire the reader to improvise and make variations according to personal taste.



3. I have a lot of beading books and this is my favorite. I love the author's style and have found so much inspiration in this book. There's also good, detailed information for beginners.



4. This is by far one of my favorite beading books. In fact, I have two copies! The designs are beautiful and the materials used are really lovely, but what I like most about the designs is the way they are laid out. There are clear details about how to make each project, along with detailed component lists, as well as where to buy the components, sometimes line drawings showing in detail the patterning and placement,and beautiful color pictures. I also like that the author indicates an approximate price range for the piece (like this will cost aobut as much as a movie ~$20) and the approximate time it will take to put it together. Although the designs are not very complicated they are very lovely and they are really good for the beginning or casual designer. But they are also varied enough that I can use them as a starting point in my own jewelry designing. Great book to have as a reference in your jewelry library.

1 comments about Easy Beading, Vol. 4: The Best Projects from the Fourth Year of BeadStyle Magazine.

1. Jewelry is notorious for being ludicrously expensive. But can the cost be cut down by doing it yourself? "Easy Beading: Fast. Fashionable. Fun." is the fourth volume in an outstanding series, filled with over eighty excellent and thoroughly 'user friendly' projects for those whose love for accessories outweighs the money in their wallets. With full color photographs of each project, illustrated guides to help beaders along, and invaluable advice for general beading knowledge, "Easy Beading" is a must for those who enjoy beading as a productive pastime -- as well as community library crafts and hobby instructional reference collections.

5 comments about Wire & Bead Celtic Jewelry: 35 Quick and Stylish Projects.

1. I first encountered this book through a friend, and at that time made one of the braided wire bracelets. I was taken at once! The directions are clear, the photographs are not only informative, but also quite beautiful works of art in and of themselves, and the range is commendable. While I do not personally have a taste for hearts and flowers, there are a number of widely varied projects and ideas one can glean from these pages to bring a little joy into the life of very nearly anyone with a taste for the Isles! There are however, a number of items that rely upon glue for their structural integrity or finishing, which always makes me rather nervous, but even if this bothers you, there are plenty of others that do not bother with the glue.



2. I have always loved celtic design and after buying this book I realized I would be able to easily create jewelry designs to fit that style. I love the photographs, as they are well done and easy to view many aspects of each design. Instructions are easy and simple to follow no matter what level of jewelry designer you are. I am by no means an advanced jewelry maker and designer, so I found this book very helpful and extremely inspirational.



3. Book is becoming unglued, and I just started reading it. Never had this happen before.
   
   Instructions for necklace on cover, aren't there.
   
   Some of the instructions for closures, might not work.
   
   I have a lot of jewelry making books and I DON'T recommend this one!



4. I am relatively new to wireworking and found this book to have both simple and more complex ideas, so there is something for everyone. I found some great new things to try and the instructions were clear and easy to follow. It also sparked my own creativity to try some variations once I saw how it was done. DEFINITELY a great book for beginners and more experienced designers alike.



5. Great ideas, i have created alot of my own ideas after working with this book. Good instruction- wearable art!

5 comments about The Art of Beadwork: Historic Inspiration, Contemporary Design.

1. Beadworkers have traditionally received less volume and detail in their guidebooks than quilters, but the genre is growing and has been enhanced by the addition of Valerie Hector's The Art Of Beadwork: Historic Inspiration, Contemporary Design. Valerie Hector is a famous jewelry designer who invited several artists to use a piece of beadwork from another time or culture as inspiration for creating a new piece: The Art Of Beadwork celebrates this effort, blending history and an overview of cross-cultural beading traditions with artist profiles and fun projects for creating necklaces, earrings, pins and more. With the world as its inspiration, The Art Of Beadwork features inspirational pieces from around the world, with diagrams and easy project notes assuring relative newcomers will be able to duplicate the polished results.



2. I have been doing beadwork, writing about beadwork, researching beads and beadwork, devoting my master's degree work to beadwork ... everything I have ever done these past 10 years seem to relate to beads ... even vacations with my wife center on going to specific bead stores, collections and museums.
   
   This book is PHENOMENAL! There are things in this book that I could never have dreamed about. The photography, illustrations and explanations for the projects are first rate. Linking them to traditional pieces is brilliant.
   
   This is the one book that will change the face of beadwork to come in the future.



3. This is an interesting book, filled with history about beading. I do wish Ms Hector had given specific instructions for her "big bead" Japanese beads (shown on the back of the book).



4. This is a truly beautifully organized and presented book. It appeals to a wide audience, not only those who plan to create the beaded jewelry from the detailed instructions given. It is excellent from a historical basis, and those who just want to look at the lavish photos will be richly rewarded!



5. Tons of great beading techniques & some history lessons to go with. No need for me to repeat in 2008 what others have been writing since 2005! :)
   
   I do want to point out this book is unique in my collection because it's the only one I know of to cover polygon stitch. Not only is it covered, the instructions are easy and there is a FANTASTIC chart to go with it so you can resize it, change your bead counts/rows and weave this hollow tubular rope in any number of ways. I'd like to hug the author for publishing that chart alone! :)

5 comments about Polymer Clay Beads: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration.

1. definitely not for beginners or hobbyists. The chapter on mica shift is the most useful for someone who doesn't have the tools that the later chapters require. The author explains more clearly than any other book I've read how to build various ingots and how to use them to make beads.
   
   The emphasis is on art beads perhaps larger and more modern art than the average reader has in mind to make. The book is well worth reading but perhaps it would be better to check it out from the library before buying to be sure that the book covers topics you will actually use.



2. Esta muy bien, ademas viene con muchas fotografias, lo cual hace que sea mas facil entender las técnicas



3. i was very satisfied with this book. It has beautiful, inspiring photos andunderstandable instructions for a variety of beads. I would recommend this book.



4. I devour instruction art books. Polymer books are usually for beginners
   making cute stuff. This is in another class. Outrageous, over the top gorgeous. Not for a week-ended artist. the turning process is brilliant and finish product is show quality.
   
   As a statement jewelry artist [...] myself I learned
   by leaps and bounds from this book. Thanks.



5. I own about a dozen polymer clay books that I have purchased over the last twenty years to learn from. Most of those books contain a lot of duplication. Lots of authors offer more or less the same instruction on creating faux gemstones, caning and millefiori and other basic types of techniques, but most of these are only variations of one another. Diffendaffer has gone these other authors one better because he applies the use of tools to his work that are not commonly described in other books. These include texture plates that you can design in your studio or work space, tube and core beads that are constructed using mandrels, an oven stand using mandrels to bake many beads at one time, a lathe, polymer clay extruders, and texturing tools. He has also included information on the basics so the book could be used by those who are not highly experienced.
   
   The bead types for which there are illustrations and instructions include mica shift beads, textured beads, lathe-turned beads, recursive molded beads, molded hollow-form beads and mandrel formed pillow beads (these are beads that extend halfway around the neck). While not all of them are to my taste, I have to say that most of them are quite attractive and very original.
   
   The book concludes with a gallery that includes beautiful works by Dan Cormier, Jeffrey Dever, Debra De Wolfe, Kathleen Dustin, Celie Fago, Lindly Jaunani, Kasuyo Kono, Judy Kuskin, Wendy Wallin Malinow, Sarah Shriverr, Cynthia Toops and Elise Winter. Highly recommended as an addition to the library of any polymer clay artist or practitioner.

5 comments about Findings & Finishings: A Beadwork How-To Book (Beadwork How-To series).

1. I love this book because it actually gives detailed instructions as to how to do things that many articles and books just touch on or assume you know. It also has many creative ways to embellish and finish your jewelry with findings you make yourself. The only complaint I've had with the book is that I wish it had more detailed descriptions or more pictures showing the process for some of the projects. However, I tend to have trouble following along with directions for weaving projects anyway!



2. Although "Findings and Finishings" is described on its cover as "a beadwork how-to book", it is as much a catalogue of the different findings and finishings that are available, as it is an instructional manual. In this book, Sharon Bateman provides color photographs of just about every type of jewellery finding imaginable (including clasps, connectors, terminals, spacers, crimps, head pins, ear wires and pins), with instructions on their use, and photographs and instructions of a wide range of beading techniques. There are no specific projects described in this book, but there is enough information given for the reader to create their own projects.
   
   Although this book is only 118 pages, there is a lot of information given in that space, and I would imagine this information would appeal to jewellery makers of all skill levels. However, this book could have been improved if more illustrations were provided of the interim steps involved in attaching each of the findings etc. Bateman provides photographs of finished products but often provides no illustrations of how she got there. This caused me some problems when I was learning how to bead.



3. I thought this book would just be about findings but it has everything you need to know to polish and finish any bead work. A must have for any beader.



4. For all the people who want instructions on finishing jewelry, this is a wonderful resource book. It's well written and gorgeously printed in color.
   It's a nice overview of finishing techniques, including some absolutely inspirational clasps done in seed beads, she has wire tips and instructions for wire clasps, detailed hints and instructions for finishings.
   It's got nice ideas for beginners, and for wireworkers both beginning and experienced. Bails and earrings and multi strand clasps that are well thought out.
   It's also a great book for advanced beaders as well, there are some projects and ideas in it that are just really inspirational. I'm absolutely in love with some of the seed bead clasp ideas, they are elegant and gorgeously executed, and I know I'll be using them in the near future. There is a slide bar bracelet that's so clever it took my breath away. I can picture it so well with a rug pattern peyote stitched bracelet!
   I was very impressed. In some ways, learning how to end a piece of jewelry you've spent a lot of time on in a way that balances well and is as beautiful as the rest of the piece is very hard, this book makes it much easier to have the back of your necklace or bracelet look as amazing at the front does. A lot of the ideas are also a lot less expensive then buying fancy findings that only "almost" match your finished piece. With this in hand, you can design the perfect finish for your piece.
   It was released by Interweave Press, the company that does Beadwork magazine. This book easily meets all expectations. I've been using it as a reference since I got it.



5. This book is an absolute must for beginners or advanced jewelry designers. The great step-by-step pictures provide an excellent reference. Terms are clearly defined.

5 comments about Zulu Inspired Beadwork: Weaving Techniques and Projects.

1. I cannot begin to describe the appreciation I have for this book. Being an Amercian of African decent, I always appreciate learning about the culture and history of people from different parts of the motherland. I have been trying to find a how-to-book on making African beaded jewelry. From what I observed from books about African Art and culture, the jewelry is always so colorful and beautifully designed. I want to make and wear jewelry that imulates the beauty of African styles of beading. Through a perspective of a person of African decent, I would have liked to see photographic examples of jewelry made by the Africans, which the book shows, but with more of them and the instructions demonstrating how to make them. However, the author has made the jewelry shown in this book to truly represent styles and beauty of African beaded jewelry. The photographs, the jewelry and instructions in this book are fantastic as others have mentioned and plus some.



2. I love this book-have made one bracelet, and am onto a second one. The instructions are so easy to follow and there are lot's of different patterns to try.



3. Lovely book. Wonderful photos and clear instructions of various stitches used. The historical pages are very interesting. Looking forward to the next book!



4. AWESOME. This book is detailed, very easy to follow, and causes visions of projects in your mind that you JUST might be able to do now. This toom of teaching bead weaving goes above and beyond other books written about the same subject.
   
   Highly recommended for content, price, and excitement. Buy it now!!



5. I have Diane's original, self published version of this book, but having this version, with all the colored pictures, is worth the price of buying the new edition.
   
   For those who like such, there are also specific patterns using the stitches-- something I dont remember the original ook having.