Customer Reviews

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Jewelry Making and Beading

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a fairly comprehensive book, with lots of data on the various aspects.
I just wish they had included sources for the materials used in the pictures.

Other than that, I was impressed by the extensive information.

I would certainly recommend this for anyone who wants to get started in this kind of work.

I have bought several books on making jewelry and I believe this is the best one by far. There are lots of large,clear, colour photos illustrating each step or tool, lots of charts to help you compare things such as size of beads, gauge of wire, typical lengths for bracelets and necklaces, etc. There is a well-designed appendix with additional information such as websites for books, magazines, videos and DVDs and other reference materials. Projects are arranged according to difficulty, starting with the easiest ones and moving on to the more challenging pieces, giving you a chance to practice your skills before launching into something more complicated. Although this book is highly recommended for beginners, it is also very useful for intermediate level craftspeople.

Terrific little book, especially for beginners. Lots of illustrations and information about beadind, products and techniques for those just starting - recommended highly.

This IS a book for beginners, there's no mistaking it. It is NOT primarily a book of projects for people who already know what they're doing, it is a book of techniques for those who want to learn. It does start with a 'basic' section and then go on to explain some more advanced techniques, but it's about learning. In the process of showing you how to make a wire ring it DOES lead you all the way through until you actually HAVE a ring at the end, so in a sense it's a project, but that is not always the case. (Sometimes they're just showing you how to make a clasp, or how to make a wrapped loop, or etc.) This is a book that will introduce you to the basics of a fair range of jewellery styles and techniques, but if you end up loving one of those styles and want to go further, you will most likely need to find a book that *specializes* in that area. It's a starter book...and a great one.

Each page has multiple clear, colour photos to illustrate the steps. That is a BIG HUGE PLUS in a how-to book for artists. A great many of us are visually oriented, after all. (I personally have a hard time making something by text instructions alone, but no problem working with photos alone.)

For those of you who are NOT beginners, well...this book may be too basic for you. I think just about anyone will learn SOMETHING they didn't already know, though, and it's a great touch-up for anyone whose basic skills have gotten rusty, or who was self-taught and may not have learned a few of the tiny finishing touches that make the elementary things most professional and effective. For example, I knew a lot of the wire techniques, but had not tried chain mail yet. It also includes some instruction on macrame and weaving and using a jig in addition to all the elementary things like making loops and head pins and clasps and coils and links and so on.

As always, I strongly recommend to anyone buying a book online to employ the 'Look Inside' feature if it is available. Also, if there IS no 'Look Inside' feature, or it is not helpful, try looking up the same book on Amazon.com. They have more books covered by the 'Look Inside' feature and sometimes theirs are more extensive. If you'd like more information about this book, feel free to visit my profile. You can contact me through it to ask your question.

I love this book, I make jewelery all the time, but I had never tried beading, now I incorporate beaded necklaces with my wrapped jewelery.

Because I am a visual person, I just had to see if this book delivered what all the critics were raving about and...I was not disappointed. Great for beginners is what I am so I go to the instructions whenever I forget how it goes. Beautiful easy to understand color close up intructions. This is a keeper.

A must have for beginner beaders and jewlry makers. Full of easy to follow tips and techniques.

I like this book, but as someone who already makes jewellery I didn't find it overly helpful. It did show me how to do some things that I was curious about, but for the most part it was stuff I already knew. I'd recommend buying this book if you are a TRUE beginner. Otherwise if your just looking for helpful hints, buy it when it's on sale, or just research things online...