Bead & Wire Art Jewelry: Techniques & Designs for all Skill Levels

I am completely new to jewelry making and wire working and found this book helpful to a certain extent.

I think a total beginner should purchase this book WITH another book that has more detailed steps for projects. A total beginner should consult this book for the Introduction on tools, materials and basic techniques but FIRST start with PROJECTS from a book with more detailed descriptions and photographs of steps. This projects in this book is EXCELLENT for beginners who have already completed a few simple projects (as in NOT completely, utterly new to wireworking) and know some of the basic techniques and lingo. The written instructions are very specific on certain things (length of wire to cut, number of beads to use) and can aid a semi beginner in gauging the right amount/length of materials to use in future projects and in their own designs.

The Introduction section is absolutely excellent for those completely new to wire working and jewelry making. It has a list of basic tools and materials you would need for basic wire working alongside pictures of each tool which is great as many new to jewelry making and wire working would not even know what they look like. It also gives a short description of the purpose/use of each tool and of different materials (beads, wires, etc)

There are about 20 pages detailing basic wireworking and beading techniques. There are step by step instructions accompanied by simple illustrations of the major steps. I found these to be useful basics.

The projects are beautiful and basic/simple enough to suit many people’s taste and also to help inspire your own designs. Variations are given for some of the intermediate and advanced designs. Projects progress from beginner to intermediate to advanced level. Materials and tools needed are clearly listed at the beginning of the project instructions.

I personally liked that the instructions were straightforward and were not influenced by the author’s personal tastes and preferences, work techniques etc and was not punctuated by little stories or quotes from the author (Personally, I find them annoying and distracting). It allows a beginner to form their own design personality and work technique/process without being influenced by the author. In addition, the written instructions for the projects included references to techniques described in the introduction, Such techniques when listed in instructions are underlined, letting the reader know to refer to the introduction and doesn’t leave the reader wondering (in case they have forgotten what they have read in the introduction).

However, as I said, I found this book helpful to me as a total beginner “to a certain extent.” I made the Pearl Cluster necklace as my first piece (the design was the reason why I bought the book). It is the first piece of jewelry I have ever made and although it was easy and employed many of the basic techniques described in the Introduction portion, it also required a lot of my imagination and trying, testing and poking around to complete. But in the end the necklace came out beautifully (in fact, it’s only been a few days since I completed it and I already have 4 girlfriends who have “placed orders” with me to make them the same design).

The steps are written instructions and not accompanied by photographs of the individual steps. Illustrations are given for some of the steps but they are not always an adequate supplement to the written instructions. Some photos are shown alongside instruction but they show what the piece should look like AFTER you have completed the step rather than HOW to complete the step.

I also found some of the written instructions to be very confusing – this is where I had to consult the (excellent) photo of the finished product (the only useful photos in the book) and use my imagination to figure out what the author meant.

Overall, I think it was a useful book for total beginners to consult about basics, but total beginners should find a more detailed book for actual projects before progressing onto the projects in this particular book. Semi-beginners will find that these projects can help inspire their own designs.

Bead and wire was great for a beginner. I learned wire wrapping techniques. The books showed beautiful designs that were easy to make. I was able to make jewelry that really looked like I knew what i was doing. Thanks to this book I am truly hooked on making my own jewelry.

Although this book has some lovely projects in it that are truly inspiring, the instructions leave much to be desired. Once you reach the Intermediate level projects, you are often told to simply “bend the wire according to the diagram.” So if you’re expecting step-by-step instructions, this is not the book for you.

When I read some of the bad reviews I wondered, “Are we talking about the same book?” This is one of my favorite jewelry books! It is not the first wire working book you should use. Learn basic techniques from “Bead on a Wire” which is a wonderful beginners book. I’m a wire wrapper with intermediate experience and it was perfect for me, I don’t care for every detail to be pictured and explained. This book has a nice variety of projects and is very inspiring, I use it all the time. The ideas in this book jumpstart me to make other projects.

En la version para KINDLE de Bead & wire art jewelry , Ni mucho menos tiene que ver con un libro “de verdad” las fotografias estan mal recortadas, y no se ven completas, como se va ha realizar una pieza si solo ves un espacio de 2 cm de la joya .

The book was in prefect condition when it arrived. Thank you for your prompt shipping. I am very satisfied.
The techniques used in this book in making wire bracelets has opened my eyes in creating endless possibilités in this art form. Again, I highly recommand this book for the wire jewelry artists.