I am totally new to jewellery making so I thought I would try and find a book that would explain most aspects of jewellery making to me. I also wanted a book which I could use when I got more advanced at the jewellery-making skills. This fitted my needs perfectly.
| Beaded Jewellery by Maya Brenner | |
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| Category: Crafts | |
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Reviewer: Sarah Cooper
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| Summary: Maya Brenner is one of the best jewellery designers around. If you want to impress people with stunning handmade jewellery then this is the book for you. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 224 | Date: 1 Jun 2006 |
| Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd | |
| ISBN: 978-1405315692 | |
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Maya Brenner is an amazing designer. Many of her works have been seen on shows such as Friends, Desperate Housewives, Alias and on many celebrities. So you can imagine how expensive some of her jewellery is to buy. This book is simply a treasure trove because it shows you how to make many of her best-selling designs at a fraction of the cost. You only have to browse a selection of her designs and you get enthralled and thoroughly inspired.
I enjoyed absorbing every page of this book. It is wonderfully put together, with first an introduction to the author who is clearly impassioned by jewellery making. Her exuberance is sure to pass off on the reader. The following page is entitled 'for the love of beads' which explains the wonders of beads and how they can produce such varied results; seductive, sparkling, chic, elegant, glorious or fun. Stunning photography accompanies the pages to give you the ultimate visual inspiration. A paragraph on this page is dedicated to 'the right meaning' of beads, which explains how you can use stones to uplift your mood or maybe use your birthstone. Which is a very interesting aspect to think about when jewellery making, one that wouldn't have crossed my mind.
So if at this point you are thinking 'what is the point of making my own jewellery', you should read 'Why Do It Yourself?' This page again is infused with Maya's passion as the main reasons she gives are "to have fun, fun, fun" and "the instant gratification." I am yet to try to make my first piece but I am thoroughly looking forward to it, so many times I have looked for jewellery to match outfits and not found anything. If you are not convinced as to why you need to start jewellery making read the remainder of this page and you will be converted.
Several pages are dedicated to beads and their shapes, sizes and colours again accompanied with stunning photography. Advice on which beads are suitable for which projects is included and provides a very comprehensive guide of the usage of beads.
I loved the way the book graduated slowly in to the more complex aspects and provided thorough step-by step photos of the techniques. The most delightful bit of this book is the four sections of designer jewellery projects; earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Each project is ranked as beginner, intermediate and advanced and you have to see the projects to believe how stunning they are. Each piece is unique and eye-catching in so many various ways - natural, sparkly, tribal or delicate.
I have already chosen a earring project to get started and have bought the relevant beads from a shop listed in the resources guide at the back of the book. I can't wait to get started, this book has truly, truly inspired me. I can't think of one fault with it.
And once my piece is complete I might even make use of the sections at the back of the book listed 'cleaning', 'mending' and 'restoring and recycling.'
A thoroughly enjoyable book that I hope to learn everything from and produce lots of jewellery wonders!
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You can read more book reviews or buy Beaded Jewellery by Maya Brenner at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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