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The Absolute Beginners Guide: Making Wire Jewelry
Get wrapped up in The Absolute Beginners Making Wire Jewelry , the fourth book in the successful Absolute Beginners Guide series. This user-friendly wireworking primer takes readers through the basics of wire types, tools, findings and more. Then it's on to progressive, fun-to-make projects designed to teach fundamental techniques and build confidence every step of the way. Wireworkers will learn how to open and close jump rings, make head pins and earring wires, create wire spirals, wrap, coil, and more! Variations for each project give readers the chance to experiment with many techniques. Aspiring wireworkers will learn, practice, and reinforce skills with a rewarding fun, wearable wire jewelry!
- GenresCrafts
96 pages, Paperback
First published April 10, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 24, 2024
Some nice ideas.
March 29, 2012
The Absolute Beginners Series from Kalmbach Books is geared towards absolute beginners who are good visual learners. The steps are extensively explained and photographed.
This book, The Absolute Beginners Guide: Making Wire Jewelry is for novices who want to try making their own jewelry for the first time. There is no soldering and very little special equipment needed to make classics like drop earrings or wire chokers. Since it is a beginner's book, it's too basic for people with more experience, but might be good as a guide if you're teaching someone basics.
The introduction covers the tools and materials, all photographed and explained. You'll learn what different kinds of pliers are used, get ideas for mandrels, and learn about hammers and bench blocks. The author gives tips for working on a budget when you first get started using alternative tools. There is a brief section that explains tempering and work hardening wire. It also talks about beads and findings.
The techniques are taught in the projects, which are all very wearable. Picking the beads and metals helps you design pieces to suit your personality from the start. Each of the projects lists on top of the page the skills you'll learn doing it.
Following the projects you'll learn how to:
Make loops for eye pins
Open and close jump rings
Make eye pin connectors
Shape wire with a ball tip hammer
Make wrapped loops
Make tight spirals
Make spiral components
Make open spirals
Make shaped components like S curves and U curves
Make jump rings
Make figure 8 links
Make double spiral components
Make clover leaf components
Make a pin
Make a spiral around a bead
Design your own simple decorative headpins
Make heart and hook clasp
Make secure earring wires
Make chains
Wrap a wire with a finer gauge wire
Make coil beads
Make a frame
Twist wires
Make coil ends and a coil bail for cord
One of the final projects is a charm bracelet that uses the techniques you learned in the book.
This is just a great book for people just starting out. The clear photographs and text make it easy to follow. While most of the projects are feminine, with the right cord, beads and metal, the coil ends and coil bail and the coil bead are very wearable by young men as well. I used the coil ends and bail project to make a drilled dice necklace for myself and my son wants the necklace!
If you are looking for a good book for beginning to make wire jewelry, this is a good choice. It's not intimidating and very well explained.
[I received a complimentary copy of the book to review on my bead site- BellaOnline Beadwork. My reviews are always my honest opinion]
This book, The Absolute Beginners Guide: Making Wire Jewelry is for novices who want to try making their own jewelry for the first time. There is no soldering and very little special equipment needed to make classics like drop earrings or wire chokers. Since it is a beginner's book, it's too basic for people with more experience, but might be good as a guide if you're teaching someone basics.
The introduction covers the tools and materials, all photographed and explained. You'll learn what different kinds of pliers are used, get ideas for mandrels, and learn about hammers and bench blocks. The author gives tips for working on a budget when you first get started using alternative tools. There is a brief section that explains tempering and work hardening wire. It also talks about beads and findings.
The techniques are taught in the projects, which are all very wearable. Picking the beads and metals helps you design pieces to suit your personality from the start. Each of the projects lists on top of the page the skills you'll learn doing it.
Following the projects you'll learn how to:
Make loops for eye pins
Open and close jump rings
Make eye pin connectors
Shape wire with a ball tip hammer
Make wrapped loops
Make tight spirals
Make spiral components
Make open spirals
Make shaped components like S curves and U curves
Make jump rings
Make figure 8 links
Make double spiral components
Make clover leaf components
Make a pin
Make a spiral around a bead
Design your own simple decorative headpins
Make heart and hook clasp
Make secure earring wires
Make chains
Wrap a wire with a finer gauge wire
Make coil beads
Make a frame
Twist wires
Make coil ends and a coil bail for cord
One of the final projects is a charm bracelet that uses the techniques you learned in the book.
This is just a great book for people just starting out. The clear photographs and text make it easy to follow. While most of the projects are feminine, with the right cord, beads and metal, the coil ends and coil bail and the coil bead are very wearable by young men as well. I used the coil ends and bail project to make a drilled dice necklace for myself and my son wants the necklace!
If you are looking for a good book for beginning to make wire jewelry, this is a good choice. It's not intimidating and very well explained.
[I received a complimentary copy of the book to review on my bead site- BellaOnline Beadwork. My reviews are always my honest opinion]
April 6, 2012
Martine Callaghan gives concise, easy to follow instructions in this beginner how to book on Making Wire Jewelry. She makes no assumptions what someone might already know and provides the learner with some awesome photos that show step by step instructions. It was just like having her right there every step of the way.
Martine starts off the book with the basics, such as the different types of materials and information about each one in language that is easily understood by a beginner. Then it is on to the tools needed and workspace requirements...which by the way....there are minimal tools needed and very little space is required for someone to make the projects she has given detailed instructions for in this book.
Making Wire Jewelry contains 28 fully detailed projects as well as many professional tips given by Martine. Any beginner would do well with this book and be well on their way to becoming a talented wire worker and making many amazing pieces of jewelry.
I truly enjoyed reviewing this book even though I already had some experience in creating wire work jewelry. It gave me some good tips and refreshed my memory on some of the procedures that I haven't used.
Martine starts off the book with the basics, such as the different types of materials and information about each one in language that is easily understood by a beginner. Then it is on to the tools needed and workspace requirements...which by the way....there are minimal tools needed and very little space is required for someone to make the projects she has given detailed instructions for in this book.
Making Wire Jewelry contains 28 fully detailed projects as well as many professional tips given by Martine. Any beginner would do well with this book and be well on their way to becoming a talented wire worker and making many amazing pieces of jewelry.
I truly enjoyed reviewing this book even though I already had some experience in creating wire work jewelry. It gave me some good tips and refreshed my memory on some of the procedures that I haven't used.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews