Jewelry Making Techniques Book: Over 50 Techniques for Creating Eyecatching Contemporary and Traditional Designs

by Elizabeth Olver

Jewelry making is a captivating subject that allows even beginners to make objects of real beauty and lasting value. This guide blends more than 50 simple techniques with more sophisticated methods to enable readers to build on their skills at home or in a small workshop. Starting with pieces that focus on the basics, the projects progress into more complex, eye-catching designs. Detailed illustrations show how to master potentially challenging methods, including mitering and stone setting. Large color photos of finished pieces using an array of gorgeous metals and stones provide additional inspiration while showing the practical application of each technique. In-depth sections * Tools, equipment, materials and chemicals * Weighing, measuring and cutting various metals and stones * Cutting, forming, soldering, casting and stone-setting * Decoration and assembly * Finishes and surface decoration * Fittings and findings

Genres: Jewellery

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2001

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a hobbyist, this book was way above what I was after when I picked it up. This book is more suited to people who want to explore this as a career. Or at the very least someone who plans to sell what they make. The amount of tools needed for a lot of this requires a serious output of cash. I'm talking blow torches, power tools and all manner of expensive (and sometimes custom) type tools. I'm the pliers, swiped my husbands dremmel kind of girl and that's as high tech as I get. As a guide for a serious minded person, I imagine this covers all of the basics and then some. There are a handful of tips and tricks to be had from this book, but by all means check it out. The knitting with wire technique was quite impressive though.

[Ligaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite reading this book over 18 years after it was first published, it is very relevant. This book assumes lots of familiarity with jewelry-making techniques though, and is not for the true novice. It contains a good overview of tools, materials, and studio set-up. Description of various techniques is brief but mostly clear. One annoying problem is that the photos in the how-to sections are not numbered to correspond to the numbered directions. Plentiful photographs and the art pieces themselves have aged well.

[Erica Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book showed me exactly how much I do not know about working with metal. I’ve been considering taking my skills to the next level, and I realize now that all the Redditors in the jewlery making sub who tell folk to take a class before buying equipment are absolutely correct.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear and concise. Not for the beginning jeweler.

[Dorcas · Rating 3 out of 5]

educational tips and interesting ideas, but way more advanced than what I'm capable of. Plus, you'll need to invest in many specialized tools for this projects.