[.ca] Great Wire Jewelry: Projects & Techniques (ISBN 1579900933)

VERY, very basic, BUT very well suited for it's purpose.:
1) ATTENTION BEADERS! For those of you that are looking for new findings - this book is great! Especially since you probably have the experience with working with jump rings, headpins, eyepins, wire, and probably also have the tools neccessary to do the job. 2) ATTENTION BEGINNERS! If you are looking for a simple gift that looks fantastic - one that you can say you made yourself - this book is stellar. I would highly recommend skipping the knitting, making your own jump rings, using mandrels & using saws, though. If I were you, I would turn right to the section where the author demonstrates designs using jump rings, then go down to your favorite jewelry/craft supply and go BUY the jump rings you want to use. Assemble a project and then decide if you want to do another with more costly metals and supplies. You don't need an elaborate setup to create AWESOME jewelry. Once your comfortable with wire, and are ready for the next step, go back to the front where you can find the knitting & braiding instruction. 3) ATTENTION ADVANCED! This is probably not the book for you. Most of the content of this book can be found in different parts of all other jewelry making books, especially those books used for instruction. This book is definitely a BEGINNER'S book, and you will probably get little or no useful information from it. To put it this way, the author suggests some projects are even suitable for children.

Make great wire jewelry without using a torch!:
At 60 pages, this is a relatively small book, but it's packed full of instructions and information! The author opens with a brief discussion of materials and finishing methods. Each project is rated for difficulty, which ranges from easy/children through difficult. Subsequent chapters are arranged according to the technique that is used. These techniques include knitting, braiding, twisting, and working with jump rings. Each technique is introduced, with tips on materials and finishing and step-by-step instructions. The color diagrams are very clear, as are the color photographs of finished pieces. The projects require a minimal investment in materials. Instructions are provided for making some of the tools yourself. The back of the book includes a description of tools and a table of mandrel sizes for making jump rings. This is a focused book, targeted at the beginner or intermediate level. You won't find wire wrapping or soldering or an exhaustive overview of techniques. However, I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to explore solder-free chainmaking. This is an excellent book if you are seeking ideas for men's jewelry, chain maille, medieval jewelry, or Viking jewelry.

Intricate, impressive jewelry:
This book is a gem. The instructions are clear and easily followed, yet the resulting jewelry (especially the Viking knitting) is beautiful and definitely does not look homemade. Note that this book uses British wire sizes. If you are in the United States, simply subtract two from the gauge given in the book. For example, 26-gauge wire in the U.K. is equivalent to 24-gauge wire in the U.S.

Still a great buy, three years later:
I bought this book several years ago and reviewed it then. I used it to learn how to make some findings, then shelved it and forgot it. A few weeks ago, I needed to learn how to make chain mail. I went to the internet and downloaded several instructions, none of which I could understand, and many of which had pictures designed to discourage. All-black backgrounds, poorly focused rings, or color-coded tutorials so complex that the color legend needed a whole page on its own. Then I remembered that Great Wire Jewelry had chain mail instructions, and pulled it from the shelf. If you have trouble with printed instructions, give this book a try anyway. Between the very clear pictures and the very clear descriptions, even I, the chain-mail challenged, figured it out. And figured it out well enough to move through several more complicated weaves, gaining experience and courage as I went. For the $15 price I paid a few years ago, this book is certainly worth the price as a reference, an instructional tool, and, with its clear pictures, a nice design book as well.

Gorgeous jewelry on my 1st try!:
I just got this book, along with two others about a week ago. I never thought I could make professional looking jewelry, but with this book I did! I loved the easy chains I started out with, but then I ventured into the braided and knitted wire designs. I made the sinnet tie guard and it is so gorgeous! Took me about an hour, and this will be a terrific jewelry gift for men! In the book, she describes making tools in order to saw wire to get the jump rings which make up many of the chains here. I just used mandrels that we had bought in a craft store (Wild Wire kit) to make the wire coil and clipped thru each ring with my wire cutters. Maybe the result would be a little nicer with the saw, but let's face it -- we are not all comfortable with such tools. Also, if you don't have a piece of leather (required for several of the projects in here) I just used a piece of denim I cut out of an old pair of jeans I have around for sewing projects. It worked great. If you are a knitter or know a knitter, you will not have to invest in the different sized "mandrels". I also used my Wild Wire kit mandrels and my glass bead mandrels (I make lampworked glass beads). For making clasps, earring hooks and a bunch of really great tips for the beginner working with wire, I also recommend All Wired Up by Mark Lareau. Strictly a beginner book, I was looking for cool findings that I could make myself and this book has great suggestions.