Lately, I’ve had a LOT of eye candy hit CTD WHQ- including an influx of beautiful books on beaded jewelry. A few of them are just inspirational, coffee-table style books, and one is SO FAR out of my league I couldn’t do it justice. So since we are in back-to-school mode here, I thought it would be fun to talk about Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry: Photographs of Beautiful Contemporary Beadwork (500 Series), Maggie Meister’s Classical Elegance: 20 Beaded Jewelry Designs (Beadweaving Master Class Series)
, and Sabine Lippert’s Beaded Fantasies: 30 Romantic Jewelry Projects (Beadweaving Master Class Series)
book-report style. You know, give you some pictures and an overview so that you a) know what’s out there and b) can decide if you might want to learn more about it.  So let’s GO!

First, let’s start with the Showcase 500, compiled by Ray Hemachandra for Lark Books. It’s the one on the top right of the photo.) It’s described on the website thus:

Today, a large community of highly skilled beaders creates work that’s every bit as much art as craft. This gorgeous book showcases 500 images of the world’s best contemporary beaded jewelry, produced by 275 artists whose work is notable for exceptional technical expertise, innovative combinations, and sheer beauty. Beaders of all levels will find much to admire–and inspire–in these pages.

So while this book doesn’t have any instructions, it’s filled with eye-candy and wonder. There are are all kinds of rings, earrings, necklaces- even beaded “sleeves!” Here are a few images from the book:

Some of the designs are simple.

Others are more sculptural!

And this paperclip necklace gets you thinking about supplies in a whole new way.

There is a lot to digest, and I can see myself flipping through time and again for visual inspiration.

Next, let’s move onto Maggie Meister’s Classical Elegance. It IS an instructional book and it contains 20 beaded designs.

It’s described this way:

This entry in Lark Jewelry & Beading’s bestselling Beadweaving Master Class series showcases the amazing work of renowned beader and teacher Maggie Meister. Drawing on patterns and motifs as diverse as classical Roman arts, Middle Eastern textiles, and European architecture, Maggie has created 20 exquisite projects for beaders to make that incorporate a variety of stitches.

 

Her magnificent pieces include wonderfully creative earrings, necklaces, and cuffs, among them a Matriarch’s Cuff, which builds on the design of a 17th century Jewish wedding ring; a Sappho Necklace that incorporates designs from ancient mosaics; and a Santa Sofia Pendant that borrows shapes from the onion-dome church steeples found throughout Europe.

 

I love the peek into the designer’s thought process & inspiration.

Then you see how she arrives at her designs….

Which include detailed instructions.

 

The designs in this book are certainly “romantic”- very girly all the way!

Some of the designs are more straightforward, like this one.

And the gallery in the back is almost worth the price of the book!

 

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Chief Craft Test Dummy, Craft Evangelist, Founder, Editor, bottle-washer, trouble-maker, and creative whirlwind.

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