Today I have a special share for you- a book written by two of my favorite people (and SUCH talented jewelry artists, to boot!) Organic Wire and Metal Jewelry was written by good friends and local artists Beth Martin and Eva Sherman.
Here’s the description:
Showcasing gemstones, crystals, sea glass, and pearls, Organic Wire and Metal Jewelry offers new ways to incorporate raw materials into beautiful jewelry pieces. Clear, step-by-step instructions and detailed photographs teach readers a variety of basic jewelry techniques and guide even beginner jewelry-makers through each project successfully. Crafters can use the suggested materials or choose to substitute stones or other beads as desired for an endless variety of elegant design possibilities. With a wide range of stylish and organic designs and a photo gallery for extra inspiration, Organic Wire and Metal Jewelry provides every wireworker and metalworker with the perfect project.
This glossy 112-page instructional book published by Kalmbach features large, easy-to follow pictures of tools, techniques, and tutorials. After the introduction, there is a VERY helpful section on materials and tools, following by basic metal working techniques.
You should note that this is not a book for the very beginner- the authors start with basic metal working techniques, but you will need more advanced tools such as chasing hammers, pickling medium, a torch, etc.
After the basic techniques are laid out, they offer twelve beginner projects, thirteen intermediate projects, and a lovely gallery to inspire you further.
Now, if it were me, I’d say that these projects are more on the “intermediate to advanced” level- mostly because I (admittedly) have no experience annealing metal, forging, or riveting. All of those tasks seem pretty “intermediate” to me!
But I did find one project in the book I could do with my rudimentary wire skills- the “Catch A Wave” cuff.
I thought it was a bit heavy, so I added a clasp out of the excess wire. The instructions call for 5 feet of wire- I found that was about 2 feet too many! So I used it by adding the clasp and an extra “wave” of wire. I’m fairly happy with how it turned out!
Now, I should mention that each of the projects has an option for using beach glass OR beads- so if you are a beach lover and want to use your treasures from the sea, you’ll have ample inspiration here. But if you don’t, no worries- there’s still lots of great wire projects to get you going.
As I mentioned, these ladies are my friends and I even taught at Eva’s shop a few years ago-so know that I’m perhaps a wee bit biased- but I can say with all objectivity that their first offering is clear, concise, and filled with great information and techniques.
Disclosure: I received a review copy from the publishing company. Beth and Eva are my friends, but it’s a damn fine book. The link below is an affiliate link.
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Hi there! I know beach/sea glass is smooth with no holes for stringing so do they include instructions on using the glass? I’ve only ever made cages since I do not want to invest in a drill for such use but am always looking for alternate ways from a cage! -thanks
Hi Chris!
Our “Bubble Wrap” Pendant would be perfect for you to try out – there is no drilling required, and the wire comes up the sides, a bail at the top and a “banner” across the front which will keep the beach glass contained. This design is perfect for the flat, chunky pieces!
Cris- there are instructions for drilling the glass as well as one tutorial for making a cage. But since it sounds like you already know that, there aren’t other options.