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| Explore This Book |
This fascinating book, designed for novice and experienced jewellery makers, aims to provide information on handmade jewellery techniques and its applications.
You will find that this book is packed with unique jewellery designs for every occasion. The jewellery pieces are specially created to encompass the various beading techniques as well as to illustrate the diversity of handmade jewellery styles. Altogether, this book is divided into four major chapters.
The first chapter on ‘Tools and Materials’ introduces the items that will be needed for the craft. This section describes each item in detail, while providing useful advice for beginners to purchase suitable tools for their projects. A section entitled, ‘The Allure Of Beads’, briefly describes the commonly used glass beads, pearls and crystal beads.
The second chapter on ‘Basic Techniques’ explores the various techniques commonly used by the home-based jewellery maker. The instructional diagrams in this chapter will guide the beginner to form a strong foundation in the basics of jewellery making techniques. The three methods illustrated are – the stringing method, the looping method and the wiring method. Master these techniques and soon you will be on your way to creating your masterpieces.
‘The Gallery’ offers a generous display of fabulous jewellery pieces, enough to challenge the creativity of any ardent jewellery maker. Out of the 100 designs featured in this book, 70 of them are accompanied with graphic illustrations to guide users through the process of making the design. The step-by-step illustrations can be found in the ‘Projects’ chapter. The jewellery designs are categorized as follows: - |
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Casual & Executive Collection – 60 minutes jewellery |
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Cocktail Collection |
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Film Star Glamour Wear |
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Bridal & Accessories Collection |
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If you have no previous experience in this craft, it is recommended that you start with the designs featured under ‘60 Minutes Jewellery’. The designs shown here are popular and more commonly seen in beadwork jewellery. They are easy to complete and is good practice for the beginner before attempting the more complicated projects.
The ‘Film Star Glamour Wear’ section is a treat to the costume jewellery lover. However, if you find certain designs too dramatic, you can always scale them down by substituting bigger beads with smaller ones, use beads of a different type or eliminate a portion of the full design. You will be surprised to see a great change in style.
The ‘The Bridal Collection’ serves as a good reference for brides-to-be but then the designs need not be limited to the bridal wardrobe only.
Within the ‘Projects’ chapter, you will find that each instructional diagram comes with a materials column to indicate the items needed to complete a particular jewellery piece. The colours and types of beads used in the designs are merely suggestions. Feel free to experiment with different types of beads and patterns to suit your preferences, and to create different effects to suit the outfits you wear. A new look will often result with each experiment.
As everyone has a preference for using certain techniques, there may be a tendency to select jewellery that is created by a particular method. The colour code within the ‘Materials’ column helps to identify the methods of creating a certain design. The colour codes are: |
| Red |
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The stringing method; using monofilament/nylon cord |
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| Blue |
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The looping method; using head and eye pins |
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| Orange |
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The wiring method; using malleable craft wire |
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| Green |
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The combination of any of the methods above |
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The colour codes are in turn divided into six shades to signify the level of difficulty and the approximate length of time taken to complete a jewellery piece.
A marking in the lightest shade indicates the design is very easy to do. A marking on the darker shade indicates the design is either more difficult or requires more time. Of course this is only a general indication and would also depend on the experience and skill of the individual.
Accompanied with detailed photographs, carefully laid diagrams and clear instructions, this book is a workshop compressed into readable form. With each project, you will become better skilled and soon you will be on the way to develop your own designs and creations. |
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