Making Jewellery Professional (Issue 125)
This book was first published in 2013 and has gone on to be reprinted a few times. When you take a look at the excellent information it contains you can see why it's so popular. Starting with a chapter on equipment this book goes through picking stones, different types of settings, when to use them and even a final section on repairs!
The information is laid out in a comprehensive easy to read format with most things illustrated with clear photographs.
Each setting gets an illustrated step-by-step guide for the setting and a gallery of gorgeous pieces. With sections for prongs and snap settings, bezel and rub-over, tube and collect, plus many more this is a comprehensive collection of every type of setting possible! Whether you are new to setting stones or just want a refreshing look at settings this is the book for you.
Myshelf.com
Mar 13
This is a book for somebody with a studio or at least a place for actual metalworking. There are no beads here to string or polymer clay to mold, instead this book is filled with traditional techniques for making modern metal jewelry. The methods here have been tested by time but the tools and settings, many ready-made, are contemporary and designed to appeal to todays jewelry maker and wearer. As I know nothing about this subject it all went rather over my head, but if you too are a beginner and want to find out how to do this type of craft it is all in here. It starts off with an illustrated list of what you will need (rather a lot) to a guide to terms for stone types and all about the stones (and other materials). This shows you a photo of the stone and tells you useful things such as where it comes from, how hard it is, crystal group and various other technical details. The next chapter deals with all the methods such as cutting metal, pickling to get rid of impurities, soldering etc. with simple drawings and instructions. Further chapters deal with different settings including snap-in, claw, pave etc. each with a short gallery of work to admire along with the instructions. Find out how to wrap beads with wire, and string pearls, which is surely a departure but does involve working with precious rather than costume materials for real jewelry. At the back is a section with things like health and safety information, ring sizes, metal thicknesses etc. plus a list of books that delve deeper into the subject. As far as I can tell this is a useful book for those wanting to tackle this type of jewelry, although total beginners might be advised to enroll in a class.
