There are many good jewelry making books out there but few are truly innovative. One of these is Melody MacDuffee's new Lacy Wire Jewelry book which I recently received from Kalmbach Publishing for review.

Her wire work book is really about making filigree style jewelry without having to solder. The techniques she teaches are not only fun but relatively easy to accomplish with just your basic jewelry tools. Some practice is required to create even loops but in general the informal style is most forgiving indeed.


One outstanding feature of her book is her way of making bezels for cabochons. If you've been struggling with the traditional cabochon wire wrapping techniques (see past tutorial post), I highly recommend Melody's method.

As there many common steps to her designs, the book has a Technical Basics section at the back where you can refer to; steps such as " Making Frames", "Making Base Bezel Rows" and " Attaching Laces to Frames". Her awesome chandelier earrings below is an example of how fine wire and beads are used to slowly build up a design.



My most favorite part of her book is the curlicue section. These curlicue earrings illustrate why it is called lacy wire jewelry.



The step-by-step instructions were clear. However the final photographs of the finished pieces were dark and dull. They really did not do Melody's marvellous creations proper justice. Still, if you like working with wire, this book deserves to be in your library.

Disclosure


Other Book Reviews :
______________________________
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips