Books are incredibly valuable sources of inspiration. Beginners benefit from the new directions they can take. More experienced jewelry makers can lift themselves out of design ruts.


The latest book I received from Kalmbach's excellent range of craft books is the Project: Necklaces: 30 Designs Using Beads, Wire, Chain, and More. There are 30 projects in all and geared towards the beginner and intermediate levels.


What I liked about the book is the ability to dip into the 4 sections depending on your skill level or mood. A simple project like the really pretty Glass Garland necklace is one of 5 designs in the Stringing section.



The next two sections were my favorites where the beadwork is divided into Single Stitches and Combined Techniques.  The curved bar links of the Peacock Fan design above make the easy necklace a standard out.  The source of the bar links is definitely included in the book. I checked. There is nothing more annoying than to see more unusual findings in books with nary a clue where to buy them!




The Fanciful Romance necklace above is a beautiful example of how mixing techniques can add wow to a design. This necklace incorporates stringing, brick stitch fans and peyote stitch ropes. Not all the projects had the names of the stitches used clearly indicated which might be a little frustrating for newbies who might want to learn what they are called.



The Garden Delight necklace has sweet beaded bell flowers combined with fringing. The last section on Wire Work consists of 10 designs which are mostly fairly easy projects like the Sew Wired Button one below.




All in all, a lovely project book sure to please a wide range of beading palettes.

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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
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