EASY DIY JEWELRY BOOK: 68 Designs

Making your own jewellery is an absorbing and cost-effective craft, and four different themes emerge in this do-it-yourself guide: flirty, spicy, romantic and charmed. A detailed section covers jewellery making basics, for instance choice of beads, whether wooden, acrylic, pearl or crystal, and helps you to identify the findings you will need - different kinds of wire, cord, and spacers, for instance. Recommended tools include beading needles and the all-important chain-nose pliers. Armed with these necessities you are now ready to begin any of the 68 exciting projects. A tri-colour necklace uses assorted red, orange and brown beads, some of them patterned and others with visual interest added by using a silver bead cap. Stretch bracelets require a surgeon's knot to fix the cord, explained at the end of the book, and another useful technique is how to attach a bead construction to the ear wire for dangly earrings, with a lovely example here made with translucent amber beads. A glass leaf pendant is suspended on a three-strand pearlised necklace, using a beaded pendant bail. Pinks and whites dominate the romance theme, where stunning pale pink twisted beads are combined with a key pendant and suspended on a ribbon. A simple pearl necklace is embellished with a large acrylic gemstone, and sparkly earrings are created using rhinestone chains. Flirty jewellery has a blue, yellow and turquoise colour theme, while the "charmed" section features luxury beading in all colours. 96pp,m softback, fully illustrated in colour.