Bead Fantasies: Beautiful, Easy-To-Make Jewelry

This book has beautiful pieces. The designs and inspiration are on every page. The layout is simple and easy to follow, but you do have to be able to follow diagrams, since there is little explanation. This book is for intermediate or above beaders or the beginning beader who wants to move past the everyday. All in all this is my absolute favorite beading book. The only negative is that a little more explanation with the diagrams would be beneficial, but with some patience you can figure it out for yourself from the pictures/diagrams.

Most of my own beaded jewelry uses seed beads purely as spacers, but this book has inspired me to make jewelry that features seed beads as the principal component. These are no ordinary seed bead creations... they are truly unique and beautiful, and as the title suggests, they look like delicate fantasies in jewel tones. Part of what makes these pieces so beautiful is the blending of seed beads with crystals, or small faceted beads. The author shows you how to combine seed beads and crystals, and thread them together into many different floral, geometric, and medallion shapes. These shapes are exquisite accents that turn ordinary seed bead jewelry into eye-catching art. These pretty shapes are blended into necklaces, bracelets, eyeglass holders, cell phone leashes and more. Especially unique and new to me are the little beaded rings that are as lovely and sparkly as gemstone rings. There are also brooches, hair ornaments, earrings, and miniature beaded purses, and everything is photographed in brilliant color. The diagrams are in color, and the instructions are generally easy to follow, with a supplementary section in the back that gives basic weaving instructions and finishing techniques. I can't wait to try almost everything in this book!

I love this book! I was so excited when I opened the box and flipped through the pages! Straight to the couch with a cuppa and a thorough examination! So many beautiful pieces to create! Previous beading experience is a must I think, otherwise you would just sit there and scratch your head. Just about everything is done with 2 needles, Threadpath diagrams and the most basic written instructions make up the guides for each piece. If you want gorgeous creations and can follow diagrams get this book! Also a good book for inspiration, once you get the hang of the patterns in the book it's not that hard to come up with your own pattern.

Samejima Takako is the author of several beading books (in Japanese) and owner of the studio Crystalloid. Her first book in English is nothing short of fantastic! As with other Japanese jewelrymaking books, it's better to have some previous beadwork experience before attempting any of the projects. None of the projects is difficult and the book does contain a section on techniques, but it's more like a quick refresher and less like a tutorial. A wide range of projects are represented: rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, brooches, cell phone straps, hair accessories, eyeglass chains, tiny purses, and even a beaded card holder. The color diagrams are very clear and well-labeled. The written instructions are numbered and to-the-point. Supply lists are general (no brand names or color numbers, but you will see bead sizes, shapes, and colors) and metric (e.g., 1.5 mm seed bead instead of size 11 seed bead). Most of the projects use seed beads, bicone crystals, and Czech firepolish beads with clear nylon line or wire. Some projects use chains and other beads, such as pearls, bugles, or artglass. Color schemes are elegant and understated; the jewelry is reminiscent of the Victorian era.I highly recommend this book for the quality of the projects, clarity of the instructions/diagrams, and variey of project types. You'll find some great eye candy! The projects are very attainable, providing you have a good supply of bicones (e.g., Swarovski) and Czech firepolish rounds/ovals in 3-mm, 4-mm, and 6-mm sizes.