Beads!: Make Your Own Unique Jewellery

My sister Pamela, who was living in Singapore at the time, gave me this book for Christmas soon after my daughter Maggie and I started our beaded jewelry business. Not knowing that much about jewelry construction at the time, this book became my primer for techniques and ideas. Over the years, I have returned to Beads! for a refresher anytime that my ideas start to run out.Stefany has a keen sensitivity toward bead history and craftsmanship. She includes interesting photographs of ancient beads and contemporary beads and jewelry. One photo of English lace-bobbin spangle beads is worth at least an hour's study time. The variety of glasswork is so amazing on these bobbin beads which helped lace weavers to remember the order of their threads.I have Stefany to thank for two awards I won for two necklaces, both made with beads I crafted using the papier roule' technique she shows on page 73. A long, narrow triangle of paper is rolled with glue with the long point on the outside of the bead and the short base on the inside. Using interesting paper for your papier roule' results in a very pretty bead. The detailed glossary, bead history timeline, and appendices are worth the price of this book.