Making Metal Jewelry: Projects, Techniques, Inspiration

Many people are put off making metal jewellery as the prospect of soldering is off-putting for them. Have no fear now, Joanna is here with one of the best books covering cold-connections I have come across. What is even better: 21 projects that are ALL fabulous, you would happily wear any of the contemporary designs, they are all very different, highlighting different techniques and cover Rings, Necklaces, Brooches, Earrings. Handy Hints, Troubleshooting together with clear concise instructions with the added bonus of quality photographs. A must have for the library.

I bought this book when I took my first jewelry making class. The book was extremely helpful. It's descriptive, precise, and has great photographs. It's good for a beginning jewelry student because it doesn't involve soldering. It's also good for someone who wants to focus on learning techniques instead of working on original designs. About a year after purchasing this book I looked through it again, and it's still inspiring! Now that I know some more advanced jewelry making techniques and am proficient at soldering I sometimes forget about the basic cold-connections covered in this book. After looking through the book again I came up with some new and original designs. Anyone interested in making jewelry should own this book ( & the series of books by Tim McCreight).

This book is a must have for anyone who wants to create beauty with metals, but does not have safe access to a torch. I live in a condo, and had to find an available 'lab' whenever I wanted to complete a piece of jewelry. I have moved on to a new style of fabrication, and love it.

A cold connection = any connection made without heat. Joanna has put together a fantastic book that brings together many different cold connection techniques. I have yet to find another jewelry making book that covered as many cold techniques that this one does. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to enhance their jewelry making skills, but is not yet ready to move to the use of a torch for soldering.