Crafters in general (jewelry makers too) are notorious for our supply stashes, but working in a "making" industry of one sort or another for over ten years now makes mine different, because I have to have all this stuff for work.
Riiiight.
I can (and do) product hoard with the best of 'em, and I'm just as hooked on project books as I am supplies. With the release of several friends' jewelry-making DVDs in the past few months, I've now amassed a nice little stash of favorite DVDs, too.
Not to be an enabler, but certain jewelry-project how-to books and DVDs are truly must-have jewelry-making resources, and if you work and/or dabble in several jewelry-making mediums and techniques like I do, it takes several in order to have a well-outfitted jewelry-making library. (How's that for justification?) Here's a little checklist of the ones that always seem to be on my desk lately and that I find I'm reaching for time and time again.
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1. Jewelry-Making Technique: Soldering
Great news! The jewelry artist who taught me nearly everything I know about soldering has a new soldering DVD. After I spent a few days with her in her studio, I wished that everyone could have such thorough, dedicated instruction--and now you can! Watching and learning soldering with Lexi Erickson from her new DVD Metalsmith Essentials: How to Solder Jewelry will be the next best thing to being in her studio with her, learning from the best. It's a great resource for me, too, because I can refer to it for a refresher any time I get stuck with a soldering project.
2. Jewelry-Making Technique: Wirework
When a book has the word (or number) "two" in the title, you can bet that it's going to be a good book, because the author's (or editor's) first one was so good, they had to make another one. That's definitely the case with
Denise Peck's Wire Style 2, a straightforward book of forty-five stylish wire jewelry designs by Denise and other top wirework artists, such as
Kerry Bogert, Connie Fox, Lisa Niven Kelly, and others.
Wire Style 2 includes background wirework info about wire gauges, wirework tools, illustrated wireworking techniques, and
tips for wire jewelry making--but experienced and beginning wire jewelry artists will appreciate the dozens of wire jewelry projects that incorporate a variety of metals with colorful additions of ceramic and lampwork glass beads, felted fiber accents, colored craft wire, gemstones, and even beach rocks. There's a perfect blend of techniques and styles in this book, making it a top all-around pick for wirework enthusiasts.
3. Jewelry-Making Technique: Metalsmithing
Helen Driggs is our resident cold-connection and metalsmithing expert, and she's a wonderful teacher, so you can watch and learn from her
Metalsmithing Essentials: Basic Fabrication DVD and
see for yourself how easy the techniques are to understand once you see them demonstrated. Plus it's packed full of great metalsmithing tips she's learned through years of being an artisan jeweler and goldsmith, including money-saving ideas for how to make the most of your precious (expensive!) metals and how to make your own sanding stick. Through nine lessons, Helen covers metalsmithing and metal jewelry-making basics from start to finish, including jewelry-making tool safety; all about metals and how to
texture, saw, form, and drill them; and professional finishing tips and techniques. If you're going to
learn metalsmithing and how to work with various metals, learn from the best!
4. Jewelry-Making Technique: Metal Clay
If you've been reading
Jewelry Making Daily for awhile, I bet you can guess my pick for this one. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of
metal-clay jewelry artist Kate McKinnon and her sculptural metal clay and mixed-media jewelry designs. Metal clay is still my favorite jewelry-making medium and I've become a huge advocate of everyone learning its magic. In addition to the magic of the material itself, Kate's metal-clay jewelry designs in
Sculptural Metal Clay Jewelry and
The Jewelry Architect have a magical, whimsical feel that I love. The bonus DVDs are truly that--a great bonus to help you perfect your metal-clay jewelry skills--and don't miss this
bonus Jewelry Architect video clip from the author.
Added perk: Kate's Jewelry Architect book doubles as a great mixed-media resource, which brings me to my next technique. . . .
5. Jewelry-Making Technique: Mixed Media
After watching
Kristal Wick's new DVD, Mixed Media: Beaded Bracelets with Fiber Beads, Crystals, Resin, and Wire, I became a resin fanatic. I'd always thought resin was complicated and risky, so fear of ruining a jewelry project kept me from trying it. But in Kristal's fun and informative video, you can see how simple resin is; just pour and cure, with maybe a toothpick poke here and there to pop an air bubble. The jewelry-making possibilities of working with resin are nearly endless, and Kristal shares how to use it with paper, fabric (including fabric you create yourself), fancy fibers and--my favorite--GLITTER! I'm anxious to try to make some faux drusy using
glitter and in bezels with resin and/or epoxy clay.
So, how did you do? Do you have all of these essential jewelry-making resources in your stash? If not, hop over to the Jewelry Making Daily shop and round out your collection.
Which books, DVDs, and other jewelry-making how-to resources would you add to this list? I'd love to hear all about it in the comments below!