The jewelry making techniques are fairly simple, but the art involved
requires an understanding of basic design concepts in order to succeed.
Take a course in jewelry design at a local art school or continue with
the Ed is great, but if that is not possible, or if you want to expand
their knowledge of jewelry design beyond the scope of their instructor,
then a or more of these books will give you a great start.
Author Elizabeth Olver has both the subject of jewelry design and its
readers seriously in his book The Art of Jewelry Design: From concept to
reality (North Light Books, 2002). The book combines detailed
hand-drawn illustrations and dramatic color photographs with the solids
content includes essential design tools, the stages of the design
process, the various elements of jewelry design and creative concepts
involved in jewelry design success. Creative concepts, as defined by
Olver and are listed in the table of contents of the book are "organic,
geometric, abstract, narrative, figurative, symbolic, fashion icons, the
series well," and "sculpture". This book will help you find your own
style of jewelry making based on a sound understanding of the design.
If your taste in jewelry accounts runs the Book of Accounts: a
practical guide and inspiration for beads and jewelry making, by authors
Janet Coles and Robert Budwig (Simon & Schuster, 1990), covers the
basic design concepts jewelry with pearls and presents detailed
instructions for a variety of projects. The book also contains many
photos and descriptions of a multitude of accounts and covers the entire
process involved in creating earrings, bracelets, necklaces and
brooches decorative.
More basic, but very funny, The Art of
Making Jewelry by Deborah Krupenia, Tammy Powley, Jessica Wrobel and
(Thunder Bay Press, 2005), covers the tools and materials used in the
manufacture of jewelry, including glass standard metal and ceramic
supplies, and more unusual materials such as paper and paper mache. The
book provides specific instructions for a wide range of projects using a
variety of techniques, and profiles of twenty renowned jewelry artists
and their work.
Each book illustrates the basic techniques, but
then takes them in very different directions, resulting in a wide range
of artistic styles that can act as a source of inspiration for budding
jewelry designer. Each one in particular offers strong technical
knowledge of the jewelry, which together provide an excellent
introduction to the creative range available in this unique art form.