Best Rock & Gem Craft
Contents: Setting Up a Basic Lab; Proper Lighting; How to Use Each Instrument & What It Will Show; Major Errors and How to Correct Them, and more. Antoinette L. Matlins, P.G., is an internationally respected gem and jewelry expert, author, and lecturer.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Up to date and includes the latest gem altering techniques."
"I collect gemstones and Matlins has always been a great resource."
"It also has colored picture of real and fake gems to give you some idea what certain inclusions look like."
"Cool book, reading it slowly but seems to be extremely helpful."
"This book is everything I was looking for in basic gemology."
"I was hoping to see good color pictures of actual stones within in the narrative, not in one small section."
"Most of the basic mistakes can be easily avoided with the tools and information Antoinette describes in the newest edition."
"This book is better geared for more advanced experienced advocates, who have a lab or are interested in setting up a lab."
Glamourista: Fashion, beauty, dazzling gems and animal jewels, elegant updos and flowing tresses, plus fun accessories! Included is a FREE DUPLICATE SET of the entire collection of images to share with a friend or to experiment with different mediums! Beginning with the rise of Modernism in the early part of the 20th century – these pages are inspired by the screen sirens of the “Roaring Twenties”, as well as beautiful feminine faces from the 1930’s and 1940’s. Moving into the mid-century era of the 1950’s through 1970’s, this time is signified by accessories from cat eye glasses and scarves to peasant tops and flowing hair. She graduated from University of Michigan School of Art and spent time studying at the Art Center College of Design in California, with a focus on illustration.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I like the pictures of faces in this book and they make up the vast majority of the book."
"the designs are in bold ink and easy to color with many different portraits of women to color!"
"This book is absolutely gorgeous and so much fun to color!"
"There's also a page with just gems (and it's duplicated I believe, as I believe there are two of each page--I could be wrong) so you can practice gem coloring."
"ART WORK IS VERY NICE FACES ARE PRETTY,.HOWEVER, DON.T MUCH CARE FOR THE JEWELRY PAGES AND WISH THE PAGES WERE PERFORATED SO THEY COULD BE REMOVED EASILY.STILL IT IS AN IMPOVEMENT OVER MOST OF THESE BOOKS."
"Beautiful images!"
"This coloring book is good."
"This book is so much better than I would have expected."
Best Jewelry Craft
With hundreds of detailed photos, this book covers tools and supplies, bead stringing and weaving, wire wrapping, and more. Detailed color photos demonstrate each step.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Interesting book with good techniques to follow."
"One of the pages was sticking out,& some corners were bent."
"Great book, easy to understand and read."
"youtube clips on jewelry techniques are better than examples in the book."
Best Beadwork
Kumihimo Basics and Beyond presents techniques for creating all-cord braids and beaded braids, then teaches beaders how to transform them into finished jewelry. Rebecca Combs is the owner of Design & Adorn Beading Studio in Tucson, Arizona, and has been teaching a variety of classes in jewelry making there since 2008.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I own dozens of beading books, and this one is truly exceptional -- even the book design deserves an award! I am fairly new to 8-strand beaded kumihimo, and this book has clear and well-illustrated answers to all my questions, from selecting the right-sized cord and combining fibers, to braiding with large or multiple sizes of beads, to incorporating pendants and multiple focal beads on a braid."
"Have been waiting months for this book in hopes it would be an improvement over other kumi publications, and have not been disappointed."
"This is a newly published book and it is a must have for kumihimo crafters!"
""The jewelry designs in KUMIHIMO BASICS & BEYOND are the copyrighted property of the author, and they may not be taught or sold without permission. Let me start by stating that I'm a retired librarian and, I know a little bit about copyright protection and believe in it. No, you can't copy it, sell parts of it, use it as the basis for a class. In fact, I would be concerned, if I were you, claiming copyright on any of the designs you feature. What you did better than anyone was write and excellent tool for learning to do kumihimo."
"This is JUST what I was looking for in a book on Kumihimo."
"The directions are clear and easy to follow, but the variety in Kumihimo presented is limited to a very particular style and none of the ones shown are ones I actually want to do."
"This book gave me helpful suggestions about problems I encountered as a beginner which were the key to me staying with the weaving."
"I teach Kumihimo and other braiding techniques and wish that this book had been around when I had first started learning how to braid."