Re View

I hate it when I get on lists that I didn't sign up for. Whether it be jewelry, grocery or just plain spam related. And I have to admit to feeling an amount of annoyance when I received 3 books from Lark in the mail accompanied by a letter which asked to be notified of any reviews or blog postings. I have no experience with beading, which is what two of the books focused on, the third was Yvonne Padillo's new bronze clay book (an interesting read which I've donated to Catherine Davies Paetz's giveaway). I wrote to Lark to say that I thought I should be taken off their list as I don't usually do reviews on my blog. Then in the next two days, I received another two books. More annoyance. Until I looked at them.

Metalworking 101 for Beaders by Candie Cooper is a great book with a title that's too limiting. This is a wonderful introduction to traditional metalworking that would be more than useful for metal clayers, found object artists or anyone else who makes their own jewelry components. Metalworking 101 covers basic techniques such as stamping and marking; sawing, forming, finishes and polishing; a bit about soldering and even how to construct a simple loop in loop chain. It also has 29 classic projects that are easy to complete with basic tools, and make a big impact. I'm keeping this one in my own library.

I was also pleased to open an envelope that included Mixed Metal Jewelry Workshop by Mary Hettmansperger. There are quite a few projects that include metal clay - both silver and copper, many which relate how to fire metal clay with sheet metals or wire mesh. And of course there are also the wire wrap or rivet connected designs which are a staple in Mary Hett's repertoire. She covers hard metal techniques such as annealing metal, balling wire, using a rolling mill and forging. This one would be a valuable addition to your book wish list.

So, I guess the moral of this post is "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth"! You never know what a ride he'll take you on. Thanks after all Lark!