Someone recently asked me a rather large question: "How do you make wire jewelry?" After sorting out a rush of my own thoughts, I decided to focus my answer on wire jewelry books.
Making wire jewelry is a fairly large subject encompassing many, many different wire jewelry techniques. Certainly wire jewelry has its roots in history. Add to that the surge in wire wrapped jewelry in recent years. Think about techniques when you want to learn how to make wire jewelry.
I've already mentioned the wire wrapping but also start to look around and discover the wide variety of other techniques available to wire jewelry lovers: crochet and knit wire jewelry, chain maille and bead maille. Woven wire techniques is a fairly large subject all in itself. Aside from the crochet and knit categories, their are all the basketry techniques that can be used for wire jewelry making. Then of course, there's braiding with wire both round and flat. You'll also certainly want to look at any new wire jewelry making techniques although they're few and far between.
One that comes to mind immediately is Melody MacDuffee's wire twisting technique that she does with beads. While I recognize this as an old method, Melody has taken and refined it quite nicely. As with all wire jewelry making techniques, it's what you design with the technique that's the key. You can learn all the methods and read all the wire jewelry making tutorials in the world but if you can't design something with them, you'll likely suffer from frustration.
In any event, getting to the point, one of the best ways to learn how to make wire jewelry is by deciding which of the many, varied techniques you'd like to learn and then carefully choosing wire jewelry books that address that technique.
Look around and do some research, find wire jewelry that you love, find out how it was made and then learn that technique. Wire jewelry making books can then be purchased to enhance and increase your learning of that particular technique. Then do the process all over again with another technique you admire. Before you know it, you'll have a whole repertoire of skills and wire jewelry making techniques at your disposal. And the wire jewelry books are all there to help you on your way. Read book reviews before you purchase to make sure you've chosen a good one.
Making wire jewelry is a fairly large subject encompassing many, many different wire jewelry techniques. Certainly wire jewelry has its roots in history. Add to that the surge in wire wrapped jewelry in recent years. Think about techniques when you want to learn how to make wire jewelry.
I've already mentioned the wire wrapping but also start to look around and discover the wide variety of other techniques available to wire jewelry lovers: crochet and knit wire jewelry, chain maille and bead maille. Woven wire techniques is a fairly large subject all in itself. Aside from the crochet and knit categories, their are all the basketry techniques that can be used for wire jewelry making. Then of course, there's braiding with wire both round and flat. You'll also certainly want to look at any new wire jewelry making techniques although they're few and far between.
One that comes to mind immediately is Melody MacDuffee's wire twisting technique that she does with beads. While I recognize this as an old method, Melody has taken and refined it quite nicely. As with all wire jewelry making techniques, it's what you design with the technique that's the key. You can learn all the methods and read all the wire jewelry making tutorials in the world but if you can't design something with them, you'll likely suffer from frustration.
In any event, getting to the point, one of the best ways to learn how to make wire jewelry is by deciding which of the many, varied techniques you'd like to learn and then carefully choosing wire jewelry books that address that technique.
Look around and do some research, find wire jewelry that you love, find out how it was made and then learn that technique. Wire jewelry making books can then be purchased to enhance and increase your learning of that particular technique. Then do the process all over again with another technique you admire. Before you know it, you'll have a whole repertoire of skills and wire jewelry making techniques at your disposal. And the wire jewelry books are all there to help you on your way. Read book reviews before you purchase to make sure you've chosen a good one.
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