The Art of Jewelry Design: From Idea to Reality (Jewelry Crafts)

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Summary: Learn to make and use design notebooks
Review: I have just purchased two more copies of this book for two of my beginning students. Ms. Olver shows clearly and elegantly how to approach the design process using one or more sketchbooks. She breaks down the process into steps that make the process less daunting, and so nudges the student to delve deeper than they might otherwise do. The book is also a visual delight, a rich buffet of notebook ideas, projects in process, and finished work. I recommend it for metalsmiths at all levels, and for students in particular.

Rating:
Summary: Not what the title infers.
Review: The title of this book infers that it will help the reader take ideas from the drawing board to a finished piece. I expected insight on how to overcome problems in jewelry design and specific techniques to aid in solving those problems. Unfortunately, that's not what the book delivers. There are a lot of slick photos of some rather bizarre jewelry, but not much information about how the pieces were made. If you are a budding jewelry maker in search of a book to help you create some original jewelry, skip this one.