Art of Antique Beading

Rating:
Summary: Romantic Vintage Jewelry and Accessories
Review: Art of Antique Beading contains a wonderful collection of designs for jewelry, hair accessories, and evening bags with a heavy emphasis on florals. The designs have a vintage feel, but the lariats, chokers, and the tattoo bracelet (!) are very current.

This book would please the American beader who has been enchanted with Japanese beading designs but is befuddled by trying to make jewelry from the (untranslated) Japanese books. It is a tremendous relief to have the material lists and the diagram captions in English; however, you still do need to be able to work from diagrams, as directions in the text are brief.

Rating:
Summary: If there were a translation of the translation....
Review: because the diagrams are IMPOSSIBLE to follow - and entirely too much was lost in the translation... if i wanted to use the exact same beads i'm lucky at least in the fact that i've got a Toho supplier here in NYC - but...

wish i was as brave as beadq (see first review) - i'm not afraid to jump in, but i can't even figure out where to start, which is too bad. even my boyfriend, notoriously good at reading diagrams, is clueless...

pretty photos tho, i guess.

Rating:
Summary: Exquisite beadwork for the experienced beader
Review: First, this is not a book for a beginning beader. Success with this book will require experience with stringing, basic sewing, and fine wirework, including the making of French beaded flowers. This book will please beaders who have been trying to figure out Japanese beadwork from Babelfish translations or have been trying to unravel Japanese diagrams. The translation appears to be faithful to the original version.

The first portion of the book, up to page 40, is a gallery of the pieces that are then described in the second half of the book (pp. 41-86), with two additional pages listing tools and materials (basic list of tools, findings, and adhesives). If you aren't in Japan, you can order most of these materials online from other countries, or you can substitute more familiar materials (e.g., Delicas for Toho). A variety of items can be made, including matched sets for necklaces, bracelets, hair ornaments, bags, pins, and rings. The items are evocative of flapper or Moga styles, but I tend to think the designs are targeted at younger women (tattoo-style necklace, using ribbons to fasten chokers). Subdued, romantic color schemes are used.

The diagrams are small, however, I found the labeling much more clear than that found in untranslated Japanese books. The materials lists include item numbers and bead counts for Toho/Mill Hill beads. Diameters are stated for cords and wires. The directions and thread paths assume you understand the basics of the techniques. I would recommend this book for an intermediate to advanced beader who is comfortable with multiple techniques and looking for fresh ideas.

Rating:
Summary: Patience, dear beader
Review: If you've never worked with Japanese diagrams for beading before, you'll have a rough start using this book. Patience and correctly-sized beads will yield some gorgeous results.

First, you are tempted with a colorful photo gallery of projects. Then you'll say, "I really want to try these projects!" When you page back to the instructions and diagrams, you've got to enter with some boldness and existing skill.

This should not discourage you from attempting some of the easier projects. Barrettes made with gathered ribbon and beads might be an easier project for starters, as is a simple but effective choker tied with ribbon or leather.

One of the prettiest projects combines a bracelet and ring, so that a beaded butterfly sits on the back of the wearer's hand. Wow! Start out with the simple projects, then as your skill grows, try some of the tougher ones.

Rating:
Summary: Patience, dear beader
Review: If you've never worked with Japanese diagrams for beading before, you'll have a rough start using this book. Patience and correctly-sized beads will yield some gorgeous results.

First, you are tempted with a colorful photo gallery of projects. Then you'll say, "I really want to try these projects!" When you page back to the instructions and diagrams, you've got to enter with some boldness and existing skill.

This should not discourage you from attempting some of the easier projects. Barrettes made with gathered ribbon and beads might be an easier project for starters, as is a simple but effective choker tied with ribbon or leather.

One of the prettiest projects combines a bracelet and ring, so that a beaded butterfly sits on the back of the wearer's hand. Wow! Start out with the simple projects, then as your skill grows, try some of the tougher ones.

Rating:
Summary: If there were a translation of the translation....
Review: it might be possible to make these projects. It's a beautiful book, with lovely pictures, but the diagrams are too small and don't give enough detail. The materials lists are not very useful either. Unless you are an expert already, I would not reccommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Fresh ideas, approach with patience.
Review: The Art of Antique Beading is a slim book packed with satisfying ideas, clear and beautiful color pictures, and an easy system that groups similar designs with their instructions. There are 124 different projects, many of them not found in American books (this one is translated from the Japanese.) Bead embroidery on evening bags, barrettes, rings, necklaces, bracelets, brooches, chokers, lariats and combs fill the pages with fresh ideas and new looks that no eager beader could resist.

But bring your patience. While the instructions include bead amounts, and the color numbers for Toho and Mill Hill (two brands of Japanese beads) the reader is left to figure out diagrams as obscure as origami folds with little information about the thread (or wire) path. Some beading experience is a must for success. When diagrams are piled four to a page, they are too small except for the sharpest eyes. The accessory page is not helpful, listing "wire and nylon thread" and "beading thread" without a single suggested brand name or source.

The patient (and smart) beader will read through a few diagrams first, because the wire size appears in the first of similarly-grouped instructions.

The fearless beader will leap right into this book, substituting Nymo for wire, seeing what happens, ignoring unfamiliar Toho numbers and substituting what's on hand. The best part is fearlessness is well rewarded--the results are lovely, and the pieces delightfully different.