Steampunk Emporium : Creating Fantastical Jewelry, Devices and Oddments from Assorted Cogs, Gears and Curios by Jema "Emilly Ladybird" Hewitt is a new offering in steampunk jewelry making.
In steampunk jewelry, you expect a lot of cogs, gears and mechanical looking things. So one of my favorite parts of this book is at the end. Instructions on how to take apart non-working mechanical watches and clocks for those essential supplies.
The jewelry ideas are fantastic and easy to customize, the author uses mixed media to create wonderful assemblages which reflect steampunk aesthetic values.
The author, in her voice as Emilly Ladybird, explorer, writes stories about each piece of jewelry which create a mood for the pieces.
The designs use polymer clay, rubber stamps, brass stampings, paint, inks and watch parts along with more traditional supplies like chains, jump rings and beads.
It's all inspiring. You may not have all the pieces for a specific design, but that design could well inspire one of your own. Such as the Zeppelin Pirate Necklace, a tiered charm necklace that tells a story. One of the main design points on it are lovely handmade findings using polymer clay and wire. If the zeppelin design isn't to your taste, using vintage images of roses and charms and pieces that go with that would create a necklace that's similar in construction but utterly different in feel. While some of the jewelry calls for re-purposed things, there are also pieces that call for completely modern and easy to find pieces like the Green Fairy Cufflinks.
The photographs explaining how to make each piece and the techniques used are clear and easy to understand. The other photographs, the costumed photos which set the mood are just delightful.
There are tips on some pages in boxes marked Inquire Within.
If you have an interest in steampunk, or you have people you want to make things for who have an interest in steampunk, this book has some wonderful ideas. My son loved this even more than I did. It's a lovely book.
You can get this book directly from the publisher at MyCraftivity.com or by clicking the Amazon.com affiliate link below.

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