Heather Powers' Jewelry Designs from Nature is a collection of projects that are inspired by nature. It's mostly it's stringing and simple wire work designs with palettes chosen for their resemblance to natural settings.

Beads and pendants made by various artists out of various materials get the frames they deserve in this book. The techniques are simple, just right for a beginning jewelry designer to make pieces that are artistic and wearable.

The introduction includes the bead types and tools you'll be using. Basic wire working and stringing tools are all that's necessary for the pieces in this book. No specialty pliers or mandrels needed.

There are also good tips on getting inspired and how to use that inspiration to create beautiful pieces of jewelry.

The projects are wonderful. The focal pieces are well set in chains that carry the themes. One of my favorite things in the book is the use of baroque and stick pearls to emulate natural settings. It can be hard to find a use for those sorts of pearls that really suits their beauty.

The focal pieces are fantastic, and there is an artist list in the back of the book so you can find those pieces and other things made by the same artists. The techniques and ideas will also work well for pieces of a similar size that you get from artists at local shows.

My favorite piece in the whole book is the Birch Forest Bracelet. Having recently hiked through a birch forest, I can see the inspiration in the piece made with lampwork beads that have layers of colors that look like birch back and the seed bead part of the bracelet with it's leaves and accent beads looks luck and growing.

I also love the Aphrodite's Charm necklace, which takes it cue from Aphrodite's aquatic origin and has pale, translucent beads which show a watery feeling well.

Most of the pieces in the book are non-symmetrical and very well balanced to create a sense of movement that works very well. If you're a stringer or wire worker like me who tends too often to work symmetrically, it's a good way to learn about balancing non-symmetrical elements to create a dynamic pieces of jewelry.

Just lovely pieces in this book, the styles remind me a lot of designer jewelry, the sorts of things you see gracing the necks, wrists and ears of stars in interviews. The components are just beautiful. I was absolutely charmed by Heather's idea sketches as well.


You can get this book directly from the publisher, Kalmbach Publishing Co., your local bead or book store, or by clicking the Amazon.com affiliate link below.



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Kalmbach Publishing Co. provided this review copy of Jewelry Designs from Nature to me free of charge.
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