Candie Cooper has written some really great books for beaders, and Metalworking 101 For Beaders - Create Custom Findings, Pendants and Projects is my favorite.

I do have basic metalworking skills, so reading the instructions in the beginning of the book was a through refresher. She uses very complete written instructions with good photographs to show the techniques, explaining at a very beginning level. So if you've never pierced and sawed out a design, drawn up a ball on wire, fused a ring or formed wire around a mandrel, she explains it well and in detail which will help lessen the chance of a costly mistake.

After the introduction to the tools, supplies, techniques and skills you'll need to fabricate pieces using sheet, wire and tubing, she gets into the projects. The projects all include beads as an essential design element and use the techniques explained in the beginning of the book.

For people who like to work step by step through a project to have it turn out very much like the project shown, the instructions are clear and there are patterns. But for me, the best part of the book is that the projects show you how to use the techniques, and once comfortable with them, can inspire new projects. That's my favorite kind of bead book, one that helps you grow as an artist to create your own personal vision.

The pierced, drilled, riveted and woven Woven Copper Necklace is an excellent example. Her version is gorgeous, copper with a nice patina combined with turquoise. The orange-y copper and blue-green turquoise are a great example of complementary colors working together. The same techniques could be used to create a diamond or circle shaped frame in silver with pearls and ab finish crystal beads for a cool winter colors necklace.

The Cut Copper Tubing Necklace with it's beads framed in tubing pieces has elements that would look amazing as a statement bib necklace.

I also love the fish and bird pins. The bird pins remind me strongly of the felt bird ornaments my Aunt made, a fun, slightly vintage look make them very wearable for all ages and a great gift idea.



Recommended for beginning and advanced beginning metalworking. It is truly like a class in a book with complete instructions for the projects in the book. The focus is on fabrication and there are no casting instructions.

Published by Lark Crafts.
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