Color, Texture & Casting for Jewelers by Carles Codina focuses on a mix of traditional and contemporary jewelry methods, including granulation, keum boo, and mokume gane.
I
especially enjoyed the sections on casting, that is, making objects out of metal. That's something I've never tried, but always been curious about, especially with some of the old buttons and unusual objects I have. I was fascinated by all the possibilities: sand casting, silicone molds, cuttlebone casting (using the skeleton from a cuttlefish), modeling waxes . . . even 3D wax printers!
I also enjoyed the sidebar on how to get different colors of patinas, although it's very technical and not something I'd do on my own at this point. (Here's how the directions begin for obtaining an orange-brown shade: "Prepare a solution of 0.88 ounce (25 g) of copper sulfate and 2 cm3 of ammonia in 1 liter of water . . .")
Some observations:
- This isn't a book for complete beginners, but for jewelry makers with some fundamental skills. If you're already working with metal seriously (maybe you're in a certificate program or subscribe to magazines such as
Jewelry Artist), you'll appreciate these techniques.
- Tools, materials, and resources are not explained in-depth. The book might say (as it does for the Keum Boo Pendants project): "Solder is applied to the back of the pendant." It's assumed that you already know how to solder and where to purchase soldering materials. This is a serious jewelry book that shows a rolling mill for adding
texture to metal, not a cute plastic embossing machine from the
scrapbooking department of the craft store.
- While there are some photos of finished work, this is primarily a technique book. I love technique books, but if you prefer gallery-style books filled with pages of beautifully finished work, this is not the book for you.
- This book overflows with how-to photos! Some pages have 7-8 photos. Every step appears to have a related photo, making it easy to follow along. I was especially impressed by some of the projects such as Cast Leaf Bracelet that starts with picking the perfect geranium leaf to use as the basis for the design.
A helpful book for the serious jewelry artist.
Book Giveaway!
To win a copy of this book, please leave a comment that answers this question:
What is the most recent jewelry making technique you've used?
It can be an old, favorite technique or something new. There are no right or wrong answers. I'm just curious!
Leave your comment by noon (Mountain Time) on Wednesday, October 12, 2011. I'll announce the winner here on Friday, October 14th.
This giveaway is open to everyone. One comment per person. Thanks!
Update: The giveaway has ended. Congratulations, Linzi! I hope you enjoy the book!
Standard Disclaimer: This book was given to me free of charge from Lark Crafts. The opinions are completely my own, as usual. I'm hosting the giveaway and will personally be mailing my review copy of this book.