Rating: 
Summary: VERY, very basic, BUT very well suited for it's purpose.
Review: 1) ATTENTION BEADERS! For those of you that are looking for new findings - this book is great! Especially since you probably have the experience with working with jump rings, headpins, eyepins, wire, and probably also have the tools neccessary to do the job. 2) ATTENTION BEGINNERS! If you are looking for a simple gift that looks fantastic - one that you can say you made yourself - this book is stellar. I would highly recommend skipping the knitting, making your own jump rings, using mandrels & using saws, though. If I were you, I would turn right to the section where the author demonstrates designs using jump rings, then go down to your favorite jewelry/craft supply and go BUY the jump rings you want to use. Assemble a project and then decide if you want to do another with more costly metals and supplies. You don't need an elaborate setup to create AWESOME jewelry. Once your comfortable with wire, and are ready for the next step, go back to the front where you can find the knitting & braiding instruction. 3) ATTENTION ADVANCED! This is probably not the book for you. Most of the content of this book can be found in different parts of all other jewelry making books, especially those books used for instruction. This book is definitely a BEGINNER'S book, and you will probably get little or no useful information from it. To put it this way, the author suggests some projects are even suitable for children.
Rating:
Summary: Make great wire jewelry without using a torch!
Review: At 60 pages, this is a relatively small book, but it's packed full of instructions and information! The author opens with a brief discussion of materials and finishing methods. Each project is rated for difficulty, which ranges from easy/children through difficult. Subsequent chapters are arranged according to the technique that is used. These techniques include knitting, braiding, twisting, and working with jump rings. Each technique is introduced, with tips on materials and finishing and step-by-step instructions. The color diagrams are very clear, as are the color photographs of finished pieces. The projects require a minimal investment in materials. Instructions are provided for making some of the tools yourself. The back of the book includes a description of tools and a table of mandrel sizes for making jump rings. This is a focused book, targeted at the beginner or intermediate level. You won't find wire wrapping or soldering or an exhaustive overview of techniques. However, I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to explore solder-free chainmaking. This is an excellent book if you are seeking ideas for men's jewelry, chain maille, medieval jewelry, or Viking jewelry.
Rating:
Summary: Still a great buy, three years later
Review: I bought this book several years ago and reviewed it then. I used it to learn how to make some findings, then shelved it and forgot it. A few weeks ago, I needed to learn how to make chain mail. I went to the internet and downloaded several instructions, none of which I could understand, and many of which had pictures designed to discourage. All-black backgrounds, poorly focused rings, or color-coded tutorials so complex that the color legend needed a whole page on its own. Then I remembered that Great Wire Jewelry had chain mail instructions, and pulled it from the shelf.
If you have trouble with printed instructions, give this book a try anyway. Between the very clear pictures and the very clear descriptions, even I, the chain-mail challenged, figured it out. And figured it out well enough to move through several more complicated weaves, gaining experience and courage as I went. For the $15 price I paid a few years ago, this book is certainly worth the price as a reference, an instructional tool, and, with its clear pictures, a nice design book as well.
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous jewelry on my 1st try!
Review: I just got this book, along with two others about a week ago. I never thought I could make professional looking jewelry, but with this book I did! I loved the easy chains I started out with, but then I ventured into the braided and knitted wire designs. I made the sinnet tie guard and it is so gorgeous! Took me about an hour, and this will be a terrific jewelry gift for men! In the book, she describes making tools in order to saw wire to get the jump rings which make up many of the chains here. I just used mandrels that we had bought in a craft store (Wild Wire kit) to make the wire coil and clipped thru each ring with my wire cutters. Maybe the result would be a little nicer with the saw, but let's face it -- we are not all comfortable with such tools. Also, if you don't have a piece of leather (required for several of the projects in here) I just used a piece of denim I cut out of an old pair of jeans I have around for sewing projects. It worked great. If you are a knitter or know a knitter, you will not have to invest in the different sized "mandrels". I also used my Wild Wire kit mandrels and my glass bead mandrels (I make lampworked glass beads). For making clasps, earring hooks and a bunch of really great tips for the beginner working with wire, I also recommend All Wired Up by Mark Lareau. Strictly a beginner book, I was looking for cool findings that I could make myself and this book has great suggestions.
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous jewelry on my 1st try!
Review: I just got this book, along with two others about a week ago. I never thought I could make professional looking jewelry, but with this book I did! I loved the easy chains I started out with, but then I ventured into the braided and knitted wire designs. I made the sinnet tie guard and it is so gorgeous! Took me about an hour, and this will be a terrific jewelry gift for men! In the book, she describes making tools in order to saw wire to get the jump rings which make up many of the chains here. I just used mandrels that we had bought in a craft store (Wild Wire kit) to make the wire coil and clipped thru each ring with my wire cutters. Maybe the result would be a little nicer with the saw, but let's face it -- we are not all comfortable with such tools. Also, if you don't have a piece of leather (required for several of the projects in here) I just used a piece of denim I cut out of an old pair of jeans I have around for sewing projects. It worked great. If you are a knitter or know a knitter, you will not have to invest in the different sized "mandrels". I also used my Wild Wire kit mandrels and my glass bead mandrels (I make lampworked glass beads). For making clasps, earring hooks and a bunch of really great tips for the beginner working with wire, I also recommend All Wired Up by Mark Lareau. Strictly a beginner book, I was looking for cool findings that I could make myself and this book has great suggestions.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book!
Review: I love this book. I made a wonderful torc-like necklace right away.
Rating:
Summary: It's Hot!!!
Review: Loved the patterns in this book, especially the chain mail Queen's Necklace/Bracelet. I have purchased three copies now, and keep giving them to fellow jewelry makers. The bracelet my nephew made for me, a variation on the Queen's Bracelet, has been a very popular item with people who notice it on my wrist...I have to be careful that people don't rip it off my arm! I have had people just walk up to me and ask to see it, ask me to take it off, and when they learn it's handmade, they just freak! This is a great book for beginner's, as you don't need to know any special techniques, and you can choose, after making a few designs, to take it to a higher level. Great book!
Rating:
Summary: Intricate, impressive jewelry
Review: This book is a gem. The instructions are clear and easily followed, yet the resulting jewelry (especially the Viking knitting) is beautiful and definitely does not look homemade. Note that this book uses British wire sizes. If you are in the United States, simply subtract two from the gauge given in the book. For example, 26-gauge wire in the U.K. is equivalent to 24-gauge wire in the U.S.
Rating:
Summary: Make amazing chains
Review: This book is great for those who love metal jewelry (no beads or gems involved), and who have a lot of patience for learning an intricate craft.
The wire jewelry in this book is completely different from the type of wire jewelry made on a jig (wrapping wire around pegs to form curlicue designs, etc.) This book teaches you to use various gauges of wire to make chain or chain mail, which is then used to make necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc. This is no ordinary chain... it is quite complex and many techniques are shown to create assorted patterns. In some projects, the wire is "knitted" or braided by hand around another object used as a mandrel (such as knitting needles or an Allen wrench). Brief instructions are given for making a wooden drawplate. This has holes bored into it, and is used to pull the finished chain through it to smooth out the chain.
Other types of chain are made by various patterns of joining jump rings. For these you can use purchased jump rings, or instructions are also given for making your own jump rings.
The designs are quite complex, and therefore the illustrated diagrams show a lot of detail, with many interconnected wires passing in various directions. At first glance, it looks overwhelming, but if you have the patience to do all the prepatory work, then sit down with the book in front of you and follow the instructions and diagrams step by step, you can work your way through the designs and come up with something to be proud of.
Be aware that a certain amount of investment in tools is needed, such as flat and needle nose pliers, a vise, a drawplate, some kind of mandrel, knitting needles, and crochet hooks; and for making jump rings: a hand drill, hacksaw, and clamp.
This is a very good book for those interested in this unique craft.
Rating:
Summary: Clear, interesting, fun
Review: This how-to book has all the right basics: a list of tools and materials, a description of skills you'll need, and a key to how difficult the projects are. There is enough detail on the kind of wire to use (and avoid) to help the reader avoid expensive mistakes. There are even instructions so the beginner can make, rather than purchase, some of the knitting and drawing equipment. The book is small and focused. If you want an overview of all types of wire jewelry, this is not the right book. If you are an advanced solderer looking for more projects, this solder-free book is not for you, either. Great Wire Jewelry is a great book for beginners with some patience, who want to learn, through practice, to become advanced wire workers who make their own necklace- and bracelet-quality chains. Much of the book is a type of knitted or woven jewelry. There is also a smaller section on chain mail and connecting jump rings to create necklaces. There are clear and easy-to-understand instructions on how to make each type of chain. The pictures are simple and the color coding of existing and just-added pieces are easy to grasp. There are tips along the way to help. The book has some added extras, too. Color photographs of completed projects are keyed with the name and page number for instructions. Instructions are reverse-keyed so you can find the picture first. For a small book of focused projects, it's easily worth the money.
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