The Jeweler’s Directory of Decorative Finishes
Posted by Leah on Dec 28, 2006
The Jeweler’s Directory Of Decorative Finishes
I got this book as a Christmas gift, and I’m really enjoying it. It is organized into chapters for various techniques used to addd color and/or texture to metal. Some examples are fusing, patinas, roller printing, and etching, although he covers at least twice that many techniques. An explanation of each techniqe is given, followed by ten or so samples of sheet metal that has been colored or textured using that technique, and an explanation of exactly how the technique was used to obtain the given finish. The samples are numbered, and then the chapter ends with a few pages of inspiring finished jewelry. Each piece of jewelry in the gallery has a number (or numbers) next to it that correspond to the sample finishes, so that you can see how a given method might look in a finished piece of jewelry.
This book is geared toward someone who already has a basic knowledge of how to craft metal jewelry. An advanced jewelry maker will probably still find inspiration in the variety of finishes McGrath shows in the book. A complete beginner might be able to acheive some of the finishes shown, but without knowledge of how to make jewelry out of there colored/textured metal, might feel frustrated, as the book does not go into detail on basic jewelry making techniques. For me personally, it is a book I will probably refer to often. I already know some of the techniques, but others, such as enameling and granulation, are on my list of things to learn someday. Even in the chapters on techniques I am more familiar with, there were a few effects shown that I wouldn’t have thought of trying on my own.
