Making Designer Mixed-Media and Memory Jewelry: Fun and Experimental Techniques and Materials for the Home Studio by Tammy Powley
This isn’t exactly a review, since I haven’t read this book yet, but it looks like fun. My friend Cyndi (author of the Bead Arts blog) has a piece in the book. If anyone reading my blog [...]

If you are an artist or crafter, or if you like handmade goods, you probably see the words “handmade” and “handcrafted” a lot. But did you know that there is actually a legal definition of what handmade/handcrafted is?
In jewelry terms, a piece is only legally considered handcrafted if all of the components are made by [...]

If you know how to make a chain stitch, a slip stitch, and a single crochet stitch, you can make this pendant. The yarn I used is from Vickie Howell’s new yarn “rock”, manufactured by Southwest Trading Company. It is a sport weight yarn, so you could probably substitute any sport weight yarn and get [...]

Jewelry: Fundamentals of Metalsmithing (Jewelry Crafts) by Tim McCreight
This book is an excellent introduction to the basics of metalsmithing, as well as some more advanced techniques. In addition, the selection of photographs is very inspiring. I refer to this book often when I want to try a new technique, or one that I haven’t used [...]

Argentium silver is my current favorite metal to work with. It resists tarnishing, which means less maintenance for both me and my customers. It also fuses better than traditional sterling silver, which makes a lot of the metalwork I like to do easier.
I just heard that in a recent Lapidary Journal, an article stated that [...]

My friend Cyndi recently started a new Bead Arts blog, and she already has some fantastic articles and tutorials up.
Check out this profile on another jeweler friend of mine, Wendy of Indigo Skye.
Cyndi and Wendy are two of the jewelry makers who contributed charms to the Charmed Life necklace (I also have a charm [...]

If you’ve clicked through the gallery section of my website, you’ve seen some samples of my resin jewelry. Before I started working with resin, I didn’t really know what it was, so I’m guessing there are lots of people out there who are also wondering.
Most of the resin products used in jewelry making are two-part [...]

The annual Tucson Gem Shows are coming up in a few weeks. For the first time in several years, I don’t think I’m going to be able to attend the shows.
For hobbyists as well as professional jewelers, the Tucson shows are a must-see. Some shows are open to the public, while others require a [...]

The Art of Resin Jewelry: Layering, Casting, and Mixed Media Techniques for Creating Vintage to Contemporary Designs by Sherri Haab.
This book is a great introduction to working with resin. It covers the basics of resin, including tips on eliminating bubbles and other common problems that people encounter when starting to work with resin. There are [...]

Textile Techniques in Metal: For Jewelers, Textile Artists & Sculptors
This book, by Arline Fisch, is one of my favorite jewelry books of all time, and was one of the first non-bead jewelry books I owned. It inspired me to learn how to knit and crochet so that I could try knitting and crocheting wire. It [...]