Beads

By Janet Coles and Robert Budwig

Book Overview

Sophisticated glass baubles for Venice, intricate silver filigree from India, and intriguing batik back bone from Africa--dazzling and elegant beads from around the world have earned a passionate following among designers, collectors, and jewelry-makers alike. Beads have played a significant role throughout history for nearly all cultures, serving as adornments, money, and charms to bring luck or ward off evil. Now, with this definitive book written by the two biggest authorities in the field, Janet Coles and Robert Budwig, you can explore bead traditions from around the world. Learn all about the fascinating ways that these ornaments are made and used today as well as throughout history, and then put to your newfound expertise to work with thirty step-by-step projects for creating replicas of authentic, traditional beaded jewelry.-From Peruvian ceramic beads and pre-Columbian gold and rock crystal to silverwork from Bali, Janet Coles and Robert Budgwig celebrate the beauty, diversity , and traditions of beads. -Ideal for designers, collectors, jewelry-makers, and anyone with an eye for beads.-Richly illustrated with the stunning photography of Jonathan Lovekin.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1845970012
• ISBN13: 9781845970017
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Ryland Peters & Small
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.8" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A wonderful book

This is an outstanding book on many different types of beads from around the world. I only wish that there could have been a bit more focus on the various beads from Tibet.

BEADS

This book is definately focused on beads and NOT so much on projects. Full of beautiful pictures and brilliantly done. A wonderful coffee table book!

Sophisticated and elegant ethnic jewelry

This book spends comparatively more time discussing types of beads, their history, where they are from, how they are made than it does on jewelry projects. Included are maps showing where many kinds of beads originate. Whether or not the information is inaccurate, as one reviewer states it is, doesn't matter to me; I'm more interested in the projects, which are mostly necklaces. The jewelry pieces are designed to represent all the parts of the world the beads come from, so there are very authentic looking designs representing Venice, Africa, Bohemia, Czechoslovakia, Morocco, Ethiopia, India, and other cultures. The beautiful, large photos show a great assortment of designs to choose from with different looks, though many of them have a look that is natural and earthy, yet sophisticated and stylish. To me they are attractive and serve for great inspiration. Already having jewelry skills, I can look at the pictures and make them without reading the instructions, but for those who need them, the instructions and diagrams are generally good. The main problem with the instructions is that they are printed in a small font in gray instead of black, so they are difficult to see.

Get Inspired

I just recently started crafting with beads.This is the first book I bought ,and I'm so happy that I did.It has inspired me.The book is very informative,and very interesting.The book is just beautiful! I would recommmend it to anyone who is interested in beads.

A bead and culture lover's delight!

I am a craftsperson in love with beads and enchanted by stories of where they're from, how they were made and who made them.... and I'm thrilled by nicely-made photos of people of other cultures. This book speaks to and very much satisfied those parts of me, and then iced the cake by offering easy-to-follow instructions for making many pieces of fabulous jewelry. I feel like the authors wrote the book specifically for me... for which I say thanks! :-))).