I know I’m not alone when I confess my love of books, and this is especially true when it comes to jewelry makers and other avid arts and crafters. One of the best things next to making jewelry is reading about other people making jewelry. Not only can it be inspirational, it can also be a great way to learn new skills and techniques. That’s one of the great things about making jewelry in the first place – There’s always something new to learn. You never will reach a point where you know everything there is to know.
Now that I’ve given a few excuses for collecting jewelry making books, I’ve also started thinking of ways to beef up my own library, so I thought I’d pass them along.
1) Book Clubs: Of course, this is my first tip since it’s what got me to thinking about the importance of a good jewelry library. One search through any search engine can produce a plethora of book clubs, but one I recently joined (or I should say rejoined since I’ve done this before!) is Crafter’s Choice. Like many book clubs, you can join by simply selecting a certain number of books for $1 each and paying the shipping, which admittedly isn’t cheap, but when you add up the normal retail cost of the books, you still come out ahead.
2) Forum Queries: Our Jewelry Making Forum is probably one of the best places to look for inside information about which books are best for any particular need you may have because so many jewelry makers on the forum also collect jewelry related books. A simple posting asking about a certain title or general recommendation is an excellent way to get some inside information about a book before purchasing it.
3) Bookstores: This may seem like a “duh” idea, but there are so many large books stores available these days that allow customers to sip mocha while browsing through books. It’s hard to beat this as a enjoyable and productive way to get an idea of what a book can bring to you before you buy it.
4) On Line Reviews: I have a number of book reviews on my site. I have many listed under the Books and Magazine Review section as well as the Before You Buy area. However, there are lots of other on line book reviews out there. Again, a simple search through a search engine can be another way to locate book reviews.
5) Web Bookstores: Many of these, like Amazon.com, offer ways to get a peek at a book before you buy it and readers sometimes provide reviews as well. Another great thing about these stores is that they often have used books available, so you can save money by purchasing a pre-read jewelry book. Most of the larger traditional stores, like Barnes and Nobel, have web store as well.
6) Jewelry Supply Vendors: Don’t forget too that when you are purchasing your wire and beads, many of the same vendors who sell these also sell books. Just like any supplies you buy for jewelry, you need to shop around to find out who has the best price.
7) Libraries: Yup, that’s right. Libraries can help you out in a few different ways. First, they can provide a way for you to test drive a book before you break down and buy it. Many libraries also sell older editions of books that they may be replacing or that have not been checked out in a long time. Keep an eye out in their used books section. These can sometimes be pretty old and worn, but they can also cost as little as a $1 or less. They also sometimes sell older magazine editions, but you need to find out when these are removed from circulation so you can be ready to buy them up as soon as they hit the sale cart.
I think you get the picture. There are lots of ways to build up your personal jewelry making library. These are just a few ideas to get you started.
