Bead on a Wire: A Book Review

When I brought a copy of Sharilyn Miller’s book, Bead on a Wire: Making Handcrafted Wire and Beaded Jewelry (published by North Light books, $22.99) to show a friend during a luncheon date, after flipping through the pages, she summed up the book in one wonderfully descriptive word: “intense.” She used this word because there is so much information between the pages of this book. Of its 128 pages, 44 pages are devoted to wire fabrication techniques. While this might be a little overwhelming for the totally novice wire worker, there are plenty of basic techniques covered for beginners to learn, so don’t feel intimidated. In fact, you’ll find the color step by step photographs that accompany each technique very helpful.

For those of who have worked with wire before, there are also intermediate to advanced wire methods to learn as well. And, for me, that was one of the big pluses of this book. So many times books are only geared toward beginning jewelry makers, and of course, this is understandable because there are lots more new people jumping into learn this craft ever day. However, as a result, those with some experience or even lots of experience don’t always find enough “meat” in a book. This book is not for those who string beads either, by the way. It’s for wire fanatics or soon-to-be wire fanatics.

There’s no big surprise that there’s so much to this book because of who the author is - Sharilyn Miller, expert jewelry maker, author of Rubber Stamped Jewelry and editor of Belle Armoire and Art Doll Quarterly magazines. Along with the techniques section I mentioned, the book also includes 20+ projects incorporating wire and beads, a section on tools, and tips section. You’ll find Bead on a Wire available through the publisher’s website as well as your local bookstore.