As a wire lover, one of the elements I like best about Jeanne’s techniques is her incorporation of wire. With this medium, she is able to make all kinds of wonderful scrolling shapes. As a bead lover, she still keeps my interest because she often will dangle beads as well as include gemstone cabs in much of her designs.
The book starts out with an explanation of the history of filigree jewelry making. While many of her forum friends know that Jeanne polished her filigree skills while living in Norway, this section also discusses the use of this jewelry making method world-wide.
The next section is the real “guts” of the book, and if you have really want to get down and dirty and learn the details on filigree jewelry making, which includes soldering and fabrication, then you will enjoy this meaty area of the book. It is not for the faint of heart or casual reader. It is for those who really want practical information so they can apply the same techniques. Jeanne covers the basics of metalwork, supplies needed, tools, and techniques in almost 30 pages of detailed instructions, which includes lots of color photographs.
After you understand the techniques and the basics of metalwork that you’ll need for making filigree jewelry, you are rewarded with 12 projects to try out. Starting with very simple designs, Jeanne works her way up to more involved projects, so there’s something here for the very beginner as well as the experienced metal worker.
Along with a small gallery section in the back of the book, Jeanne concludes with some helpful tips and thoughts about design. She explains how she approaches developing new filigree jewelry designs, and she also provides suggestions for other ways to approach this.
Silver Threads is available through Amazon.com, Kalmback Publishing, or you can find out about getting a signed copy directly from the author at jeannius.com.
