This 250+ page book with 400 color photographs is not for the casual jewelry maker. The immense amount of information at first made me think this might not even be a book for a beginning jewelry designer, but then as I looked through it some more, I realized that it designed more like a reference book. Granted, there are some more basic techniques that the brief how-to information would be easy to follow, such as learning how to create head pins with balls of metal on the end, but most of the instructions I felt are written for those who already have some understanding of the materials and methods involved in making jewelry. For example, in the section on jump rings, the first steps tell you to anneal the wire. A totally newbie would not know what that means. Of course, a quick look in the index shows that this method is covered for a variety of metals, so it is in there.
Along with an extensive metals section, the text also covers natural materials such as wood and shell, plastics and rubber, stones and settings, and other media such as cement, glass, and even paper. Along with all this information on materials and related techniques, the back of the book includes chemical recipes, a suppliers list, measurements graphs for rings and other jewelry items, and a glossary of terms. And, sprinkled throughout the pages are some awesome jewelry designs to demonstrate the results of the mix of methods and materials, real jewelry artwork from the author as well as extremely talented jewelry artists.
Besides the large amount of information provided, the spiral binding also suggests to me that this is a reference type of book, a text you'd leave open on your work bench and go check now and then as needed. For those serious about the craft of jewelry making, this is a serious book that I would expect to use regularly over the years. For those who just dabble, this may be too much to handle.
