Book Review: Jewelry Design Challenge

Jewelry Design Challenge: 10 Materials, 30 Artists, 30 Spectacular Projects published by Lark Books ($21.95 US) and edited by Linda Kopp challenged 30 jewelry designers to use nine of the same materials plus one of their choosing to create some amazing jewelry designs.

The supplies included 18-gauge sterling sheet, 18-gauge copper sheet, sterling tubing, black and white half-drilled pearls, copper washers, 20-gauge sterling wire, silver mesh, Greek leather cord, and 20-gauge copper wire. In addition to these nine materials, participates were allowed to include one "wild card" element of their own choosing.

Most readers, even if you aren't a jewelry enthusiast, will recognize many of the names in this book such as Thomas Mann, Mary Hettmansperger, and Tim McCreight.

It should be no big surprise considering the highly talented and skilled A-list jewelry designers included in on this challenge that the projects in this book are not for the novice jewelry maker. Anyone who expects to be able to replicate any of the designs should have some metal fabrication and soldering experience already.

While the projects are all what I would refer to as advanced level, this doesn't necessarily exclude new jewelry makers or intermediate-level designers from enjoying the projects. First of all, they are all amazing. Of course, with 30 different designers you get a huge range of view points and approaches, and that in itself I think is something anyone (no matter what level you are at) can appreciate. This means that this is one of those "inspiration" titles but also a text that may offer some design direction as well. Along with the how-to of each project written in out in detail, each artist was asked about his or her thoughts on the challenge. For example, some of them discuss how they sketched out ideas first. Others let the materials primarily dictate how they designed the piece.

Because so many of the materials (all of which were not required to be used by each participant) were metal, this is mainly a metal jewelry making book, but the "wild card" element does stretch some of the projects into the mixed-media domain. For example Janet Schuster created a pendant and her extra element were tintypes, and Boris Bally used part of a license plate for his pin project.

While this book does have 30 step-by-step up projects, I see it more as an inspiration and design text. All the jewelry in this book is really outstanding, ranging in the funky artistic type that you couldn't actually wear to more practical pieces that are functional and wearable art pieces. For those advanced or intermediate jewelry makers who are interested in expanding their metal skills, there is a lot to take in here. New designers can still learn a few things as well, if nothing other than what they can aspire towards.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.