Bronze Metal Clay: Explore a New Material with 35 Projects (Lark Books $17.95 US) by Yvonne M. Padilla gives in-depth coverage of this unique medium. The author is one of the first artists to work with bronze clay, and in this book, she provides detailed information about how to use it to make jewelry. The 35 projects in the book cover rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and components.
Techniques
Before jumping into the projects section, the book includes an extensive basics section that follows a questions and answer format. Some of the questions covered include how different bronze clay is to silver metal clay, how to join pieces, and, of course, firing procedures. Throughout the pages are also included photos of gallery-style jewelry pieces from well-known artists such as Tim McCreight, Celie Fago, Barbara Becker Simon, and Sandra Graves.
After the Q/A part, there is a troubleshooting table that covers all kinds of issues you might encounter such as cracks and bubbles. It explains the problem and then gives a solution on how to fix it.
Projects
Though the project primarily include jewelry designs, there are a few that are not related to jewelry that much like a belt buckle, coasters, and vessels. Out of the 35, all but nine projects are specially for jewelry.
Each project includes a color photograph of the finished piece, step-by-step instructions, and in some cases a few illustrations. To help streamline things, many of the projects reference a bronze clay tool kit section from the techniques part of the book.
Some of the projects were a little advanced, but many of them looked fairly simple to make such as the "Milagro Charms," which she attached to chain to form a bracelet; the "Evolution Hoops," which are earrings that show a very simple and attractive way to combine bronze with silver; and and even some very cute "Custom Pet Tags," which even a human would enjoy wearing.
Concluding Thoughts
The biggest deal about this book is that there isn't a lot of information out about bronze clay in general, so to have a big hunk of it in one books is excellent. I especially like the Q/A techniques layout because I think it appeals to both people who have never used metal clay at all as well as those who already have used it. Total newbies will want to read every question and answer, but for those who know more about metal clay, you can hunt for questions you need and skip those you may already know.
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