Sherri Haab Jewelry Inspirations

Sherri Haab Jewelry Inspirations: Techniques and Designs from the Artist's Studio published by Watson-Guptill ($22.99 US; $27.99 CAN) and written by designer Sherri Haab is a unique text that combines autobiography, design inspirations, and step-by-step how-to jewelry projects. The twenty-fives project included in the book cover an array of media which happen to be some of the author's favorites: fiber, wirework, resin, polymer clay, metal clay, and image transfer. Primarily the text is organized by topics the author finds inspirational such as memories, seasons, collections, nostalgia, and her hobbies.

After the introductory section of the book, there is the Jewelry-Making Techniques section. Like the projects, the techniques section is a real mix of various techniques. In this section, Haab describes and demonstrates the techniques she used in the projects. Some of them will be familiar to jewelry makers with some experience such as how to open and close jump rings or make a wrapped loop. Then there are a few pages of working with various types of resin such as resin clay or 2-part epoxy. A few pages that cover metal clay are next, one discussing how to fire it and another about how to create patinas on metal. Finally, there is a brief section on fiber which shows how to braid and form a few common knots such as square knot.

Since there is a range of techniques, it makes sense that the projects also vary widely. There are some whimsical pieces such as some Halloween paper mache pins, nostalgic pieces that incorporate photos, wire that is knit and wrapped, fiber that is woven and braided, resin that is used to coat and encase. It is difficult to point to any one style when trying to explain the jewelry designs in this book. All of the projects include a list of supplies needed, step-by-step instructions, and color photographs that show many of the steps as well as the finished pieces.

There are a number of the projects that I personally found to be interesting as well as pretty. The "Keepsake Photo Necklace," for example, shows how to put a small photo in a bezel and then seal it with 2-part epoxy resin. "Sea Glass Image Pendants" combines an image transferring method with a braided fiber cord. The author used sea glass for this project, so the finished pieces have a rustic look to them. Another project, "Braided Macrame Ribbon Bracelet," cleverly showed how to use a method normally associated with hemp (macrame) but instead used ribbon, so the final bracelet is full of interesting texture.

Basically, the mix of techniques and projects reflects the mix of the author's tastes, and since the book is about her and her designs, I think this makes sense. Now whether the mix will appeal to everyone is another issue. If you are looking for a book that has a specific focus on one style of jewelry, then this may not be for you. However if you have enjoyed any of Sherri Haab's previous books in the past (she has published something like 20 books) and also like to mix it up when it comes to jewelry styles, materials, and techniques, then you will probably find a lot here to enjoy. I get the feeling that is the audience for this book, primarily mixed media jewelry makers.

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