| SHOP WITH CONFIDENCE.
EVERYTHING WE SELL COMES WITH A 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE OR YOUR MONEY BACK! | |  | | Home » Creating Crystal Jewelry with Swarovski: 65 Sparkling Designs with Crystal Beads and Stones | | | | | | | Description: | | Elegant, old-world jewelry with modern style.Working with world-famous Swarovski crystal beads, author Laura McCabe creates luminous necklaces, earrings, pendants, and rings for beaders of every skill level. The author provides complete step-by-step instruction for 20 projects (10 for beginners) -- and presents 45 more in a photo gallery of design variations, teaching readers how to vary colors and shapes to create custom effects. All 65 designs are made with only three simple beadwork techniques: flat peyote stitch, tubular peyote stitch, and spiral rope. Laura McCabe also provides a chapter on making decorative embellishments, such as bezels, picots, berry clusters, and branch fringe. The concise instructions are illustrated with easy-to-follow illustrations. - Beaders of any skill level can create their own high-end, boutique-style jewelry
- Goes beyond stringing to teach readers three basic beadweaving techniques and principles of design
- Only book on market endorsed by the worldÆs leading manufacturer of cut-crystal beads
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Laura McCabe | | Paperback:
| 128 pages | | Publisher:
| Creative Publishing international | | Publication Date:
| February 01, 2008 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 158923345X | | Product Length:
| 10.8 inches | | Product Width:
| 8.48 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.39 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.2 pounds | | Package Length:
| 10.79 inches | | Package Width:
| 8.43 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.47 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.28 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 53 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 53 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 36 found the following review helpful:
 Not a lot of variety in the designs....Jan 29, 2008
By Linda C.
If you really like the design on the cover (the sort of sunburst motif), you'll probably like this book--almost all the projects are done with that same design idea. I'm looking for more variety, esp. in projects like these, which are not cheap to make. (I know Swarovski-centered projects will usually cost me more, so I also want more "bang" in the finished item.)
28 of 31 found the following review helpful:
 Gorgeous projects with detailed instructions!Dec 31, 2007
By Leanne
I just received this book today so haven't made any of the projects yet, but I have throughly read through the book and instructions, and each project is gorgeous and unique! I pre-ordered this book back in June, so was eagerly looking forward to it since I love Laura McCabe's designs. If you love sparkly, yet elegant jewelry, then you will love this book!
The book starts out with a chapter devoted to covering all of the beading stitches you'll need to make the projects, such as peyote stitch, ndebele, etc. (If you're a beginner, however, you may need more instruction in these stitches than this book provides.) It then moves into sections that demonstrate how to bezel, make closures, and embellish, before moving into the 20 projects.
Each project and technique has clear, detailed instructions (including an estimate of how long the project will take), along with excellent diagrams to guide you in your beading. The projects also use more traditional Swarovski shapes such as bicones and rivolis, along with non-traditional shapes like squares.
The only drawback seems to be that some of the projects call for vintage crystals, which can be hard to find. There are some resources given for finding vintage crystals, however, along with information about modern-day equivalents.
All in all, it's a lovely book, and I can't wait to get started on some of the projects!
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
 Like the book but disappointedFeb 07, 2008
By Vampi
This book is great IF you haven't already spent money on the patterns that are available online. IF you haven't already paid $35 for one of the patterns, or $20 for others, then the book is great.
The diagrams and instructions in the book are far more descriptive than the patterns online, so I do appreciate that, I just wish that there had been something new, in the book, that I could have looked forward to.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Creating Crystal Jewelry with Swarovski: 65 Sparkling Designs with Crystal Beads and StonesMay 20, 2008
By A. Raczkowski
The patterns in this book are easy to follow and have great visual instructions along with written instructions. The photographs are great with may close ups that can be viewed as another way to "check" your work.
The only draw back is that some of the materials for the projects are hard to find. I have not been able to find #15 charlottes in gold or silver so I substituted #15 seed beads (I understand that #15 charlottes are smaller than #15 seed beads, so using charlottes would have made "cuffing" the bezel easier). Also, I have not been able to find some of the crytstal sizes/shapes. Square crystals are extremely hard to find.
I do look forward to making multiple projects from this book.
8 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Disappointed and in the MinorityDec 27, 2008
By K. Varraso
I was really looking forward to "Creating Crystal Jewelry..." as I greatly admire and respect Laura McCabe, I believe that this was her first book release, which made it all the more tantalizing to wait for the insight and projects that have made her (as another reviewer said) one of today's beading greats.
Sadly, the book is a disappointment. Although the instructions are very clear and abundantly illustrated, the project on the front of the book is about all you are going to make. It seemed like most of the projects were variations on the one piece of cover art, which is nice, but I didn't buy a book to show me all sorts of variations I could have thought up myself.
Most of the projects feature Swarovki Rivolis, a disc shaped glittering stone which is the center stone in the cover art "flowers." Rivolis can also be purchased from other manufacturers for a lot less money, and it's no surprise that a Swarovski (sponsored?) book doesn't mention less costly alternatives. The projects call for these expensive stones, as well as 3mm and 2.5mm Swarovski bicones, which are relatively new and relatively rare. One gets the impression that the whole book was written as a big commercial for Swarovski. I don't mind Swarovki's ads, but normally I am not expected to pay for advertising. Another huge turn off was Laura's statement (paraphrased) that she alone created the current demand for such stones, because a few years ago, no one but she was interested in them. That is simply not true.
One cost saving and terrific learning tool is to make these projects with low cost materials the first time, saving the Real Deal Swarovskis for when one has mastered the technique and decided that the project is worth the relatively large expense of Swarovski beads. I made a trial version of the cover bracelet with pretty buttons in place of Rivolis and inexpensive Czech fire polished beads in place of the Swarovski bicones. It looked beautiful when it was finished, and is far more appropriate for daytime than the cover bracelet. I later made the bracelet with Rivolis and bicones. It looks every bit as nice as the cover bracelet - thanks to Laura's incredibly clear instructions and method of teaching. The only thing is that I really have no place to wear something like that. It's glittering away on a bracelet stand in my workroom, and I alone am there to see it sparkle.
All in all, the book is a mixed bag: pretty eye candy that repeats itself endlessly, and beautiful, clear directions that don't give you an option to learn technique without breaking the bank. Too bad. I expected so much more.
See all 53 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
