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Publisher's Site

A Bounty of Bead and Wire Bracelets is written by Nathalie Mornu, who you may recognize from the numerous other jewelry books she has written including Chains, Chains, Chains: 25 Necklaces, Bracelets, and EarringsA Bounty of Bead and Wire Earrings , and Leather Jewelry: 30 Contemporary Projects . A Bounty of Bead and Wire Bracelets is published by Lark Beading and Jewelry and is a soft bound book of 144 pages.

It retails in the US for $19.95 and in Canada for $23.95.

Front Matter and Projects

This book is one of three that also includes A Bounty of Bead and Wire Earrings and A Bounty of Bead and Wire Bracelets. All three books are formatted basically the same, starting with an introduction to the book and then a basics section. This section covers the tools and supplies needed to make bead and wire jewelry and then moves into techniques that have step by step instructions along with color photographs.

The bulk of the book is made up of instructions for the 50 jewelry projects, and all, of course, are bracelets made up of beads and wire using various techniques discussed in the front matter of the book. Thirty-seven jewelry designers contributed projects. Some of them have had titles published by Lark such as Candi Cooper and Mary Hettmansperger.

There is a real mix of projects here. Some are straight bead stringing with no wire components while others use a lot of wire and just a few beads. For example, the Celtic Crystal project only uses 6 beads and has three wire components that you fabricate for the center of the bracelet.

Dangles seem to be one theme I see a lot of in the designs, and some of these I like and some I think maybe be so overwhelmed with charms that I wonder if the bracelet is really wearable.

Final Thoughts

While I did not see anything unusual as far as wire techniques in this book, it is refreshing to see a book dedicated to bracelets. I think there are enough photographs in the techniques section as well as illustrations in the projects section that someone with limited skill could accomplish some of the projects. Plus, the fact that there are 50 projects means there is likely at least a few designs that will appeal to just about anyone, no matter the skill level or taste.

Publisher's Site

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