✓Join us at Maker Festivals Pennsylvania, the ultimate crafting extravaganza in Lancaster from July 31-August 3, 2024, and we will once again be bringing our fiber artists with us! Our festival lineup will have thousands of fiber artists, and jewelry makers!
Boy, Interweave Press is sure coming out with some kick-butt jewelry making books lately. The one I recently picked up,The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Jewelry Making Techniquesis no exception. I was a bit put off by the cover at first, thinking the pieces there weren’t my cup of tea, but when I opened up the book I just couldn’t believe all the information held within! LikeThe Beaders Companionfor beaders, this book is a one-stop information station for anyone interested in knowing how to cut, pierce, file, anneal, solder, polish or rivet metal. The bonus here is the chapter upon chapter of great ideas for anyone curious to learn about incorporating plastics, rubber, fabric, paper, wood, and evenconcreteinto jewelry design. I know this one will become dog-eared in my studio. I’d highly recommend you check it out, too.
Inspired Surface Design Techniques
One of my favorite parts ofThe Encyclopedia of Contemporary Jewelry Making Techniquesis a section at the back called “Decorative Effects”. It features rows of simple photos of different hammered, stitched, wired, printed, rolled, and other surface applications. This section was so inspirational to me that I sat down and did a few of my own “Surface Design Studies” on some aluminum foiling. Check them out:
 Hammered with the round end of a ball-peen hammer. |  Hammered with the textured edge of a jeweler’s hammer. |
 Folded, opened, and flattened with my fingers. |  Leather scrap added with an eyelet. |
 Layered with lace and spray-painted. |  Punched with a paper punch; yarn threaded through. |
 Drawn with a pencil. |  Hammered with a rubber mallet over a metal form. |
 Sanded with 320-grit sandpaper while holding. |  Sanded with steel wool on a flat surface. |
 Colored with permanent marker, then sanded while holding. |
Hey—that was fun! I think I’ll pack these into a plastic zip bag and tuck them in my design journal for future reference. Or perhaps I’ll play a little more, using one of them as a background in a collage pendant. Or maybe I’ll simply cut them into charm shapes, cover in resin, and make a bracelet. What would you do? Please share your comments with us.
