Book Spotlight: A Touch of Glass

Can you imagine a world without glass beads? There are a great many jewelry designers and even beaders who focus their skills on other materials, but for many of us, glass is the way to go. As an inexpensive, easy to work substance, glass is ideal for bead making, and provides us with an endless variety of beads to choose from. For every technique and style, there is a glass bead to match.

In A Touch of Glass,the beauty of glass beads get undivided attention, as jewelry artist Nancy Alden takes the reader on a tour of the versatility and aesthetic value of simple jewelry. Using traditional stringing and wirework techniques, and an abundance of glass beads, Nancy has created a guide to turning a relatively inexpensive jewelry material into elegant, eye-catching designs. This is not just a guide to beading, but a tribute to glass!

The book begins with a detailed history of glass beads, and a look at contemporary bead styles used in jewelry making, as well as a primer on the components needed to make the 50 projects to follow. There are a variety of simple necklaces, earrings, and bracelets to try - all of them made with glass pieces that can be found in most bead shops. There are projects for everything from lampwork beads, to Czech daggers, to trade beads, and each is more beautiful than the last. The cover design, which features dichroic glass, doesn’t even compare to some of the stunning pieces within.

Each project includes a full materials list and step-by-step instructions, with a full page photograph of a finished piece. Detailed instructions for crimping, wire wrapping, and other bead basics are included at the back of the book for beginners - intermediate beaders will be able to breeze through their favorite projects and fully enjoy the beauty of the glass at work.

Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading
Potter Craft and Nancy Alden
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