The Jewelry Maker's Field Guide: Tools And Essential Techniques

This book is a must for beginner jewellers. I would go as far as to say even more experienced jewellers could learn from this book. It is as complete as a foundation course. It covers really useful stuff like metal sizes and types, stones and gems as well as techniques and core skills. The best bit for me was a guide to workshops and how set them up. This part of the book acknowledges that jewellers use every tool in the box all most all the time and that artists can be very unreliable when it comes to organisation. it makes a change for it not to be a professional organiser telling you how to be super tidy. This book rounds off the theory with practical advice that I can follow to enhance my practice. Just one jolt. As always, with most of this type of book, it is USA. But. The author acknowledges that there are other standards in use in the rest of the world. It just makes some of the tables impractical for British standard jewellers. That though is the way of the world. All in all a really useful book.

A great book to have on side for both beginner and intermediate jeweller. The photographs are well thought out and show exactly what is being described in each chapter. Great projects at the end of the book to get stuck into too. I would definitely recommend this book. Good value.

I loved this book it is a great one for beginners as well as those who have been making jewelry for years the layout of tools,products and diagrams of everything is straight forward would recommend it to anyone with a interest in jewelry.

A good foundation book for the beginner and intermediate jewellery maker. The guide will introduce you to the tools and materials of the trade and give you the confidence to have a go.

VERY fine book

Very instructive and useful

recommended

Lots of useful tips and techniques.

This is the BEST jewelry making book I have ever purchased - and believe me, I have many. Helen Driggs is an awesome metalsmith and she explains everything in this book. It is a metalsmith class in a book. It is divided into segments that slowly progress you through metalsmithing. They start out with the basics, then move you into the easy stuff and get pregressively more difficult. For this reason, the book is well suited for very beginners to experienced smiths. She explains all the tools, showing pictures of them and explains how they can be used and what they are best for. She includes sample projects in the segments so that you can practice what you learned. She gives tips and tricks that save time and work - which everyone can benefit from. I have been smithing for several years and I learned a bunch from this book. The pictures are great and and very helpful. Helen, you rock! (I would rate this 6 stars if I could!)

Super book. Great little secrets. Learned a lot from it

A well planned guide to the fundamentals of metal work. This book will stay on my studio shelf amongst the best.

I have been working with metals for a few years now, and I'm always looking for new tricks and tips from other artists. Helen Driggs has come up with a book that not only has basic info for those just starting out, but techniques that advanced students will find very useful! I had many "AHA!" moments when I learned a better way of doing things. Especially setting rivets. Thank You!!!! The book reads like a tutorial. Tools, techniques, and materials are shown, and then put to practice. You learn why each step is important. And being a visual learner, the illustrations were fabulous! Easy to understand, and beautiful to look at. Inspires as it teaches. Jewelry Makers Field Guide will be one of my go to reference books, and will be well loved!

I bought 6 books last week. 3 have yet to arrive, but 3 did and this was one of them. I truly can't put this book down. Not only are her ideas in line with the type of jewelry I love making, she really has taught me some cool concepts already (I received the book yesterday). I'm an intermediate jeweler having made metal pieces (copper and silver primarily) for nearly 4 years now. The illustrations are fantastic, the projects are wonderful, the tool set needed for each project is nicely laid out and well, it's one of the best books I've gotten so far in this wonderful journey I'm on. Thanks!