Elizabeth Gourley

Big Book Of Beautiful Beads: Book Review

This book holds much more than its title. When I got this book, I was truly amazed at all it had to offer. It quickly became my favorite go-to book. It is like a bible for jewelry makers and beaders.

The book is actually compiled of four beading books in one! It is like having a whole library of books. If you are tight on space this would be a good all-in-one book to get for all your needs.

The book starts with everything you need to know as a beginner, like what tools, threads, and findings you'll need, to different techniques and stranding projects to more advanced ones.

There is a knotting chapter and bead weaving,(which is my favorite) that goes through all the different stitches and many great projects to do. The directions are written very well and easy to follow.

There is a wonderful wire work section, with all the basic techniques you need to make many different projects. The possibilities are endless.

I was surprised to find a whole new contents page just for beaded adornment. It takes you through getting started in back stitch, netting, brick stitch, peyote stitch, and split-loom techniques. All very well written, so you will easily be able to follow. With this book you could become a pro in no time.

There are graphs for different stitch patterns that you can copy and use to make your own patterns. There is a nice glossary to look to also.

There is a beautiful section on French-Beaded Flowers. So many colorful flowers and bouquets. You'll be amazed that they are made of beads.

With over 100 beading projects you can make, and all the best instruction and know-how to make them; this book is definitely now my absolute favorite book.

There are so many beading books out there, but this one is so full with everything you need. This book was definitely worth the money.

The Big Book of Beautiful Beads is a hardback , has many colorful photos and instructions. It is definitely of high quality and the price is reasonable, ranging from about $4.00 and up for used and $25.00 for a new copy. You can get Big Beautiful Beads at your local book store or at amazon.com.… (mais)