BOOK REVIEW - Bead Meets Metal

BEAD  MEETS  METAL

by Kay Rashka

published by Kalmbach Books

The author & artist, Kay Rashka, knows her business. She has been creating jewelry for 25 years, 20 of those years have been working with metal. She is well known in the jewelry making industry and her work has been featured in Art Jewelry magazine.

If you've ever had a desire to work with metal and don't know how or where to start, this is the book for you. I've taken several classes & still wonder what to do. This book is a jewel! This book merges  metalworking techniques with wirework and beading. You learn how saw, form, drill, and texture sheet metal which are techniques necessary to make earrings, pendants, bead caps, charms, and other findings. The author also teaches how to form and forge wire to create clasps and earring wires. Some projects call for the use of heat with an easy-to-use, handheld butane torch. You will also learn how to ball wire ends, anneal, and solder metal. This book is packed with teaching tools, techniques, tidbits, alternative ideas, tips, and other information to help you be successful in learning metalworking.

The book begins with Materials and Workspace Safety. Then comes 22 pages of Fabrication - Tools & Techniques. These wondrously filled pages include learning how to cut, saw, drill, form & forge, texture, and finally closes with finishing the metal, followed by forming spirals, making earring wires, antiquing, etching, tube-riveting, and making jump rings. Each lesson includes the tools & materials needed with step-by-step instructions & pictures. I really enjoyed that at the top of each project the techniques used are listed; highlighting the new techniques.

I just love the Kimono Earrings Project on pages 48-50. New Techniques: sawing, creating stamped designs, doming. There is a box under each project that lists: Tools needs, Additional Supplies, Materials, & Beads. Then there are Design Notes & finally Variations to this project. Each project is unique & inspiring to the imagination.

Then there are the Etched Earrings with Turquoise on pages 58-60.. New Techniques: etching, designing earring wires. There are Tips & Design Notes & 4 Variations at the end of this project.

Finally, I also really enjoyed the Riveted Beach Stone Bracelet on pages 74-77 & learning how to rivet large stones to use in jewelry. New Techniques: drilling large holes in stones, soldering bead chain ends. Design Notes & Safety Tips were very helpful in sizing & choosing stones.

If you've ever had a desire to work with metal and don't know how or where to start, this is the book for you. I've taken several classes & still wonder what to do. This book is a jewel!