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Wire Art Jewelry Workshop: Step-by-Step Techniques and Projects by Sharilyn Miller (Interweave $26.95) includes 16 projects and a 60 minute DVD tucked into the back of this 160 page book. Sharilyn is known for her wire workshops, DVDs, and numerous other books such as Bead on a Wire and Contemporary Copper Jewelry.

Her wire jewelry is full of coils and twists and often mixed with beads and given a patina to show off details in the wire work.

All of it is constructed using hand tools and no soldering is required. This book expands on many of her signature techniques.

Tools and Techniques

For those who already make wire jewelry, most of the tools discussed in the book will be familiar, but there were a few that are not that common. For instance, bail pliers is a tool I've seen before but never used, and the author shows how to use them (both in the book and the DVD) for jobs like making jump rings. I'm not sure if I'm sold on using them to make lots of jump rings, but if you just need a few now and then, these would really be handy. A drill is another tool not always used by wire jewelry artists, and she demonstrates how helpful it is to create your own twisted wire.

Materials and supplies are also discussed, and one that popped out at me that I thought was brilliant was the use of copper washers. In one project later on in the book, she textures these with a hammer and then incorporates them into a jewelry piece, and they look great.

As far as techniques goes, this section is extensive and includes full-color photos above each written out step. Some of the more unique techniques include making various dangles and connectors using wire wrapping methods; creating beads that from wire that look like little cages; free-form knotless netting used to make unique wire forms around large flat beads; and coiling wire in order to make what she calls "worm beads." There are 17 techniques provided in this section of the book.

Projects

This part of the book includes 5 earring projects, 7 bracelet projects, and 4 pendant/necklace projects which incorporate the techniques from the previous section of the book. Some projects, like the "Bird's Nest" bangle, are completely made of wire. Others include wire and beads. The "Dancing Man" necklace, for example, is the lat project in the book and is a major show-stopper type piece loaded up with gemstones, metal, and glass beads and loads of wire components. Just as with the techniques section, this part of the book also includes photos with each step of the process.

Just about all of the pieces are heavily oxidized, and this is a method demonstrated in the text. For me, I would have liked to see a few jewelry pieces that weren't so dark, but that's my personal taste and easily fixed by just skipping the last step. The earrings, especially, were outstanding. I would make and wear all of them, and I can see combining parts of the designs to make variations on them.

Final Thoughts

Intermediate level wire jewelry makers will be able to jump right in to most of her projects and may have to just learn a few techniques before making a piece here and there. Beginners will need to practice, but I feel all of the methods are do-able. As with anything new in jewelry making, beginners should be prepared to do lots of practicing before getting the fabulous results that she gets, but the author does explain this a number of times in the book. She also suggests using copper at first to master the techniques before pulling out the silver wire.

If you've enjoyed any of the author's previous books or DVDs, then you will really like this book too, and I felt that while it is still a "Sharilyn Miller" kind of book, she still offers a lot of new ideas that you haven't seen from her other publications before. Considering the cost of this book and how much information is packed in it and the fact that it includes an hour long DVD, I think it is a major bargain.

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