Metal Style: 20 Jewelry Designs with Cold Join Techniques

I have almost all of the newer titles related to salvage art jewelry, cold connections, wire work, and metal working. There's some great titles out there, and this is one of the best!One reason is that it deals with mostly metal, which sounds obvious, but many metal working books spend tons of space and time on metal clay. To me, that is an entirely different medium (certainly a different set of tools!)...so I hate it when I end up with a clay book instead of metal. This does touch briefly on using metal clay, but for the most part it's focused on true metal jewelry designs.Sometimes found objects are incorporated, which is very helpful...the cover shot of the owl is actually made of a portion of an old scissors sharpener (the eyes). The tools that are used are found in most metal working/fabricating jeweler's workshops...so you don't have to run out and get something new.Another big "pro" is that the designs are adaptable to what you have, and you don't have to send off for some unusual item from another manufacturer. Sometimes you can get a great design book only to find that what they use, for the most part, is from a specialized studio. And you can't replicate it unless you stop and place another order. I did purchase a title recently that had lovely designs, but then I realized it was basic stringing techniques with tons of rare, custom, and extremely expensive components. It was more of a catalog than an instruction book! So I emphasize that this explains the designs and alternatives without the cleverness of the design being dependant on an additional product!Photo illustrations are clear and organized well. I think some might be a bit brief for a novice, but a good fabrication reference book is useful to have on hand as a supplement to any jewelry design book.Good stuff!

I'm giving this book FIVE stars all the way, because I love it!My favorite type of art and/or craft book is heavy on information and technique, with plenty of step-by-step photos and accompanying text to illustrate various processes that I'm interested in learning. Inspiration is important as well, but it's third on my list of priorities. I really dislike books that are beautiful and filled with inspiring artwork, but offer little in the way of practical instruction. So that's where I come from as an avid consumer of art-technique books (I spend hundreds of dollars on books every year!). Given that perspective, you will understand why I like this book so much and heartily recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning about cold connections and other basic metalsmithing techniques.Metal Style offers instruction on a variety of topics such as riveting and tabs, using bolts and screws, etc. plus basics like sawing out sheet metal and other materials, using different tools to texture metal, and design considerations. Best of all, it's a compilation of art from some of today's hottest jewelry makers and teachers, so as a reader I get to see their current work and learn directly from them as they offer step-by-step instruction and advice on jewelry design and construction.I love the variety of projects in this book, from some fairly simple pieces to get you started to some very complex and challenging designs that inspire the beginning metalsmith to think bigger and bolder. If you're really interested in learning how to make creative and artistic jewelry with cold connections, I strongly recommend this book. It's a keeper!Sharilyn Miller, author of Arty Jewelry & Arty Jewelry II

I received this book and instantly fell in love! That first initial "flip through" that you do when you get a new book, let me know that this was a winner! Page after page of precisely detailed and understandable instructions...with PICTURES! I need pictures to go along with instructions and I got it. The art work projects are beautiful and inspiring. Even if you choose not to recreate the piece exactly, which I never do...It gives you ideas on how to modify the piece to make it your own. Very creative projects...all beautiful and interesting. Not like some jewelry instruction books that give you a bunch of crappy pieces that they don't care if you recreate because nobody wants to wear it anyway stuff!!! The techniques I've been dying to figure out how to do are all here....folding, riviting, etching, smooth cold connections...it's all here. BUY IT if you are an artistc jewelry maker and need ideas and techniques to get going. OH...and if you are afraid of fire (which I am) and have reached the peak of bending wire and your next step is to grab some heat....grab this first. It'll buy you some time...(for us chickens)

Interesting to me as I am not very interested in hot joining (fusing, soldering). I do like rivets, and all the interesting things they make possible, I also like stamping, chasing, fold forming and a variety of metal working techniques. This book is full of ideas, both common and unusual, for creating with metal, stamps, punches, hammers, shears, all the common cold working tools. I am very excited to try some of the new to me techniques. Creative juices flowing!!!

A fantastic book full of inspiration and easy to follow instructions, although not always easy to get right. But they do say practice makes perfect and I now have tons more inspiration to work with.My first project from the book I had to start over.My daughter was thrilled with the out come,a beautiful white topaz set using rivets in a silver frame.And the 'practice' piece is being re-worked into something else

The designs from the projects in this book are exceptionally ugly. I wouldn't wear anything in the actual suggested designs. Design elements are cluttered; there is no sense of balanced composition or color; manufacturing is messy with disfigured rivets or poorly finished edges. Yet if you are looking for projects to reinforce your sawing, filing, riveting, and stamping skills, this book may still have something to offer. Try adding some mixed media - leather, felt, etc. - for a touch of color, or try simplifying and decluttering the designs for a better visual impact.

I found a lot of the designs in this book a little over the top for my taste, however the techniques are good.

A great book. I'm looking forward to trying the projects

Has some good ideas

Liked it

Love this book. Plenty of quality content.