Book Review by Jean: Beautiful Wire Jewelry for Beaders by Irina Miech Makes you Appreciate Her Sensitivity to Her Materials

Something great about this wire working book is that Irina Miech has a sensitivity to wire which is obvious and clear: she LOVES it. This love then conveys itself into the unique projects, which go from beginner to advanced. If you want to stress the technique of wire working in your jewelry making, go for this book! It is so fun and so worth your while!

What makes it good? For one thing, it is arranged very nicely: if you like, you can give yourself a full course, even if you haven't tried any wire worked jewelry before, ever. The author makes sure that she shows the tools and quick techniques right up front and then she catches your eye with a set of beginner projects which are stunning and tempting enough even for seasoned wire workers. For example: her blue toned "Burst of Color" necklace and earring set was lovely...so special it made me want to get out my pliers right then and there! Although I can make things like this already, I haven't made this. But now I want to!

I think that whether you already know how to make her projects or not is not the point...Irina has a true sense of beauty when she creates.

She is also very playful. You can see this sense of playfulness appear more and more when she is released from the strictures of having to keep things more simple. For example, in her intermediate section, she has a project with a number of variations called "Wire Wrapped Heart". It is GREAT! Having the variations (she wraps a drusy, a sand dollar, and more!) really expands your understanding of what you are doing, and it is as if you are taking a class with a teacher right in your own home. I like the section in the intermediate part on how to make your own findings as well. I am always curious about other designer's work and she has a noticeable amount of fun with these. I can't believe how amazingly intricate some of the projects looks in this part of the book. That is one thing about it which makes it very wonderful. Her step by step approach truly does work to bring you right up to the bar when wire wrapping if you take it slowly and just read the very clear, well photographed instructions.By the time the reader arrives at the advanced section, the cuff on the front looks far less daunting and much more enticing than it might have before reading the earlier parts of the book. It is very much a part of her organic style: fanciful and flowing. Trust me: you will want to try to make that cuff! Ms. Miech also has a stunning "Celtic Knot" set in this section, very worth making.

Many sizes and gauges of wire are used in Beautiful Wire Jewelry for Beaders, mostly sterling, with some chain.

This fabulous book truly makes you want to learn new ways of wrapping wire. Irina Miech has created an inspiring and terrific book to have permanently in your jewelry design library!