Product Details
New Directions in Metal Clay: 25 Creative Jewelry Projects

New Directions in Metal Clay: 25 Creative Jewelry Projects
By CeCe Wire

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Product Description

Metal clay is the most exciting material in jewelry design today: the procedures for molding and shaping are simple, the tools few, and the results stunning. CeCe Wire, a leader in the field, details all the newest innovations and clays, as well as the basics for beginners. She includes every form and formula, plus an extensive array of cutting-edge techniques that range from stone-setting to surface finishing. Numerous color photos showcase diverse possibilities, including enameling methods such as champlevé, inlaying with epoxy resin, and silk screening. Twenty-five projects—some easy, some more advanced—include gorgeous beads, a bold contemporary brooch, and stacked rings made from silver and 22 karat gold.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #100400 in Books
  • Published on: 2007-08-01
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • 144 pages

Customer Reviews

What's New?2
This book had some nice examples but the projects were so simple that I was turned off. What new directions? I know the author has some great stuff but this book wasn't at all representative. Let's get away from the simplistic in metal clay--there are plenty of beginner books out there.

This one I returned ...2
While at first inviting, this is a book I chose to return. If you have worked in metal clay quite a bit, read related articles in publications, or attended workshops taught by leaders in this medium, you will have little use for this book. Some showcased images are refined and intriquing. And, a few images can be attributed to clay artists recognized in this field. Overall, however, I feel many examples and projects lack depth and do not reflect a level of quality and difficulty I would expect in a second book by someone now so well associated with this material. For metal enthusiasts just starting out, or with some experience, you may find it helpful; for me, the purchase was not warranted.

Creative Freshness4
For a second book, I found this new one by Cece Wire to be a step above the last one. The basics are addressed well for anyone who is just starting with metal clay. I even found some tips and ideas that were new to me and I've been working with metal clay for 6 years! Chapter 3 is well done and is a good dictionary of working with metal clay. The step by step photos for gem and stone setting are excellent. A few things are added that might have been better left out because they are not addressed enough, i.e. Kum Boo and Enameling.But there are other books to go into more depth.

The photo gallery at the top of many of the pages is inspirational! This has always been a plus of Cece's two books, the glamor shots are great!

The selection of projects are different enough from what has been already published, that there is lots of new and exciting things to make. Most of them are appropriate for beginner and intermediate metal clay artists. The one major fault I have with this book is the same as the last one. While the projects are described step by step, there are not step by step photos. If you are a visual person like me, the explanation is good to read to fully understand the process, but until I SEE how it should look at each stage, I'm not sure I'm doing it correctly! My students agree. Maybe the publisher wanted to keep the number of color photos limited, but I'd rather see a smaller glamor shot and photos at crucial points in the instructions.

All in all, this is a good book to add to your library!