Book Review – Wire Jewellery Masterclass by Abby Hook

 Wire Jewellery Masterclass, an Interesting Read.

I only became interested in wire work fairly recently after shying away from it for years thinking it wasn’t for me. I find that from previous experience whenever anyone mentioned anything to do with wire work I thought just that; WORK!  I envisioned amazingly detailed pieces embellished with jewels that had taken weeks to complete. But Oh how wrong I was…

Sometimes you find that you’ve spent hours producing a beautifully beaded necklace or a gorgeous pendant and then resort to placing a bog standard clasp on at the end; well let’s face it, that hardly does your work any justice! Creating and styling your own findings is so easy do (after a bit of practice) and adds a personal touch.

Once you have grasped the basics, the book offers a number of projects which are split into three sections: easy, intermediate and advanced. I love making necklaces and pendants so I decided to have a go at ‘Orbital’ a woven round pendant which focuses on wire weaving.

Before you begin there is a list of all materials and tools you will need. After that each step is explained easily and fully along with an accompanying photo. I Sometimes find it hard to follow written instructions and find it easier to be shown in person but I found these instructions more than adequate and I was extremely happy with the end result.

The beauty of this book is that it is not just aimed at one ability level; it starts you off with the basics and gives you projects you can progress onto. I would recommend this book for anyone starting out in wire jewellery and also the experienced wire jewellery maker who would like inspiration and new designs.

The only negative thing I could possibly say about this book is that it’s a shame that it’s not thicker! Let’s hope that Abby has a sequel in the not too distant future.

Fran Perry
In House Designer