First weekend in Tucson! This is paradise!

I have not been to the Tucson gem and mineral shows for four years, and it is so great to be here. My first weekend in Tucson, and I have already blown my budget.

The weather is perfect, and waking up with the views of the mountains is spectacular. The colors here are so different than those on the East coast. I am mentally matching bead color numbers with the purples and greens I see.

The best part is seeing old friends and making new ones. I spent an hour at Sandy Schor’s booth looking at his incredible collection of antique jewelry, and I bought myself a micromosaic smalti filati button. I have wanted this style of micromosaic for many years and can now cross that off my list.

Here are some photos!

Tucson is really a combination of many different gem, mineral, bead, jewelry, and art shows -- and they all bustle.

The micromosaic smalti filati I purchased in Tucson.

I love the colors of the Southwest. Good morning, Tucson!

The best part about Tucson, of course, is seeing friends new and old -- including, here, Julie, Rae, and Sarah!

Sonoko was the first foreign instructor at Bead&Button — in 2005 — and her presence each year draws crowds and “oohs” and “aahs” of excitement. She is a star of the beading world — and we mean “world” quite literally here.

This new book takes her Japanese book Mode de Beads, which included instructions for nine projects, translates them, and adds instructions for 16 more jewelry designs by Sonoko, for 25 total — all in English, of course, and with a gallery of other beadwork from the author completing this magical book.

Crystal Rose design from the book Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue

Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue is an April 2012 publication; ask for this gorgeous, inspiring beading release at your local bead store or bookstore, or order it online on Amazon or BN.com.

We invite you to sample the book: Click here to download a PDF of the Crystal Rose necklace project from the book, plus enjoy a taste of the projects in it pictured below. If you’re intrigued, tell us so, and then share the link on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and StumbleUpon. Please join Lark Jewelry & Beading on Facebook, too, and we invite you to visit Sonoko’s website — which is in Japanese, of course!

Under the Sea necklace from the book Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue

Cheerful Midafternoon necklace project from the book Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue

Shower of Blossoms necklace project from the book Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue

Sunflower necklace project from the book Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue

Night Dew bracelet project from the book Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue

Sonoko Nozue at the 2010 Bead&Button Show with (back row, left to right) her translator, Lark Jewelry & Beading editor Nathalie Mornu, and our group's senior art designer, Kathy

In the book, Mary teaches readers how to add color and texture to metal jewelry using a wide variety of low-tech approaches including patinas, enameling, keum boo, copper etching, fusing, weaving, texturing with tools, and more. Twenty-one projects bring to life Mary’s approach to jewelry and design; see photos of a few of the projects below, and click here for a PDF of the Liquid Enamel Necklace project from the book.

Liquid Enamel Necklace project from Heat, Color, Set & Fire

We also invite you to read a really interesting interview I did with Mary Hetts two years ago (this blog still seems new to me, but I guess it’s been around a while) and, of course, to visit Mary’s website. Please join Lark Jewelry & Beading on Facebook, as well.

Stitched Keum Boo Earrings project from Heat, Color, Set & Fire

Variations of the Resin Brooch project from Heat, Color, Set & Fire

Etched Copper Neckpiece project from Heat, Color, Set & Fire

Dots and Loops Necklace project from Heat, Color, Set & Fire

Blue Pencil Paddle Necklace project from Heat, Color, Set & Fire

We’re so pleased to be releasing this publishing season the first book in English from German beading superstar Sabine Lippert. Sabine is a relentlessly prolific beader and endlessly imaginative designer, as well as a social media force to be reckoned with and loved. Simply put, she is one of the most popular beaders in Germany, in Europe, in the United States, and in the world. You can read my comprehensive interview with Sabine on this blog from mid 2010.

Sabine Lippert’s Beaded Fantasies presents 30 of Sabine’s jewelry designs; all the projects utilize peyote or right angle weave, beading’s most popular stitches. The book includes plenty of beautiful photography, excellent instructions and how-to illustrations, a special chapter by Sabine about how she approaches design, and a gallery of photographs of beadwork Sabine admires. See the full table of contents at the bottom of this post.

The book will officially publish on May 1. Ask your local bead store or bookstore to carry it, or you can order the book online at Amazon.com or BN.com.

Les Fleurs Necklace from Sabine Lippert's Beaded Fantasies

In the meantime, let’s give you a taste of it: Click here to download a PDF of the project Les Fleurs Necklace from Sabine Lippert’s Beaded Fantasies. If you look at the PDF, you’ll see we’ve included the book’s table of contents, which has teaser photos from throughout the book.

But just in case you don’t download the PDF right now, here’s the table of contents to whet your appetite:

Introduction
Chapter 1: Supplies and Techniques
Chapter 2: Embellished Bases
Art Deco Necklace
Cubic Dots Bracelet
Little Lanterns Earrings
RAW Ribs Bracelet
Grace Bracelet
Verticals Bracelet
XXOXX Bracelet
Chapter 3: Bezeled Stones
Les Fleurs Necklace
La Fleur Bracelet
Queenie Bracelet
Medal Pendant
Petit Carré Choker
Floral Cascade Choker
Sweet Eighteen Earrings
Amazon Jewel Pendant
Double Star Earrings
Milady Pendant
Chapter 4: A Question of Architecture
Cher’s Earrings
I Can’t Dance Earrings
Three Crosses Necklace
Scheherezade Pendant
Aisha Earrings
Nathalie Pendant
Scheherezade Bangle
Chapter 5: Pearl Centers
Spikey Tops Bracelet
Volcanoes Necklace
Purple Rope Necklace
Granada Brooch
Granada Earrings
Sparkling Tops Necklace
Chapter 6: Sabination Nation,
or How One Beader Approaches Design
Gallery
Author Gallery
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Index

Sabine’s book is another outstanding release in Lark Jewelry & Beading’s Beadweaving Master Class series, joining books by Diane Fitzgerald, Marcia DeCoster, Laura McCabe, Sherry Serafini, Maggie Meister, Rachel Nelson-Smith, and a Sonoko Nozue book also releasing this spring, all forming an essential library of beautiful books for beaders.

You can learn more about Sabine Lippert on her blog or her website, which are in both German and English. And then, please pass along this post: Share it, Tweet it, Pin it, and StumbleUpon it, and be sure to join Lark Jewelry & Beading on Facebook, as well. Thank you!

1. Croska 2. thebejeweledflorist 3. Vaughndesigns 4. LX Designs

5. Luv U Lila 6. Vaughndesigns 7. Surroundings 8. Modulation

9. annasinclair 10. Lionsgate Design 11. Noaki 12. The Heirloom Bouquet

The book includes 40 pages of instruction in metal clay fundamentals, techniques, and design and artistic philosophy. Then, Gordon presents more than 20 original projects, mostly of jewelry but also of several small home-décor objects, such as a chopstick rest, a bell, and an incense burner. See photos of some of the book’s beautiful projects below. The metal clays Gordon utilizes include silver, bronze, and copper. The book also shows gallery photos of excellent metal clay work from Wendy Wallin Malinow, Barbara Becker Simon, Hattie Sanderson, Linda Kaye-Moses, Hadar Jacobson, Liz Hall, Holly Gage, Louise Duhamel, Tina Carvalho, Gwen Bernecker, and Angela Badule-Crispin.

Visit Gordon’s website to learn more about the artist. Thank you for being a part of the Lark Jewelry & Beading community, and please connect with Lark Jewelry & Beading on Facebook.

Bronze, Silver & Pearl Pendant from Metal Clay Fusion

Bronze & Copper Flora Bracelet from Metal Clay Fusion

Bronze Asian Bell from Metal Clay Fusion

Bronze Clay Mask Pendant from Metal Clay Fusion

Tri-Metal Hollow Bead from Metal Clay Fusion

Tri-Metal Pendant from Metal Clay Fusion

Poison Pill Ring from Metal Clay Fusion

Honu King Incense Burner from Metal Clay Fusion

Congratulations to Peggy Goldblatt of Mercer Island, Washington, the randomly selected winner of an advance copy of the book from the original version of this blog post. Our thanks to everyone who participated.

Which is good, because that means less time before a new book from Diane Fitzgerald releases this spring: Diane Fitzgerald’s Favorite Beading Projects: Designs from Stringing to Beadweaving is a March 2012 book eagerly anticipated by beaders everywhere. The book includes two dozen of Diane’s very favorite — and previously unpublished — designs. Her selections reflect the breadth of her career and so include many projects for both new and advanced beaders.

Midnight Snowflakes Necklace from Diane Fitzgerald's Favorite Beading Projects

January also means beautiful nighttime snowfalls, right? But it’s been unseasonably warm in many places this winter. (And thank goodness for that, by the way.) But never fear: Diane Fitzgerald comes to the rescue, as always, sending a little snowy magic from her home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the form of a special preview from Diane Fitzgerald’s Favorite Beading Projects. Click here for a PDF of Midnight Snowflakes, a beautiful necklace project design from the book.

And, while we’re at it, here is a sampling of a half-dozen photos of designs from the book, just to whet your appetite. Enjoy the project and pics while you stay warm by the fire.

Majesty Necklace from Diane Fitzgerald's Favorite Beading Projects

Diamond Chain Bracelet from Diane Fitzgerald's Favorite Beading Projects

Merry Cherries Necklace from Diane Fitzgerald's Favorite Beading Projects

Pussy Willow Necklace from Diane Fitzgerald's Favorite Beading Projects

Yao Necklace from Diane Fitzgerald's Favorite Beading Projects

Hard Candy Bracelet from Diane Fitzgerald's Favorite Beading Projects

Rachel Nelson-Smith

Rachel Nelson-Smith is one of the most popular and talented beadwork designers and teachers in the world. Rachel is the author of the new book Rachel Nelson-Smith’s Bead Riffs, as well as an earlier release Seed Bead Fusion, and also a contributor to numerous magazines and books, including the gallery book Masters: Beadweaving. Visit her online at www.rachelnelsonsmith.com.

We also invite you to sample projects from Rachel’s new Bead Riffs book we’ve posted on this blog: Download a PDF of the Billie’s Bounce necklace or a PDF of the gorgeous Rondo neckpiece.

Rachel, this is a distinct variant of the standard first question for my interviews with beaders: How did you start … singing jazz? Tell us about what that experience—and that work and play—are like.

A mutual high school friend of local ladies I sang renaissance madrigals with, Michael Parker, once asked me if I was interested in singers like Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. In response to my disinterest he made a mix tape featuring jazz singers like those two, along with others like Bette Midler and Edie Brickell.

The music really grew on me as I listened to the recordings over and over—particularly the song “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most,” because Parker said it was a very difficult song to sing. Years later, my friend Craig Pena introduced me to his coworkers who had a garage band called The Jazz Dogs in San Jose, California. With this group, led by Apple software engineer Kris Stephens in psychologist Tom Martin’s garage, I learned to sing jazz.

Kris later took me in and I became his housemate. With his experience as a jazz trombone major, he taught me many of the ins and outs of jazz from a musician’s perspective, rather than a singer’s. Another member of the Jazz Dogs group, Nick Beason, who worked for Compaq at the time, would share his jazz CDs with me. We’d shop at Tower Records after practice and attend live shows at Yoshi’s in Oakland, Bimbo’s in San Francisco, and other venues in the Bay Area. Those concerts, recordings, and discussions expanded my jazz knowledge.

Later, I attended the weeklong Stanford Jazz Festival as a student of the well-recorded singer and pianist Dena DeRose, as well as Bay Area singer Madeline Eastman and one of my all-time-favorite international singers, Mark Murphy. Drummer Billy Higgins was also teaching that summer, along with bassist Ray Drummond. The horizons really expanded. In a vocal jazz class with Roger Letson at DeAnza College, I was even beginning to scat and gain more live performance confidence.

It was during this time I volunteered regularly at the local jazz station KCSM 91.1 FM in San Mateo for its fund drives—answering phones and taking donations—and this lead to volunteering on a near-weekly basis with radio announcer Jesse “Chuy” Varela. Chuy would share extra CDs and concert tickets with me for the volunteer work I’d do, mainly entering CD information into their database.

Ultimately, I had attended so many concerts at Yoshi’s through the gratis tickets from the radio station that the Yoshi’s ticket-takers would let me in whether I had a ticket or not—and, most importantly, whether or not the show was sold out. Many times a single chair was pulled into the center aisle so I could listen to a sold-out show.

As my love of listening, performing, and singing grew, I drove many miles to attend jam sessions in San Francisco at Rasselas and Bruno’s, as well as in Santa Cruz, where I ultimately spent time on the board of the Jazz Society of Santa Cruz and conducted their weekly jam session.

Great origins story, Rachel. Is the story about how you started beading as dramatic? Why don’t you tell it?

After a failed semester away at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, studying musical theater, I returned home to live with my parents in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I took up classes at the local junior college as a mostly undecided English, psychology, and theater major with a short attention span. To help with expenses I got a job in downtown Santa Cruz at the local bead shop, Bead It.

Other than some fabric and sewing knowledge, I had relatively little experience with beadwork save for the one time my high school friend Lyle Troxell demonstrated adding beads in peyote stitch around a crystal for use as a pendant. I generally attribute landing the bead shop job to having the same maiden name as the bead shop owner, Sue Nelson.

Supervisor Michelle Jeffers taught me how to string on flexible beading wire, how to make earrings with headpins and eyepins, and how to work with silk and knots. Fellow employee Bad Chad—as we called him—taught me how to work with wire. Then, one day a customer came in wearing a necklace of seed beads, which took my breath away and made me too excited for words. The woman told me to calm down, and she promised to bring directions on how to do the stitch the next time she was at the shop. True to her word, she brought the directions.

I can still remember digging for them in my cubby in the back of the shop. Wouldn’t you know I took those directions home and tried them? And wouldn’t you know—the woman who wore the beaded necklace that got me excited, provided the directions, and had such a profound affect on my life was Marcia DeCoster.

I think of that story often and am reminded of how even the smallest of gestures may have the greatest of effects.

After living in Santa Cruz for close to three years, I moved with my parents to the Silicon Valley, where I attended DeAnza College—studying music—and worked at a bead shop—3 Beads & A Button. The bead shop owners—Toni Yamamoto and Beth McGuire—encouraged me to begin teaching basics classes like bead stringing and making earrings, which lead to teaching early original beadweaving projects—the first was Rachel’s Netted Necklace.

The Phraseology necklace from Rachel Nelson-Smith's Bead Riffs

Your new book is called Rachel Nelson-Smith’s Bead Riffs. Would you talk about the metaphor of jazz riffing and what it means for beading—and maybe more generally for people in life?

Every moment of life is an improvisation. Every stitch is an opportunity to travel in a new direction.

Often, the seemingly default view of life and situations is to think there is only one course to take, but there is infinite possibility in every action: from making the decision to attend college, making the decision to call or not call someone who attracts you, to eat or not eat the ice cream, to choose to stitch this way or that, or to play a flat note or a sharp note in time or syncopated.

Will you take a risk, or not?

How do you describe your beadwork? Do you have a formal artistic statement? And if you don’t, would you make one up informally?

The type of beadwork I do depends on who the intended viewer is. For teaching, books, and how-to magazines, the designs are meant to be duplicated. When I’m working on an art piece or collaboration, the audience is gallery- and museum-goers, because I see the work as art.

I’m forever editing my artistic statement. This is what it says today:

With immeasurable numbers of beads, threads, and needles having rolled through my fingers, I pass away thousands of hours on minutia as small as one-millimeter square. The desire to set myself apart combined with a ready attitude toward accomplishment is behind every aspect of who I am and what I do.

How has this path of beading affected your life?

At some point I was consumed by the act of making things from beads. Before that point I was lost and had no heading. Beadwork gave me a reference point as to who I was and what I was doing on earth—how my presence here has made it a better place.

I ran into my high school friend, Lyle Troxell, who showed me adding peyote stitch around a crystal when we were teenagers. He was with his children, and we were in downtown Santa Cruz’s Peet’s Coffee. Lyle introduced me to them saying, “This is Rachel. She’s a Beadist.” I had a good laugh about that.

When I was in high school I would hand write my accomplishments out and decorate the page with ink doodles, then make copies and mail them to friends and family like a holiday letter but at random times of the year. I craved attention, and it was given to me, particularly from singing in local talent shows and participating in high school and local theater.

As an adult, designing beadwork continues to satisfy the desire in my character for recognition.

You blog at http://rachelnelsonsmith.blogspot.com/. Why?

One summer my parents sent me to two summer camps. One was a Christian camp I attended along with my step-sister, and the other was Active Learning at Santa Clara University, where we had to do things like memorize Lady Macbeth’s famous speech and repeat it to the small but intimidating class of other students.

That summer I became a shower—not teller—of things, and a teller of stories. I found the joy of being before a crowd of people and showing what I had to offer. It was exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time, and pretty much since then you could say it does it for me. Shortly after that I took to sending my regular-mail full-page updates of my life to family and friends—whether they were interested or not.

The same is pretty much the case with the blogging. I’m basically an exhibitionist—but these days I’m keeping my clothes on.

The Nightingale earrings project from Rachel Nelson-Smith's Bead Riffs

It seems to me that you’re a storyteller. Your blog expresses that, of course, but also your beadwork and your jazz singing are all about sharing stories. Do you agree? In what other places and spaces do you express yourself creatively?

Both my parents were literary. My father read out loud to my brother and me the Bible and books like Treasure Island and The Jungle Book, and both parents wrote poetry. My mother has always been a voracious reader, and she is the most accurate person I can refer to for spelling, definitions, and punctuation—she’s simply incredible. Before the iPhone and the ability to carry a dictionary in my pocket—yes, I have paid subscriptions to Merriam-Webster’s unabridged online dictionary and thesaurus and The Chicago Manual of Style—I would always call mom to clarify word definitions. The incredible part about this talent of hers is that English was not her first language—it was her third or fourth or fifth.

When I was a child, my father authored and illustrated in ink and colored pencil three unpublished books, including Marvin Bear and the Eating Place, that may be seen on his website: Here’s a link. The illustrations are extraordinary, and whenever I look at them it reminds me of good things about being a child. Later, when my parents separated, 15 of dad’s illustrations were printed in Trevor Cralle’s The Surfin’ary: A Dictionary of Surfing Terms and Surfspeak, and he did a run of his one-frame cartoons in 1994 called Committed to Excellence.

When I attended Cabrillo College, one of my professors, Robert Fenwick, taught a very “Santa Cruz” elective class called Freeing the Natural Voice. An activity one day was to write on one side of halved index cards things we’d like to accomplish and to draw on the other side. Robert advised us that we would be surprised at which of the card notes would actually be accomplished were we to look through them in the future.

I wrote some vacuous goals and some with more gravity. Some of them read:
I want a whole wardrobe of clothing from J. Peterman.
I want to collect fancy umbrellas.
I want to visit the Taj Mahal.
I want a big, fatty, unconventional engagement ring.
I want to write 5 books.

As to the first three, I’ve yet to accomplish them and doubt I ever will. My soon-to-be husband found the cards and accomplished the fourth one for me. And, the last one is well underway in its progress of completion.

But how little I knew when I wrote that desire! I did not know what the topic of the books would be or how it would be accomplished. I do not suppose I would ever have written that line were it not for my parents and their literary influence all my life to that point—and right until now.

As for other places and spaces in which I express myself creatively, that includes everywhere I go. It doesn’t have to be artful or over-the-top—often I’m not funny or sensical or graceful.

But the point is to go for things beyond the normal—not just what the rest of the world seems to be striving for, but something different, something that expresses my ME-ness.

Taken literally, it is helpful to know I mainly work out of my two personal studios in a complex of artist studios nestled between car repair shops, a road paver, and an auto junkyard. The larger studio is where my work is displayed, and it’s where I make kits, store supplies, and do photography and graphic design. It’s adjacent to a classroom where I teach once a month. The small studio is just 56 square feet and dedicated to quiet beading and designing.

What do you try to help students achieve when you teach, whether in person or in a book?

When you make my designs from my directions, I want every question to be answered. I like to be thorough so not a single question is left unanswered.

Who are the beaders you’ve found especially inspiring to you in your life and work? What about other kinds of artists?

Joyce J. Scott’s work is particularly important to me because of the apparent view she takes of her own work. It is serious work, with statements made with intent. Joyce’s secret message to me would be one that underlines the possibility of making social statements. She’d say, “It needn’t be worn by anyone, and you have the power to make a statement.”

I’ve been inspired by the sheer coverage Liza Lou has achieved with her creations. If she had a message for me alone, it would be, “You can do anything with beads.”

Suzanne Golden was a significant figure in the development of my taste for color. Before I met Suzanne I was good with color, matching tones, creating pieces with a good feel, but post-Suzanne I can go from earthtones to beyond dayglow in a blink of the eye and from costly gemstones to plastic and resin without a second thought. If she had a message only for me, it would be something like, “You don’t have to care what anyone thinks, you are fabulous!”

Mark Henson’s paintings have also influenced me. His work hung at the White Raven where I would sing with the a capella renaissance trio. His work is full of bright color, or really subdued for some of his darker works, which are narratives on American society. His more sensual works of male and female forms definitely come into play with my own work, particularly in the case of the collaborations with glass beadmaker Ronit Dagan.

Tell us about the new book Rachel Nelson-Smith’s Bead Riffs: Jewelry Projects in Peyote & Right Angle Weave, including what it tries to do for readers and what it expresses in terms of where you are in your own creative journey and what you hope to share.

It is a great book I’m really proud of. Lark made it a beautiful book and really kept me on track in terms of making a cohesive group of projects.

It is an example of how two different beading stitches come together for all these neat and intriguing combinations. The way I look at it, there are about seven main stitches that can all come in flat, tubular, even, odd, and flat-round variations. You can take any two of these stitches and make a host of neat and intriguing combinations, then add in the variations of flat, tubular, etcetera, There is an infinite number of possibilities.

In the book, these are just 23 of the infinite variations of peyote and right angle weave. If you’re a beader and that doesn’t get your mind a-ticking away, I don’t know what would!

Honestly, the 23 projects in this book are just the tip of the possible iceberg when creating with peyote stitch and right angle weave. If I spent the rest of my long life obsessing on the combination of these two stitches, I’d still not hit on every last possibility even if I were to live until 100. I’m 38 now, so that is a lot of years!

The Cocktails for Two bracelet from Rachel Nelson-Smith's Bead Riffs

Of the 23 projects in the book, do you have a favorite or favorites, and what makes them special to you?

I loved making the necklace Phraseology, because the pattern is just so fun. The Nightingale earrings are a real joy to wear—I just love all the crystal and the square shape. I really like to wear Cocktails for Two, as well. It is a pretty bracelet, and it reminds me of the recording where Louis Armstrong and Betty Carter sing a duet—it’s just so suggestive and beautiful.

Rapid fire, Rachel:
Favorite fiction book?
Baroness Emmuska Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel

Favorite beading book?
Carol Wilcox Wells’ Creative Bead Weaving

Favorite bead color?
Olive, olivine, chartreuse, green, bright green

Favorite beading stitch?
I cannot choose just one: tubular peyote, quadruple helix, brick stitch, right angle weave, herringbone.

Hardest beading stitch to master?
Trick question: I think they are each as easy as the other.

Favorite cookie?
Sugar cookies, all decorated with frostings and sprinkles and candies

Favorite city?
Santa Cruz, California, for the sheer beauty of it and the best morning walk of all time along West Cliff Drive and Cowell’s Beach and Steamer’s Lane and Lighthouse Field and Natural Bridges State Beach. Everyone is invited to join me at least once.

I’m there. Favorite beach?
Main Beach in Santa Cruz. Even though it is full of tourists in the summer, it is a glorious morning walk, and I’ve found more sand dollars there than anywhere else—besides offering the ideal summer experience replete with sounds of the adjacent rollercoaster rides.

Favorite fruit?
Fuji apples. I especially like passionfruit juice.

Favorite female jazz singer?
Sarah Vaughan for her amazing rich voice, Nina Simone and Billie Holiday for their boldness in choosing material, Ella Fitzgerald for her irreproachable willingness to mess every last thing up

Favorite male jazz singer?
Mark Murphy and Kurt Elling—they both scat and play edgy material

Favorite jazz musician?
Billy Higgins. He was a masterful drummer, and I learned a lot from him.

Top five desert-island music albums?
Anything by Balkan Beat Box
Herbie Hancock’s Cantaloupe Island
Bill Evans’ Waltz for Debby
Tom Waits’ The Heart of Saturday Night
Virginia Rodrigues’ Nos

Top five desert-island movies?
Nacho Libre
Like Water for Chocolate
Blades of Glory
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
A Christmas Story

Do you have a favorite quote?

“Life is too short to be subtle.” It was the punchline of a speech I gave as a kid at an academic decathlon mainly based on my approach to meeting boys. I placed second in the speech division. I was very good at meeting boys around that time.

What have been your most important professional milestones in beading and, if you like, in other areas?

A request from the Smithsonian for my curriculum vitae. Having a second book published.

Describe your sense of humor.

I’m unfortunately not naturally funny—typically it takes a couple of cocktails and a blood relation, which limits the audience.

What would you like to be doing 10 or 20 years from now, Rachel?

I’d like to maintain a balanced, mindful, and conscious lifestyle. I’ll probably still be in Santa Cruz, and I will definitely still be doing beadwork. I would like to get a few more books under my belt—how-to beading, maybe a few others in the fiction realm, and maybe a photo-book collaboration with my friend Catherine on unnatural packaged and processed foods.

And what’s something you’ve never done that you’d love to try?

I’m very interested in working with costumers for live theater, and writing copy for The J. Peterman Company would be a high point. Someday I’d like to learn to surf—after all, I live in the real Surf City, USA.

Beader and jazz singer Rachel Nelson-Smith

Click here to see an earlier post featuring the first eight lists, from Diane Fitzgerald, Jean Campbell, Sabine Lippert, Margie Deeb, Kathy King, Carol Dean Sharpe, Jennifer VanBenschoten, and Jill Wiseman.

Our newest list is from Amy Katz, joining the wishlists of Margo C. Field, Diane Hyde, Melissa Grakowsky, Jean Power, and Paulette Baron. We’ll keep updating this post with new lists in the days to come.

Please enjoy, share the link widely, and leave a comment on this post with the beading and jewelry books you recommend yourself. Join the Lark Jewelry & Beading community on Facebook, too!

Amy Katz

List No. 14: Amy Katz

Amy’s website is beadjourney.com. She writes:

I decided to look at this list as if I was stranded on a desert island (with all my beads of course), and upon my arrival my books were sinking. Which ones would I save not knowing if I’d ever see another living soul? I know I’d never run out of beads (I have bought more than my lifetime’s worth). I think all true bead addicts can relate to that. So if it was going to be me and my beads isolated for an undisclosed period of time or perhaps forever, here are the books that I couldn’t live without. Happy holidays to all!

1.  Creating Glamorous Jewelry with Swarovski Elements by Jean Campbell

I love this book. Jean has taken the jewels of the famous and translated them to beadwork. What a wonderfully creative concept that to me is so inspiring.

2.  500 Beaded Objects

This is truly a sea of beautiful projects from some of the finest artists of our time. Looking at the photos gives me so much inspiration to create and move forward with my art.

3.  The Art of Bead Embroidery by Heidi Kummli and Sherry Serafini and Sherry Serafini’s Sensational Bead Embroidery

It’s a tie! I’d save both of these beautiful books. I love the way Heidi and Sherry compared their views of the art in the former book, but it’s also nice to have one of Sherry’s solo compositions. These two are true companion books if you want an in-depth view of bead embroidery.

4.  Beaded Colorways by Beverly Gilbert

This book really opened my eyes to the beauty of color. The way it is written actually demonstrates the use of color that in my mind is a very difficult concept to get across. It is uniquely and beautifully done.

5.  Rachel Nelson-Smith’s Bead Riffs

I really enjoyed the way Rachel mixed her love of jazz with her love of beads. There is really passion in this book from both of her creative sides, which makes it very special for me.

6.  Beading Across America by Paulette Baron, Amy Katz,
and Sherry Serafini

I have to tout my own book, not for the “me” factor at all but for the “we” factor. This book features projects from some of the greatest artists of our time. It is a sampler of projects designed to inspire people to look at their work in a new light. It also features a huge variety of stitches that makes for a great learning opportunity. I can’t even begin to describe how much I’ve learned about the art of beadwork just from being a part of this publication.

Margo C. Field

List No. 13: Margo C. Field

Margo C. Field started teaching beadwork in 1993 and opened Poppy Field Bead Company in 1995. Her website is www.margofield.com. She writes:

I have a short list on three books that are special to me. As I am a bead artist, I am not looking for books about patterns; I am looking for books that are an inspiration to me because they show me what other bead artists are creating and the infinite possibilities of using beads as building blocks of beauty.



Masters: Beadweaving

Everyone should own this book to view the incredible diversity in today’s beadweaving community. Fantastic pictures with personal reflections from each of the 36 artists.



500 Beaded Objects
500 original expressions inspired by the simple bead. Not simple at all—but simply exquisite.



The Beader’s Guide to Color by Margie Deeb

Since color is what first attracted me to beads, I find this book totally fascinating. And it does include some practical projects.

Diane Hyde

List No. 12: Diane Hyde

Diane Hyde has been making jewelry since the 1970s, beading since 1994, and teaching classes since 2002. Her personal creative journey at the moment is to explore beadwork that reflects a found object aesthetic (beadpunk style) and Victorian-look themes. Her website is http://www.designersfindings.net.

Beading with Cabochons by Jamie Cloud Eakin

The best book on this subject! Period! I always recommend it to beginning beaders.

Netted Beadwork by Diane Fitzgerald

A go-to book every time I want to create netting. I forget how to do it from time to time, so this book is a big help.

Mixed Media Collage Jewelry by Janette Schuster

This book speaks to me. So many great ideas for found object projects.

Currently I am revisiting my love for art doll making. I incorporate beadwork with found objects. The following three books inspire those designs.

500 Handmade Dolls

Total inspiration! The best collection of creative doll making ever. I look through this book over and over.

Altered Art and also The Altered Object, both books by
Terry Taylor

Good techniques, suggestions, and inspiration.

Bead Embroidery: The Complete Guide by Jane Davis

A compendium of stitches for adding beads to common embroidery stitches and making fringes, and it also includes a section on projects, PLUS an artist’s gallery and supply sources. It’s a must-have bible for any bead embroidery artist.

Melissa Grakowsky

List No. 11: Melissa Grakowsky

Melissa Grakowsky is a beadwork artist based in New England. She has a background in physics and art and is most interested in the three-dimensional possibilities of working with seed beads. Melissa teaches beading workshops internationally and sells pattern and kits through her Etsy store and through Beads East. Her website is www.melissagrakowsky.com/beadwork.

500 Beaded Objects

It’s just fun to look at objects that are far from every day, and to get a glimpse of the incredible number of ideas out there.

Sensational Bead Embroidery by Sherry Serafini

Sherry’s design and color sense are a constant inspiration to me.

Embellished Beadweaving by Laura McCabe

Laura’s designs are simply out-of-this-world! This book is sure to become a classic with its solid, original jewelry designs.

Jean Power

List No. 10: Jean Power

Jean Power is a jewelry designer, writer, and teacher based in London. In addition to many projects and articles published worldwide, she have written three books and was the editor of a beading magazine for three years. Her website is www.jeanpower.com.

1. Creative Bead Weaving by Carol Wilcox Wells
This is a wonderful book, which every beader should own—no excuses! As well as great instructions on many different stitches, this book also contains many projects and inspiring pictures. This will be one book you’ll turn to again and again.

2. The Art and Elegance of Beadweaving by Carol Wilcox Wells
This is the author’s second book on beading, and again it is a must-own for all beaders. With instructions on more techniques and another range of projects and gallery items, this book is another great resource.

3. Mastering Beadwork by Carol Huber Cypher
A great book for beginners, which also caters to more experienced beaders. Full of color with some lovely projects and ideas for more exploration. If you are more advanced and looking to be stretched or for something new, check out this book.

4. Seed Bead Stitching by Beth Stone
A great book which takes you right from basic stitching instructions through to more advanced ideas of how to play around with them. Lots of bright, colorful work.

5. More Seed Bead Stitching by Beth Stone
The second book by Beth Stone and just as much of an essential as her first!

6. 500 Beaded Objects
If you like looking at beadwork, then you’ll love this book. Full of photos of some of the most amazing beadwork from around the world, there’s bound to be something here you’ll like. Great for inspiration and color ideas, as well as just being a fantastic piece of eye candy.

7. 1000 Glass Beads
A must for anyone interested in beads and color. This book is full of page after page of the most beautiful glass beads. As well as being great to look at, the colors and designs will give you no end of inspiration.

8. 400 Polymer Clay Designs
If you like jewelry and design, this range of books is for you. They’re perfect for inspiration and eye candy. Even if you don’t do polymer clay, this book has lots of nice images and some beadwork that may interest you.

9. The Art of Beadwork by Valerie Hector
This book will appeal to a wide range of beaders: anyone interested in learning more about the history of beads and beadwork, those how like to see contemporary twists on ancient techniques, anyone who’s interested in the whole design process, and anyone who just likes beads and beading. With projects and pages of inspiration this is a must-have for anyone moving beyond learning basic stitches.

10. Beading with Cabochons by Jamie Cloud Eakin
A great book for anyone interested in beading around cabochons. Featuring different stitches and techniques, with projects and a gallery to inspire any beader.

List No. 9: Paulette Baron

Paulette Baron’s three-dimensional sculptural pieces utilize different sizes and shapes of beads and are made using a wide assortment of off-loom beadweaving stitches. She is the illustrator and co-author of Beading Across America from Kalmbach Publishing, and her website is http://paulettebaron.com.

Here are my favorite books:

1. The New Beadwork by Kathlyn Moss and Alice Sherer: I believe this was the first book to come out with photos of what artists were actually doing with beadweaving stitches. It elevated our medium from craft to art by demonstrating the non-jewelry aspect of beadwork.

2. Bead Art by Alice Korach and Kathlyn Moss, The Best in Contemporary Beadwork from The Dairy Barn Arts Center, and 500 Beaded Objects by Carol Wilcox Wells: These books have a sculptural aspect to them that also reflects my work. Whenever I am in a creative rut, these are the go-to books to inspire me.

3. The Art of Beadwork by Valerie Hector, 2005: As an art student I was required to study art history. In later life I found the value of it. This book gives us the history of beadweaving, which I think every artist who works in the medium can benefit from.

5. Creative Bead Weaving by Carol Wilcox Wells:  This was one of the first books with step-by-step instructions using most of the off-loom beadweaving stitches and projects that combined the stitches.

6. Beading Across America by Paulette Baron, Amy Katz, and Sherry Serafini: Of course I am a little biased about this book. It bridges the gap between the books above, showing inspiring jewelry projects created by 30 bead artists from around the country, with step-by-step instructions.

Our newest list is from Alison Lee of CraftCast, joining the lists of Thomas Mann, Barbara Becker Simon, Stacie Hooder, Pauline Warg, and Ingeborg Vandamme. Also, you’re welcome to see our lists of best books for beaders.

Please enjoy, share the link widely, and leave a comment on this post with the jewelry books you’d recommend to jewelers and crafters. Join the Lark Jewelry & Beading community on Facebook, too.

Alison Lee

List No. 6: Alison Lee

Alison Lee is the founder and host of CRAFTCAST, a website and community for live online crafting classes and video downloads from the top teachers in a range of crafts, including jewelry and beading.

Metal Clay Beads by Barbara
Becker Simon

This is one of my absolute favorite books! Endless inspiration and techniques inside. I go back to this book often.

21st Century Jewelry by Marthe Le Van

This book is pure inspiration! I love having this kind of eye candy available when I need it.

30-Minute Earrings by Marthe Le Van

Another great book edited by Marthe Le Van. Lots of great ideas that you can copy or use as a jumping off point to get yourself creatively moving.

Chains Chains Chains by Joanna Gollberg and Nathalie Mornu

I love making chains, so I really appreciated Joanna and Nathalie’s book, which takes a fresh look at some classic patterns. Lots of current new looks to get inspired by.

Barbara Becker Simon

List No. 5: Barbara Becker Simon

Barbara Becker Simon is an artist, teacher, and author who makes jewelry with metal, metal clay, and glass. She is the author of Metal Clay Beads. Her website is www.bbsimon.com and you can also visit her Facebook page.

Design! A Lively Guide to Design Basics for Artists & Craftspeople by Steven Aimone

This is a straightforward, well-illustrated, modern approach to studying basic design.



Exploring Visual Design: The Elements and Principles, edited by Joseph A. Gatto, Albert W. Porter, and Jack Selleck

This is a thorough, well-illustrated textbook on visual design that has great exercises to enhance your learning.

Sources of Inspiration by Carolyn Genders

I love this absolutely beautiful book by a ceramic artist showing her inspiration behind individual pieces. It’s a look into the thought process of an artist.

Making Glass Beads by Cindy Jenkins

This is a nostalgic choice for me, as I used this book to learn the basic techniques of lampworked beads. Cindy is a pioneer in the lampwork bead world. Thanks, Cindy!

The Art of Enameling by Linda Darty

By far the best and most comprehensive book about enameling with the most gorgeous examples of this art form. Linda is a consummate artist and teacher.

The Workbench Guide to Jewelry Techniques by Anastasia Young

This book is a massive undertaking covering every aspect for the modern metalsmith-jeweler. Great step-by-step directions and photos and wonderful examples of jewelry throughout the book. I don’t do much traditional metalsmithing anymore, but I bought this book anyway. I knew I had to have it.

Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight

The “bible.” I refer to it often. Simply one of the best references for the metalsmith, ever.

Jewels of the Pharaohs by Cyril Aldred

This book may be out of print (I did buy this secondhand), but it is my favorite out of all my Egyptian jewelry books. Great photos and text about the work of one of my favorite periods of jewelry-making ever!

Calder Jewelry, edited by Alexander S.C. Rower and Holton Rower

This book makes my knees weak. I have been a fan of Alexander Calder’s jewelry since the 1960s. If you were unlucky enough to miss the amazing exhibit, this fantastic catalog is the next best thing. The number and intensity of inspirations that I derive from this book are impossible to enumerate. (You should see all the “stickies” I put on my favorite pages!) I’m in heaven.

Stacie Hooder

List No. 4: Stacie Hooder

Stacie Hooder lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her love of jewelry making began long ago when creating gifts for her mom. She hoards beads of all varieties and is developing a real love affair with precious metal clay. She is the editor of the jewelry making page for Craft Gossip: http://jewelrymaking.craftgossip.com.

Here’s a list of five of my favorites:

5. Any of the 500 series books that include jewelry

These books are filled with inspiration and create the desire to master new techniques. Seeing what other jewelry artists are trying, creating, and learning pushes my inner artist.

4. Vintage Jewelry Design by Caroline Cox

This visual history presented by Caroline Cox is both captivating and insightful.

3. Metal Clay Origami Jewelry by Sara Jayne Cole

I love metal clay and I also love paper crafts, so the jewelry in Sara Jayne Cole’s book really fascinates me.

2. Steel Wire Jewelry by Brenda Schweder

Steel is a great material in lean times. It has a very contemporary look, and I really love the mixed-media pieces included in Brenda Schweder’s book.

1. Color, Texture & Casting for Jewelers by Carles Codina

Carles Codina’s book is rich with fascinating techniques for jewelers to explore.

Thomas Mann

List No. 3: Thomas Mann

Originally from Pennsylvania and from New Orleans since 1977, Thomas Mann has in recent years moved away from his signature Techno-Romantic design vocabulary toward jewelry concepts that are, in many cases, models for large-scale sculpture. He continues to show his work at nationally juried craft and art events and in gallery and museum exhibitions, and he oversees a jewelry studio, sculpture studio, and a retail gallery space, Gallery I/O. He now teaches a series of hands-on jewelry-making workshops as well as his 20-year-old workshop Design for Survival – Entrepreneurial Thinking and Tactics, for artists in all mediums. Visit his website at www.thomasmann.com.

1. Messengers of Modernism: American Studio Jewelry 1940-1960

2. Jewelry Design Challenge by Linda Kopp

3. The Syntax of Objects by Tim McCreight

4. Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far by Stefan Sagmeister

5. Workshop Drawings: Ramon Puig Cuyås

6. Isamu Naguchi: A Sculptor’s World

7. Design Language by Tim McCreight

8. The Complete Book of Jewelry Making by Carles Codina

9. The Metal Artist’s Workbench: Demystifying the Jeweler’s Saw by Thomas Mann

Messengers of Modernism: American Studio Jewelry 1940-1960

The Syntax of Objects by Tim McCreight

Jewelry Design Challenge by Linda Kopp

Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far by Stefan Sagmeister

Isamu Naguchi: A Sculptor’s World

Design Language by Tim McCreight

The Complete Book of Jewelry Making by Carles Codina

The Metal Artist's Workbench: Demystifying the Jeweler’s Saw by Thomas Mann

Pauline Warg

List No. 2: Pauline Warg

Pauline Warg is a teacher of jewelry making, metalsmithing, enameling, and silversmithing. She is the author of Making Metal Beads and a contributor to Jewelry Design Challenge. She owns and operates WARG Enamel and Tools Center; visit her website at www.wargetc.com.

1. The Art of Enameling by Linda Darty: The most comprehensive and current book on enameling on metal. Linda is a master. I both use this book and recommend it all the time.

2. The Jewelry of Nepal by Hannelore Gabriel: I never tire of this book. It is visually rich and full of historical and geological information. I have had it on my coffee-table for years!

3. Chasing and Repoussé by Nancy Megan Corwin: At last, a thorough, accurate, and gorgeous book on some of my favorite techniques. A true pleasure to take in.

4. Jeweler’s Resource by Bruce G. Knuth: This book has all the charts, measurements, conversions, facts, and technical data on a myriad of jewelry making and related materials. I use it constantly for my classes and as a personal reference guide.

5. Contemporary Jewelry by Philip Morton: Philip was my teacher and mentor, so I “grew up” with this book. Over the years, the broad range of valued information has never grown old or out of date. I have read my two copies to shreds!

Ingeborg Vandamme

List No. 1: Ingeborg Vandamme

Ingeborg Vandamme is a jeweler in the Netherlands whose work and designs have been included in a range of Lark books — at least 19 of them, including Chains Chains Chains, 30-Minute Rings, 500 Judaica, and 21st Century Jewelry — and shown in museums and galleries around the world. Learn more about her work at http://www.ingeborgvandamme.nl/.

1. Ethnic Jewellery from Africa, Asia and Pacific Islands by Rene van der Star: In this book you find masterpieces from Africa, the Arab world, India, Central and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands, all collected by Rene van der Star. Each of these areas has its own styles of design and its own specific uses and symbolism attached to the jewelry. Besides the uses of gold, silver, and gemstones, I like the uses of materials such as leather, coral, beads, bone teeth, and shells. Besides the pictures of the jewelry, there are beautiful old pictures of portraits of native people wearing the jewelry. I’m inspired a lot by the designs and materials, as well as the stories behind the jewelry.

2. The Jewelry of Nepal by Hannelore Gabriel: Nepalese jewelry, and Asian jewelry in general, is heavily symbolic. Every aspect of a jewelry piece signifies something. The form, the shape of the parts, the materials, the abstract and non-representational patterns, and the representational imagery all convey specific meanings drawn from a vast pool of historical concepts, cultural beliefs, and current notions. Besides the nice pictures, I like the interesting text. This book reminds me of a wonderful trip I took to Nepal and inspires me when making jewelry.

3. 500 Series jewelry books from Lark Jewelry & Beading: I like all the 500 Series jewelry books from Lark a lot. They are full of beautiful pictures of contemporary jewelry in a large range of different styles and concepts. I like to browse from time to time in these wonderful books, which are filled with unexpected and wide-ranging designs. Every time you browse through these books, you see new things and get new inspiration.

4. Lark Studio Series: Books about earrings and pendants have been published so far. Beautiful little books to carry around and inspire you everywhere.

5. The Compendium Finale of Contemporary Jewellers by Andy Lim: Two very voluminous books about the work of 1,000 contemporary jewelry designers around the world. Every jeweler designed a two-page presentation about their work. Published by Darling Publications, hand bound, weighs 13.5 kg, with 2,400 pages. The compendium shows on a never-done-before scale and manner what is happening in the worldwide contemporary jewelry scene.

6. Chains Chains Chains by Joanna Gollberg and Nathalie Mornu: Easy step-by-step instructions to create 25 beautiful, non-traditional metal chains. You learn various techniques to apply and practice in each project. Besides the fabulous designs of the chains from different designers, I love the layout and design of the book itself, and especially the soft and tactile cover.

7. 30-Minute Series by Marthe Le Van: 30-Minute earrings, necklaces, rings, and bracelets. I love this little series of Lark books filled with projects of beautiful designs by different designers.

8. The Art of Jewelry: Paper Jewelry by Marthe Le Van: In this book you find 35 creative projects for making jewelry with paper. I also like another Art of Jewelry Series book: Wood Jewelry.  I especially like these books because they are based on the material, and so you find a lot of instructions about how to use paper and wood for jewelry.

9. The Complete Jewelry Making Course by Jinks McGrath: Clear steps and good pictures and instructions for most jewelry-making techniques. From time to time I consult this book searching for techniques for using in my work or explaining to my students.

10. Art Jewelry Today 3 by Jeffery B. Snyder: This book shows what’s happening in art jewelry now, like the title says. Besides the pictures of recent work by the different designers I especially like the information about the jewelry makers and their inspirations.