The Jewelry Maker's Design Book: Creative Alchemy for Unique Handmade Jewelry - Perfect for DIY Crafting, Gift Making & Artistic Inspiration

I've been a Deryn Mentock fan for a while and have taken several of her workshops in person and in fact will be taking another one in the coming week. As a teacher in person, Deryn is always organized and has everything timed out perfectly. She's very professional. The Jewelry Maker's Design Book: An Alchemy of Objects, her first book and I hope not her last, is also well-organized and professional while still being personal and personable. She covers all of the basic information and how-to's without getting bogged down in the basics.It is refreshing to have a book that is not just for beginners, though a beginner would certainly find it understandable, useful, and informative. The many Design Tips and Journal Notes were the highlight of the book for me. They pull it out of the realm of 'recipe' books and give you insight into the thought that goes into the design. (And speaking of Journals, if you ever have a chance to see Deryn's journal in person - we see glimpses of it in the photos here - be sure to look! It is a thing of beauty and just what every mixed-media artist's journal should look like, in my opinion!)I gave this book five stars because it gives you a taste of what taking a class from Deryn in person is like, it is full of ideas and of course, contains lots of eye candy as well as solid techniques and designs. Also, the book is not just the designs from her hands on classes. This is new work, made for the book. Yayyyyy! A book by Deryn for when I need a design nudge and some inspiration!