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Book review and giveaway: Color, Texture, & Casting for Jewelers



Have you been thinking about ways that you can set your jewelry apart from the crowd?  One way is to cast your own metal pieces or work with other hot metal applications.  Carles Codina has written an introduction to the various techniques that may interest you if you've been thinking along these lines.  Color, Texture & Casting for Jewelers is a practical demonstration style book that walks you through metal combinations, texture and patinas, modeling and many forms of casting.

I was especially interested in the section on patinas.  We're all familiar with liver of sulfur when working with silver, but there are lots of other chemical and heat treatments that will yield additional colors.  Casting is another topic that I find fascinating.  When I was in college, I did some lost-wax casting, but I never felt it was really for me.  Carles covers other forms of casting, including sand and cuttlebone.  Who'd have thought?

The metal combination section was much more interesting than I expected.  It covers keum boo, plating, mokume gane, and granulation.  Although I love the look of all these techniques, they do not really interest me to try.  Nevertheless, I do love learning about the techniques and understanding how they work so that I can better appreciate the work of other artists!

If you've been thinking that you'd like to move your career along and explore some more advanced techniques, this might be just the book you've been looking for.  I wouldn't recommend it for a complete beginner: the practical application projects are more advanced than most beginners would feel comfortable with.  But if you've already got some experience working hot, this might be just the book to help you find your next direction!

***Free Stuff Alert!!!***

And now you have a chance to win this book!  Just leave me a comment below and you'll automatically be entered to win.  If you tweet or post on Facebook or other social spots about the contest, you can leave a second comment and be entered twice!

Please make sure that your link will lead me to an email address, or else I won't be able to contact you.  No contact, no win, and I simply have to go on to the next person.  Deadline: December 24, 2011. 



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Comments

Looks interesting. I added it to my list of books to check out.
KayzKreationz said…
Sounds like an interesting book. Looks like there's something for everyone in it. Would love to win it.
Annabel said…
I would check for patina tips in that book!
Gretchen said…
Looks like a great book - thanks for the chance!
gelfling50 said…
Hello again cyndi ...Jacqueline Marchant (aka Jackie) here with Fiddledeedee Jewelry

http://jaacquelinesjewels.blogspot.com/
I love your blog and hope you have time to check my little corner of the www out ...

Thanks for giving us all the opportunity to win reading material...ty bye for now then
Would love to see what new techniques I might be able to incorporate into my designs!
Interesting book...would love to have it.
Cyndi L said…
Entering for my friend Chris Murphy!
CKMURPHY @ scana dot com
jensun said…
Super exciting giveaway!!! Thanks. :)
Science Wizard said…
Such beautiful work.
Regina said…
My goal is to take my jewelry making in new directions in the New Year, and this book will make it a more exciting journey. I wish I win! Merry Christmas.