Chain Style: 50 Contemporary Jewelry Designs

Chain is fast, fun, and affordable.

Popular beading magazines are featuring projects incorporating chain, and the designs range from classic to vintage to steampunk. Chain Style expands on this hot trend by offering 50 creative ideas for how to use chain as the key design feature.

Key Features:

• Learn how to stretch your beading materials by incorporating chain in your design.
• The tools and materials are easy to obtain, and the techniques used are suitable for beginners.
• Techniques include opening and closing jump rings, cutting chain, oxidizing and hammering the chain to create texture and variety plus creating wire-wrapped loops and jump rings.
• 50 designs by top jewelry artists including Jane Dickerson, Kerry Bogert, Denise Peck, Yvonne Irvin, Leslie Rogalski, Lorelei Eurto, Melanie Brooks, and more.

Jane Dickerson, editor of Step by Step and Creative Jewelrymagazines, offers a step-by-step guide to making easy, stylish, and contemporary bracelets and necklaces incorporating chain as a key element of the design. With 50 fabulous projects, there is a wide variety of design styles to choose from, plus lots or inspiring ideas for using chain creatively.

Designing with chain is fast, fun, and affordable. A few special beads connected together with chain will make a fabulous necklace in minutes!

Jane Dickerson is the managing editor of Step by Step Beads, editor of Creative Jewelry 2008, managing editor of Jewelry Gifts for the Holidays, and a contributing editor to Step by Step Wire Jewlery.

'The projects included are stunning.... from simple easy-to-put-together designs that newcomers can feel comfortable getting their feet wet, to more complex projects that experienced jewelry makers can tackle.'--Booklist

'When Jane Dickerson first mentioned her book to me, I thought it was another book on chain making.  When I flipped through the book at Interweave Bead Fest, I realized my first impression was way off base.  Don’t make the same mistake I almost did, or you’ll miss out on some great ideas for making stylish jewelry with panache. 

All the projects in Chainstyle 50 Contemporary Jewelry Designs are designed using readymade chain. The beauty of this is that it allows beginners to create professional looking necklaces and bracelets after learning a few basic metal and wire-working skills that Dickerson capably explains in the beginning of the book.   Then it’s only a matter of selecting the chain and combining it with beads, findings and other components.  In fact, Chainstyle  has so many ideas for smart and sophisticated  necklaces and bracelets that more advanced jewelry makers will like it too.

The projects in Chainstyle also present a wonderful opportunity to repurpose odd bits of broken chains and charms that hide in the back of everyone’s jewelry box.   Combining old and new materials and using found objects is a great way to personalize jewelry. Dickerson’s easy to understand instructions and for texturing and oxidizing findings and components makes it easy to fashion distinctive, one-of-a-kind creations.    

I recommend Chainstyle for beginners because the projects are quick and easy to make.   Chainstyle will also appeal to any jewelry maker interested in creating fashionable contemporary jewelry or who is looking for ideas on combining different types of materials into one of a kind designs.' --Martha Aleo, Philadelphia Polymer Clay Guild