Choosing the perfect beads for your next project just got easier! The Bead Directory features stunning color photographs and information on more than 600 beads. Here is an exceptional resource for anyone who uses beads-from jewelry designers to crafters-and this attractive and functional guide allows even novices to choose the appropriate beads, while inspiring more experienced beaders.
The Bead DirectBella Online Guide to Jewelry Makingory's structure includes a layout showing each bead photographically (a close up picture and a smaller scatter of beads to show them from several angles) as well as in diagram form, from two directions, giving exact dimensions and an indication of the position and direction of the hole.
Much more than just photos, however, The Bead Directory describes material, color range, usage, special care, size of hole, weight, suitable stringing materials, relative cost and suggested beads from elsewhere in the book with which to mix and match.
Each chapter features a single bead material such as glass, ceramic, semiprecious stone, wood, resin, and more. Opposite page 251, you'll find a handy fold-out flap, which you can have open while you refer to the "directory" pages. The flap provides an instant explanation for the symbols used throughout the book. You'll also find an extensive supplier's list with the inside scoop on where to buy these beads in stores and online. In other words: Here is the definitive guide to beads you've been looking for!
Reviews: "Think of it as a "field guide" for beads. It will help you make better purchasing decisions..."-Bella Online Guide to Jewelry Making
"Gorgeous, clever book"-Get Creative
"A remarkable compilation... a wonderful resource. This is definitely a must have!"-Needlepoint Now
"Beading fans will like the extensive reference section of bead-making artists and stores both Web-based and brick and mortar."-Washington Post Express
Elise Mann, also known as “the Crafty Owl,” has a degree in physics and worked as a computer systems designer while crafting, designing, and writing projects for magazines and books evenings and weekends for more than 25 years. Seriously asthmatic as a child, she was taught to knit (to give her something to do that did not require getting out of bed) at the age of five, taught herself to crochet from a book the following year and has never stopped learning new crafts and working in older ones since. Now happily practicing her crafts fulltime, she specializes in beadwork and beadmaking and is newsletter editor for the Bead Society of Great Britain. For eight years (1995–2003) she was a regular monthly contributor for Practical Crafts magazine, which ran her column “Ask the Crafty Owl.” Elise lives in Edgware, Middlesex, England.