This is the most beautiful book on pearls! I thought that I didn't really care for pearls until I read this book. The designs are fabulous.The technical section is adequate, and the index of projects, excellent. I can't wait to get started!
This is a far, far better book than Making Designer Freshwater Pearl Jewelry, which has a good technical section, but boring, boring designs! That one I am returning immediately.

This is the most beautiful book on pearls! I thought that I didn't really care for pearls until I read this book. The designs are fabulous.The technical section is adequate, and the index of projects, excellent. I can't wait to get started!
This is a far, far better book than Making Designer Freshwater Pearl Jewelry, which has a good technical section, but boring, boring designs! That one I am returning immediately.

This is a great book. Photos are wonderful. I would not, however, recommend this for someone just beginning. A little knowledge under your belt is better, I think.

This is a great companion to the book by Marlene Blessing et al as it shows what else you can do with the wide variety of freshwater pearls available today! There is a good range of simple projects as well as more challenging ones. The tools are well illustrated. Altogether this is a good introduction to the craft as well as a useful source book for the more advanced.

I have been making jewelry for a long time now, and I have more than a few books on the art of making quality pieces~

Frankly, I am a bit biased,,,,I LOVE the pearl,,,,I love it more than any other precious or semi precious stone( or bead) I have worked with,,,, and I always will.
I wore pearls as young as eight years of age.
I wore my mothers pearls on my wedding day ~ and for any other important occasion thereafter.

I wore pearls when my son's got married,,,, and I also designed sets for their brides to wear on their wedding day!

Pearls mean special,,,,pearls mean elegant,,,,and pearls make a statement no matter what form they take,,,and they DO take on lots of different forms these days!
I did a set of brown pearls with turquoise awhile back ,,,,and received numerous compliments on that simple ,,yet very different piece~

I wear that piece all the time and five years later I STILL get compliments as if it were a new design!
This tells me that this type of work is not subject to the whims of fashion, but rather,,its work that can be worn 10 years from now and still look pretty and fresh.

Currently, I am working with jade,pearls, and mixing some gold with it
the result is breathtaking,,, you can do anything with pearls!

This book is the best book I have seen that does the humble,(but truly beautiful!!) pearl the justice it deserves.

If I had to keep ONE book in all my design books,,,,this would be the one I wouldn't want to part with.

The ideas just flow as I go from page to page!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know, understand,,, or use,,( or care for),, any form of pearl in their work~ be it a more classic piece,,or a fun and trendier piece~

The layout and instructions in the book exceeded my expectations. The people that did the photography and graphic design for this book are as talented as the designers of the jewelry.
They were able to convey the beauty of the designs to their full potential~ this is something that does not happen in every book.

I hope that the author writes another book,this book is so inspiring ~ and she is that talented. I only wish there were more resources available for some of the clasps used as they do make a difference in the pieces you are creating.
If you are making a wedding piece, you probably would want to use 14K gold findings vs gold plated ( not everyone likes silver.)

I would leave this book out on my coffee table,, but I am afraid that I would have friends asking me to make them pieces (and not have any time to make them for myself!)
This is the only book I have seen that I want to make EVERYTHING in it!
I cannot say that about many books.
This is one book you will not be sorry you added to your design library!

I have been making jewelry for a long time now, and I have more than a few books on the art of making quality pieces~

Frankly, I am a bit biased,,,,I LOVE the pearl,,,,I love it more than any other precious or semi precious I have worked with,,,, and I always will.
I wore pearls as early as eight years of age,,,I wore my mothers pearls on my wedding day ( and for any other important occasion thereafter),,,

I wore pearls when my son's got married,,,, and I also designed sets for their brides to wear on their wedding day!

Pearls mean special,,,,pearls mean elegant,,,,and pearls make a statement no matter what form they take,,,( and they DO take on lots of different forms these days!)
I did a set of brown pearls with turquoise,,,,and recieved numerous compliments on that simple yet very different piece~

I wear that piece all the time and five years later I STILL get compliments as if it were new!
Now I am working with jade, and pearls, and mixing some gold with it,,, so you can see you can do anything with pearls!

This book is THE best book I have seen on the market that does the humble,(but truly beautiful!!) pearl ~the justice it deserves.

There are a LOT of jewerly books out there~ Most are same old , same old,,,,not this one.

If I had to keep ONE book in all my design books,,,,THIS would be the one I wouldn't want to part with.

The ideas just flow as I go from page to page!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know, understand,,, or use,,,, any form of pearl in their work~ be it a more classic piece~ or a fun and trendy piece~

There is something in this book for everyone,,, plus,,,,its nice to read that someone besides me,,,,loves pearls as much as I do!

The layout and instructions in the book greatly exceeded my expectations.

I would leave this out on my coffee table,,,,( the book is that lovely!) but I am afraid that I would have friends asking me to make them pieces and not have any time to make them for myself!
This is the only book I have seen that I want to make EVERYTHING in it!
I cannot say that about many books.
And,, truly,,,,, I would LOVE to know,,,if Cleopatra really DID put that huge pearl in wine for Marc Anthony~ (How COULD she do that to a lovely large pearl??)

Simply Pearls is probably the best book on making pearl jewelry at this time. I've looked at Making Designer Pearl Jewelry from Quarry, and Create Jewelry: Pearls from Interweave. They're both good books (4 star) but this one is outstanding. This book starts with the lore and lure of pearls, types of pearls, the care of pearls. The techniques are at the back of the book and includes classic knotting of course, stringing and simple wire techniques.
The layout of the book is unique and well done. The projects are photographed on a simple, elegant white background on two facing pages then the instructions are on the following pages. The first four projects are variations of the classic knotted pearl necklace. Next is the classic (and knotted) 3 strand, a favorite of various First Ladies, and a strung, contemporary version using irregular pearls and gold beads as accents. Following chapters incorporate gemstones, cubic zirconia and gold-filled beads using a variety of techniques: knotted tin cup or illusion, stringing, wirework such as the cover necklace and some using premade chain. There are also earrings to complement many of the necklace styles.
Simply Pearls is also a good reference book. If you thumb through this book you'll notice that there's a lot of text in the book but it's easy and also fun to read.

Pearls are unique in the gem world in that they are made by living creatures rather than being mined from the earth. When an irritant is introduced (accidentally or intentionally in the case of cultured pearls) into a shellfish like a mollusk. In order to better tolerate the irritant, the mollusk coats the pearl with layers of a hard, smooth substance called nacre (rhymes with "acre") that mollusks have coating their shells--these shells are commonly known as mother-of-pearl.

Due to the nature of their creation high quality, round pearls can be pricy when shopping at a jewelry store. Paying a lot for pearls, however, is nothing new. Pearls have been considered elite jewels since ancient times. Cleopatra is rumored to have dissolved a priceless pearl in wine and drank it to illustrate Egypt's wealth to Mark Anthony. That anecdote is a favorite of Nancy Alden in her jewelry-making book Simply Pearls.
Alden begins her guide with an introduction detailing how pearls are created and how the cultured pearl industry in China has made pearls available at much lower prices for jewelry makers all over the world.

Even if you can't afford to work with pearls, this book provides clear instructions for basic jewelry making techniques such as stringing necklaces and working with head pins to make earrings. The book is also packed with exquisite pictures that will, if nothing else, serve as excellent eye candy and inspiration for the jewelry maker in you.
While Alden makes a point of emphasizing that pearls deserve respect and should be combined with quality materials, many of her designs could be adapted to use regular glass beads and base metal materials. The designs range from a simple beaded strand of pearls to a necklace simply known as "A lot of work--but worth it!" These varying designs even offer some interesting projects for advanced beaders.

I viewed this book at a bookstore and really liked it. The instructions are easy to follow and the photos are excellent. The materials were not extravagant. Several of the pieces used charlottes as spacer beads rather than knots or precious metal beads. The patterns were basic enough to allow for substitutions. The section on pearl grades and quality was particularly helpful for someone who goes to beadshows and is overwhelmed by the selection.

this book opens up a world of possibilities for the pearl lover - I love the book

If you love the new styles of pearl plus briolette or pearl chip jewelry, you are going to love Nancy Alden's book. The designs shown are simple enough to accomplish, simple to inspire but not so unusual as to stunt your own creativity.

I particularly liked the green garnet and pearl strand, but the pearl chip earrings had me wondering if it wasn't time I got out a pair of pliers and some jewelry wire. There are interesting combinations of pearls and briolettes and pearls and other beads.

Advanced jewelry makers will probably not find a lot new in this book, but newer jewelry makers will find this is a great basic text for learning about making bead jewelry that features lustrous pearls, whether round, flat, irregular or seed.