Author Barbara Case brings out the beauty of selected gemstones (my favorites to use in my own work) by using beads of vaious sizes, shapes, and types and the book images reflect that. However, the dangles are all laid out (spread apart) to see their components - great, I grant you - but I would have liked to see how they actually look when hung around a neck for that will show the true appeal of the dangles. So good images reflect the beading design, yet in terms of how it may look around your neck is another matter.

The chart on pages 10 and 11 is a plus as many 'common' stones (wish more were included) are systematically categorized into the typical sizes of round beads, other common shapes seen in the stone type (important as some stones are not cut in specific ways due to the chemical and structural composition), the relative costs of these stones (from very low to very high -- allows for jewelry designers to better evaluate a sale price if an item is sold and/or giving one an idea as to what they can expect to spend if they wanted to use such a stone in their personal designs), placing the gemstone into the birthstone category, and lastly the various attributes often associated with each stone (e.g. LAPIS = wisdon, truth, awareness and JADE = protection on journeys, luck). Additional information can be gathered on the various stones (e.g. hardness/softness of the stone and recommendations on how to properly utilize it - e.g. some stones are 'softer' than others) in the descriptions on various stones along with designs in the second part of the book -- wish this information would have been in the chart, too. This would come in handy and if such information is all tabled together, it would make a great "mini-poster" to the gemstone designer.

Maybe I missed it, but one of the greatest pieces of information when working with gemstones is the weight of some of the stones. This is really important when designing a piece, especially earrings. Also it is important when determing the type of wire, cord, thread to use when designing, for you don't want the necklace to fall apart if the stringing material does not work well with the type of stone used.

So the good things - amazing images of the stones and design projects (some of the designs are very different from those seen in other books, which is always a plus when one wants to get out of a design rut), recommendations/tips, tidbits of historical facts regarding the stones and their 'mystical' or 'cultural' value, ranking of difficulty for nearly every design shown, and the decent chart made it a great reference chart. The bad things - lack of info regarding weight of some stones, not including newer products available (published in 2007 so one would have expected a few of the newer innovations to improve jewelry designs e.g. wire guardians), my personal desire to see how the design looked when hung on the neck or ear, and a wish that more of the gemstones used today were included. Therefore, with this being said I would have given the book a 3.5 star rating, but the images pushed it up to a solid 4 in comparison to other like books. I would also recommend this book to BEGINNERS (and even though some designs are ranked above 5, beginners can still do these as the images really provide clarity on how the piece is put together) and TO INTERMEDIATE jewelry designers.

Making Jewelry with Gemstone Beads

This book, first loaned to me by a friend, contains so much useful information that I had to buy my own copy. It's packed with information on gemstones--their composition and metaphysical properties, where found, how to buy. It also contains photos and instructions on tools and their usage, basic techniques, and over 100 designs that focus on each of the 32 natural gemstones listed. Directions are easy to follow with skill levels posted. Many items are interchangeable so no one execution need be exclusive. The photographs are beautifully done. A wonderful guide to jumpstart your own creative ideas.

This book is a treasure trove of information on gemstones with great ideas on incorporating them into your jewelry. I have been beading just a year or so and it was very inspiring to me. The projects are varied enough to make it interesting and the directions are very clear. I would recommend this book to anyone seeking to add gemstone beads into their jewelry making process.

I am new to beading (about one year) and have found books on my level to be either boring or ugly in their designs. This book is neither. It has gorgeous photographs and more than enough intermediate and advanced projects for me to shoot for. Each project is labeled by skill level and time necessary to complete. You will be amazed at what you can complete in less than an afternoon. Highly recommended.

I am new to beading (about one year) and have found books on my level to be either boring or ugly in their designs. This book is neither. It has gorgeous photographs and more than enough intermediate and advanced projects for me to shoot for. Each project is labeled by skill level and time necessary to complete. You will be amazed at what you can complete in less than an afternoon. Highly recommended.