Over the years J. Steele has worked with some of the best gems God's earth has to offer. He has now put this guide book together for all to use. This is a simple informative guide book. Buying colour gems is a challenge. Written for both consumers and professionals, it is easy to read, has colour photographs and gives practical pointers on how to decipher the differences. Whether you are interested in jade, opal, ruby, topaz, spinel, garnet, tourmaline or some other coloured gem, you will find this guide to be a fascinating and valuable resource.

The collectible appeal of Mexican metal art can be attributed to artistic quality, variety, and large production volume. In addition to jewelry, it includes wearable art, table art, and wall art, with something for everyone. See Mexican jewelry and metal art made with copper, brass, alpaca, and silver. From glass mosaics on brass to silver jewelry inlaid with crushed stone, to metal combinations such as metales casados, the variety in color, texture, and form is wonderful. While other books have made significant contributions to raising awareness of Mexico-designed silver jewelry, little has been written about other metal objects, often made by the very same designers, such as Salvador Teran, Los Castillos, Miguel Martinez, Miguel Pineda, Estele Popowski, and Bernice Goodspeed. Additional names found on illustrated brass and mixed-metal items include Maya, ToA+/-o, Cecilia, Caballo, and Victoria. Detailed captions with value ranges accompany 1000+ color photographs. Includes a bibliography, index, illustrated glossary, and illustrated hallmarks.

This bumper edition of Aidan Meehan's practical guides to the art and design of the Celts brings together three of his bestselling titles, A Beginner's Manual, Knotwork and Illuminated Letters. This practical, step-by-step manual provides an invaluable, comprehensive source of instruction and inspiration for artists, designers and craftspeople of all kinds.

The hey-day of the British gypsy caravan was short, only about 70 years, during which period it grew from a simple utility vehicle, blossomed and flourished as a mobile work of art, then disappeared from common sight. These caravans were masterpieces of woodcraft and design, and the best of them cost as much as a small house. Unlike any small house, almost half the cost was in the decoration. This beautifully illustrated book presents the different types of caravan and the great variety of art which was carved and painted upon them and their brothers-in-transport, the old narrowboats. While there were certain rules and conventions of style, the decoration on and in all the types was ultimately governed only by how much money could be spent. The caravan in particular was the supreme status symbol among travelling people and its art the prime means for expressing where one stood in the world.

Share the excitement with renowned and talented carver Robert Neuenschwander, as you see a whimsical cowboy character bear come to life from a rough block of wood! These methods are not found in any other carving book and will prove to be enlightening to everyone from the pen-knife whittler to the professional carver. Included are over 300 detailed and easy-to-follow close-up color photos, showing blocking, carving, detailing, finishing, and a special section showing Robert's sharpening techniques. Also showcased are a gallery of photos and detailed patterns showing all eight members of the bear family (including holiday favorites, Santa Bear and Mrs. Claus), that everyone is sure to enjoy!

This book contains 450 photographs showing readers each step to every project. The art of handcrafted wirework jewelry is a fun and accessible way to create a range of stunning pieces from the comfort of your home. Whether you are looking to make jewelry for yourself, or as unique gifts for special occasions, you'll find all the inspiration and techniques you need here. In this comprehensive guide, there are 30 main projects, each with extra projects to complete a set or to complement the main design, plus there is a wealth of advice on tools, materials and techniques, making it the perfect book for beginners. Step-by-step instructions, clear step photography and handy tips throughout will ensure confidence grows until you're happy to make alterations to suit, or to design your own wirework masterpiece from scratch!

As you read and use this book, you will come to agree that "tape is the new paint." Stunning photos demonstrate step by step how to create eleven different tape art projects on wood, aluminum Dibond, fabric, stone, asphalt, and glass. Learn how lines are tapered, curves executed, and how stripes and motifs are cut out, in 2-D, 3-D, and in negative space. Beginning and advanced tape artists will also find suggestions for more projects to try on their own-from portraits, landscapes, and abstract pictures to furniture decoration, clothes, and human bodies-as well as various tape types, including fabric tape, PVC tape, and packaging tape. An overview of the history and development of this relatively new art form is also included. The book concludes with an extensive gallery of works created since 2011, which have been shown in exhibitions and at art festivals and corporate events. Cover Image: Courtesy Of Thomas Tiltmann

This book is a mosaic or quilt of folk art around the world, from polychrome clay figures made in Izucar de Matamoros, Puebla (Mexico) to the baskets Maori women create in New Zealand, from Japanese lacquer work and decorated paddles to black dolls in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The creative impulse found in three continents, four countries, and four geographical regions are juxtaposed to make up a harmonious whole. The book carries out a detailed dissection of a variety of ethnic, racialized, and gender representations in their contemporary forms.

With beautiful illustrations and step-by-step instructions, this how-to book includes all the techniques involved in crafting metal jewelry, including:

--Cutting and filing

--Cold connections

--Soldering

--Texturing

--Forging and forming

--Setting stones

--Applying specialty finishes

The book's clear organization provides easy access to information with straightforward directions and hundreds of full-color photos. You'll also find easy projects for trying the techniques, as well as a stunning gallery of metal jewelry pieces by experienced designers. Find beautiful jewelry examples and gain skills and inspiration with "The Complete Photo Guide to Making Metal Jewelry"

Celebrate the splendor of wood with these wood-crafting projects. From simple woven panels to making a functional yurt, Woodland Craft features an array of easy-to-follow projects that include crafts for the farm, garden, wood fuel, building and domestic use. Green wood - wood that has been recently cut and is therefore still moisture-rich - is the predominant material used in the projects featured in this essential guide for craftsman of all levels. With Woodland Craft: you'll learn all you need to know about tools and devices, both old and new. you'll browse through the directory of tree species and identify the best uses for each. you'll gain the insight you need to make practically anything out of this clean, crisp, beautiful element. Includes 700 illustrations and photographs

Engraving by hand is the oldest art of mankind and one that still flourishes today. With a simple message the precious metal engraver can give a unique personality to an otherwise commonplace cigarette box, goblet or compact. Despite the singular character of the craft very few practical books have been written on engraving precious and other materials employed by the jeweller; in fact none have been published in the United Kingdom for many years. Engraving on Precious Metals is for professionals and others who wish to learn hand engraving as a hobby or trade, and reveals many previously undisclosed practices of the commercial engraver which help to make his skill quite astonishing. All aspects of the craft are covered exhaustively, including the relatively modern innovation of the high-class machine engraver. This machine is particularly useful for repeat monograms and designs which are afterwards filled, because the template that guides the machine can be cut by hand. Illustrated throughout with over 250 drawings, the book gives practical hints for use in the workshop, while artistic matters are covered extensively in chapters on lettering design and layout, monograms, nameplates and ornamentation. A basic knowledge of ancillary crafts can be found in the sections on piercing, polishing, soldering and inlaying, and the use of unusual materials such as ivory, wood or plastic is also discussed. The final chapter contains a wide selection of different styles of lettering which are numbered for easy reference, and can be used by the retailer to indicate styles to customers and engravers.

Although much of model engineering work is a matter of making one part to fit another and thus may obviate the need for the sophisticated means of measuring often called for in production engineering, the accuracy of a finished job begins with the exactness of the initial making out and continues with the accuracy of measurements made during the progress of the work. How to use measuring equipment and how to mark out work - not always the simple matter it might at first seem - are essential skills for any engineer and the purpose of this book is to show how they may be acquired and employed.

This book is regarded as the perfect introduction to casting common hot metals in moulds, providing all the information needed by amateur foundrymen. Since 1954, when Foundrywork for the Amateur was first published, the advance of technology and engineering has been enormous and there have been many revisions along the way. However, conditions in the 21st century are so far removed from the state of affairs in the 1950s that, although the basic principle of the foundry remains the same, the language and the presentation of the book was due to be uplifted. This present edition therefore represents a complete rewrite to conform to the era and, in particular, to the availability of material which at one time was taken for granted. Not only has the text been updated, but the illustrations have been completely redrawn and, on the basis of the advances made in the amateur foundry since the early days, the photographs have also been renewed and increased in number. This new edition also reflects the author's growing interest in the model steam locomotive.

Joining metals by one form or another of soft or hard soldering, or brazing with various alloys, are run-of-the-mill jobs in model and light engineering workshops - so much so that little thought is given as to whether there might be a quicker, more efficient or less expensive means of achieving the required end. In Soldering and Brazing respected engineering writer Tubal Cain examines in detail the processes, equipment and materials, and explains what is happening in the joints as they are made with practical examples, test pieces, tabulated data etc. This is a thorough, comprehensive and, above all, useful book.

This concise guide has all the information you need to successfully makeyour ownjewelry using knotting techniques. Clear, step-by-step, fully illustrated instructions show you exactly how to knot between beads and attach various types of clasps and finishes. The book also explains how to evaluate, select, and care for pearls and gemstones; how to select findings and tools; the pros and cons of silk versus nylon stringing material; and more."

With expert analysis, great photography, and a huge selection of familiar and unusual objects, this book explains what truly makes a design great and reveals the hidden stories behind the everyday things that surround us. The author, a writer and journalist specialising in design, has chosen 101 objects that have had a major influence on the world of design history, delving into the makers, the designers, and developments in production and style that made these pieces into design classics. The text incorporates design sketches, portraits of many well-known and some unknown designers, as well as numerous exciting anecdotes from the sewing box of design history. The selection of designers includes, but is not limited to, legends such as Charles & Ray Eames, Verner Panton, Alexander Girard and other protagonists of classical modernism. Also here are post-war designers such as Finn Juhl, Gilbert Rohde, Pierre Paulin, and Gae Aulenti, and postmodern and contemporary designers such as Philippe Starck, Marcel Wanders, and Konstantin Grcic. This book provides an in-depth and informative overview of 20th-century design - and a glimpse of the first true classic objects of the 21st century.