Published in hardcover in 2003, the paperback version of this book is due out in the end of September, 2006. The links below the book cover image will take you to the paperback versions, but you can still get the hardcover book, sometimes "new & used," from Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk.

This book is typical of "how to" books published for — I think — the US market in the past few years. There is a basic introduction to the craft, along with information on materials and tools needed, and photos and descriptions of the basic techniques. Any specialized techniques used in the project section are also described, and safety issues are covered. Then, the book offers several projects, described in words and pictures, from start to finish. Usually, there's a small gallery of various artists' work at the end. This formula is very useful as a teaching tool, and presumably successful as a book format, since several publishers seem to be following it.

My main problem with the formula is that it tends to emphasize information for the beginner. Every book starts out with the basics, and every book has projects designed with the beginner in mind. Projects usually get more complex by the end of the book, but not all projects end up being very complex. And with some of these books, complexity doesn't seem to be the point.

This isn't all bad, even for people who are ready to see more advanced projects. For example, it's interesting to see which tools a particular artist feels are the Must Haves for the craft. And you can almost always get a tip or two from seeing someone work on basic techniques.

Gollberg's Making Metal Jewelry follows the formula well, and tends toward simpler projects. In this case, one doesn't really miss complex projects, since the emphasis is on techniques that don't require soldering, or using a torch even for annealing. This makes it a good book for a beginning jeweler.

There are 21 projects: five necklaces, five earrings, five rings, four bracelets, and two brooches. The projects cover a nice variety of techniques: piercing and sawing (sometimes quite intricate), surface textures, folding and bending both wire and sheet metal, jump rings, linking beads with wire wraps, cold connections (including rivets, tube rivets, and nuts and bolts), copper etching, and prong-set cabochons. Included are ideas for different kinds of findings, including making a catch and joint for a brooch with no soldering, and making post earrings. Gollberg uses several different metals (silver, copper and brass), and several different shapes of metal (flat sheet, tubes, and round, rectangular and square wire).

The projects also include a nice variety of designs. Ancient designs (a thorn clasp and mandala are used) and more contemporary ideas are covered. Simple elements get nice surface textures, and pieces aren't always flat (the bracelet shown in the lower right of the book cover is a lovely example). In addition, Gollberg stresses the idea of modifying her designs to suit your own style. To support this, she sometimes provides her own alternate designs of projects.

In all, a fine book for a beginner, and an interesting collection for a more advanced jeweler. Gollberg also provides a circle divider template, which is essential for many of her projects, but useful for many other designs as well.

The paperback version of this book is due out in the end of August, 2006. The links below the book cover image will take you to the paperback versions, but you can still get the hard cover book "new & used" from Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk. The book was first published in Spanish in 1999, and in English in 2000.

For this book, Carles Codina i Aremgol collaborated with a number of different artists, filling its pages with instructions and detailed photographs on how to do a wide variety of things. Although there are instructions on how to create a few pieces from start to finish (and not just in the last, "Step by step" section), quite a bit of the instruction is for aspects of jewelry-making: making tubes and cylinders, how to set up a proper join for soldering, making a dome, making a pin back, etching metal with acid, granulation, using a rolling mill, making chasing tools, and combining metals, to name just a few. But the fun of this book are the beautiful examples that are included.

Photographs of both finished pieces and works-in-progress are scattered throughout, showcasing the various techniques, in such a wide variety of styles that you can't help being inspired to try new things. The book has a different sensibility than most you see written in English — I assume because the artists depicted are from Europe, not the US. There's bound to be a difference, right? Or it could be that many of the pieces are made of gold!

The book starts with a section on the history of human ornamentation, and a thorough look at metallurgy, before starting in with "Basic Techniques." But don't let the word "basic" get you thinking that this is a book for beginners: the first project has you forming a gold tube around a square copper rod to make ring, and then dissolving the copper interior in a bath of nitric acid. The project gets more complicated from there. Don't worry, though, the basics really are covered — in amongst the amazing stuff. The next section, "Surfaces," includes acid etching, combining metals (there are some interesting examples here), granulation, textures, and patinas. And more amazing stuff.

Just when you think the book can't get any more interesting, it has a "Related Techniques" section. Five techniques covered in from two to ten pages, in order: chasing and repoussé, Urushi (Japanese lacquer), enameling, stone setting, and wax model carving with lost wax casting. While the casting section shows a lot of specific techniques, in my mind the section on Urushi is the best: it describes the process and shows a bracelet being made, and it also provides recipes and photographs for 13 different applications, each of which explores both color and texture. The enameling (a nice description of champlevé) and stone setting (a nice description of pavé setting) sections are also worth a look.

Finally, there are seven pieces of jewelry described from start to finish: a repoussé pendant, a brooch set with several stones, a cast, articulated bracelet with a clasp, a pendant set with stones on a chain, a multiple loop-in-loop chain, a hollow-construction ring, and a crocheted chain.

This book is definitely worth a look: for inspiration, ideas, and practical tips.

Published in 1999, this book fittingly has two subtitles: Projects to practice and inspire, and Techniques to adapt to suit your own designs. The organization of the book is first-rate, from the clear progression through both techniques and projects, to the logical separation of techniques and projects, to the physical format of the book itself. Although I'd hesitate to suggest that anyone attempt to learn metalsmithing without ever taking a class — soldering is just too complex (and scary) to learn from a book alone — this book would make a great companion to beginning classes.

The book is spiral-bound, which is always nice for a manual, since the pages will lay flat while you're using it. But it's also cut through the middle, with Projects on the top half of the pages, and Techniques on the bottom. This way, you can flip through the Techniques section to find the lesson that applies to the project you're working on, and not lose your place. Each project is marked with the techniques used, as a reference.

The Techniques section starts with the basics (marking metal, several methods used to transfer designs, sawing and drilling), progresses through steps for finishing a piece, then tackles shaping (with requisite annealing and pickling), soldering techniques, and finally some more esoteric techniques, like drawing down wire, mitering and decorative finishes. The Techniques section also includes lessons on things that could be considered "projects" in their own right: making a hollow bead, several clasps and ear wires, and setting stones.

The Projects section is divided into several categories: rings, necklaces, earrings, brooches and bracelets. Each category begins with a simple task, and progresses through to more complex pieces. In general, the rings are simpler, and by the time you get to brooches and bracelets, the projects are more complex.

Highlights include a description of using gimp (also known as French wire or bullion) to finish the ends of a strung necklace, a couple of pieces that use clear casting resin, and two filigree projects: a necklace and a brooch. Both of these projects offer appealing approaches to making filigree, but the brooch is of particular interest because of its complexity. Coles addresses this by forming the brooch on modeling clay that doesn't harden, and using this to make a cast with plaster of paris; the brooch is then soldered in place on the plaster mold. Coles is also a fan of using silver balls, both flat-bottomed and spherical, as design elements.

This book is written for beginners, and will definitely appeal to them, although the short Gallery section at the back offers more sophisticated pieces. As with many books, this one includes a glossary, and some charts; a table of ring sizes is nice, and not always available elsewhere.