This book was first published in 1985 in England, and has had a few editions and/or reprintings since then. The British spelling is "Jewellery Making Manual," while the US spelling is "Jewelry Making Manual," and there are at least two different dust jacket images. The version I've read was printed in 1990 for the US market by Brynmorgen Press, but from what I've been able to research, the different versions are practically the same, except for the spelling. You can still find "used & new," or sometimes new copies at Amazon.

Although this is called a "manual," and does provide some step-by-step instructions, I wouldn't recommend this book to a beginner looking for project ideas. There are pictures and directions for starting out with a jeweler's saw, and some reasonably easy projects for a beginner, but most of the more interesting instructions are in the "Special" and "Advanced" techniques sections, which have the biggest variety of settings I've seen, both for faceted stones and cabochons. I'd say this would be more of an inspiration book for a beginner, with plenty of neat things to try for the more adventurous artist. More accomplished artists will be able to refer to this time and again.

Like many jewelry-making books, this one covers most aspects of the trade. Highlights include details on making various catches, clips, and clasps (many wonderfully complex); a thorough section on enameling; and all those ideas for stone mountings, many of which you would expect to see in a high-end jewelry store (let me point out that Wicks stresses that professionals will usually specialize in either creating mountings, or setting stones). Other things to note include information on the design process, including rendering a design; an overview of anodizing; a nice idea for putting together a jig to create multiple copies of filigree elements; and a description of the RT Blanking System.

There are plenty of photographs, both black and white and in color, and a number of illustrations. The text is well written and useful, and includes both lengthy descriptions and nice tips (for example, charcoal grains sold for fish tank filters can be put into a flat, steel box to support small pieces while soldering). The book has some information specific to Britain (including a section on hallmarking), and some information that's a little old-fashioned (a description on using a lead die doesn't mention safety issues). There is a nice amount of eye candy in the book, and despite the publication date most of the styles of jewelry depicted don't seem old-fashioned today.