Diane Fitzgerald's Shaped Beadwork: Dimensional Jewelry with Peyote Stitch (Beadweaving Master Class Series)
This master jeweler and multibook author spent much time and care figuring out the construction of shaped beads—the two- and the three-dimensional kinds. That means that, thanks to her patience and creativity, handmade beads now can resemble high-end dimensional necklaces and bracelets from designer brands. More intricate than the traditional craft, shaped beadwork begins with a mastery of the peyote stitch, a technique that weaves the thread into a bead twice to create an unbroken surface, then proceeds to making flat geometric shapes (triangle, square, and oval, for instance); open shapes (that is, with “holes” inside); and finally to cubes, tetras, and dodecas (12 pentagons). Although the majority of the book is devoted to the actual fashioning of these bead shapes, Fitzgerald adds her personal inspiration by way of a dozen-plus items to make, including a Celtic trefoil, Berber earrings, and a trillium necklace. A true breakthrough in the art of beadwork. --Barbara Jacobs