Nuts & Bolts

These are some incredible designs and if you know what you're doing when it comes to jewelry making, this book is for you. I wish I had the ability to make some of these because they really are beautiful.

High;y detailed photographs and instructions on how to make these wonderful pieces. Love the gallery at the end for sparking ideas. Probably not for beginners as some techniques can be difficult but the effects are beautiful.

How To Make Steampunk Jewelry is beautifully laid out and full of great jewelry designs. Oddly enough, though, I did not find one steampunk type style item in there at all. This is a book of straight forward industrial works, each with intriguing modern and edgy looks. But where steampunk would have gears and springs, copper and brass, here we have steel and more steel - nuts and bolts, rivets and washers. Great for dieselpunk, to be sure. But nothing that I could reference back to Victorian era industrial/steampunk. Because of the dissonance between title and subject matter, it felt more like a marketer was trying to capitalize on the steampunk sensation by taking an otherwise good book and trying to turn it into something else.

Which isn't to say that what is in this book isn't excellent - I absolutely loved quite a few of the designs; they'd make great goth accents. There are many different types of designs using all kinds of interesting materials. From necklaces to pins, there's a lot to love. Techniques, tools, tips, shopping lists, and more are described in detail and with quite a few photographs.

Each of the designs read like a recipe: We have a large dual color title, brown font introduction, tools and parts listed on the left side of the page, and then step by step assembly instruction in numbered paragraph form. Photographs of the items are large so you can see detail - but also nicely presented for aesthetic quality. It makes what could be difficult production very easy. I wish more cookbooks had recipes laid out this cleanly!

There are a lot of 'gears' clip arts strewn across pages to make this seem stumpunky. But the fonts, presentation, colors, and designs are all modern industrial or dieselpunk. As a steampunk book, this would rate 1 star. As a Jewelry design book, this is a strong 4 stars. You're going to be inspired by what's in here and how many you could make with minimum tools. The designs range from very easy to more intricate hand work requiring specialized tools. The cover does a great job of showing the type of designs you will find within.

Reviewed from an ecopy provided by the publisher.

While this book proclaims its steampunk style, many of the designs would look good with any outfit. Clear directions are paired with excellent photography for a book that can lead the reader through all the necessary steps to create unique jewelry pieces at home.

What I love about this book is its ambitious projects that really encourage the reader to see beauty in the most unlikely of jewellery-making materials, and how it also encourages the reader to really think about the artistic integrity of their pieces, not just as pretty jewellery but as wearable pieces of art. I had assumed that I might not see anything new in this book, having explored alot of jewellery-making resources recently (equipped beginner here) but actually this book was a step above the beginner-level books I've seen and was really detailed, but not too daunting thanks to the clear explanations. To make the most out of this book, you'll need to know the basics of metalwork and soldering already, but for beginners there are handy introductions in the book's opening and charts at the end for a reminder of the basics.

Terrific book. Spot on with the tone and level of the text.. Gorgeous photos--helpful in the instruction section and drool-worthy for projects and in the gallery.

I love being creative and I am always looking for new idea's that inspire me, so when I had the opportunity to get this book for free from NetGalley I jumped at the chance. Not only is this book filled with very stylish modern jewelry, I would wear every single piece, it gives you clear instruction on how to make jewelry with a modular technique. It includes lists of material and components, jewelry supplies and basic tools and anything else you might need to get started, with step by step instructions. Each project really is a statement piece and I can't wait to get started and try my hand at it. This would make a great gift.

I love being creative! I think I would wear every single piece shown! it gives you clear instruction on how to make jewelry with great pictures as well. It includes lists of material and components, jewelry supplies and basic tools and anything else you might need to get started, with step by step instructions. This would make a great gift.

Amazing eye candy for the artisian within and any jewelry junkie will drool over the photos.

I would love to think I could pull off these creations, but the pieces shown are definitely not for the beginner. Though I had hoped to find a project I could complete, I am not disappointed in this book. If nothing else, it gave me an appreciation for the work involved in doing a piece. The tools and materials needed are extensive but the results are drop dead gorgeous.

If you are a beginner, do not expect to walk away with projects to complete..but buy this book for the simple beauty and appreciation for the craftsmanship.

I was lucky enough to recieve a digital copy of this book from NetGallery in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Loved this book - think it would be a great "guy craft" program inspiration. Wish we could order it from Baker & Taylor. :-(

I am not even sure how to describe what a gorgeous book this is! The layout is clean and modern, just like the projects and gallery presented in the book. Each photo showed something new that I had never seen before. The designs are beautiful and unusual and have a wide range of variety and appeal. I wouldn't say that this would be a good choice as a how-to for an absolute beginner, but it's fantastic for someone who already works with metal or for an experience jewelry maker looking to get into something. That said, even a brand new jeweler would have plenty to see here in terms of the beautiful photos and inspiration. For someone who is interested in metal working, this book is a fantastic resource. The beginning of the book gives a great deal of information about the tools and materials and processes involved with this style of jewelry making. And each project is clearly illustrated and explained in detailed step by step instructions, so you can easily follow along to make each piece as shown, or use it as inspiration for creating your own unique pieces.

Nuts & Bolts is a Steampunk Style jewelry book that combines industrial as well as the effects of Jules Verne's Sci-fi touches.. The designs included are for all levels of jewelry makers. Items used are easily found in a hardware store and not just in a craft store. If you are the type of person who likes off the wall designs this is a book for you.

Using use tubes, rods, metal sheets and other industrial items the book has lovely photographs and step by step instructions that are easy to follow to create unique jewelry that can be used with both steampunk or traditional dress styles.

I was excited to receive this book to check out through Netgalley and I wasn't disappointed. Beautiful pictures and detailed descriptions were very good and I was very impressed it wasn't just another boring do it yourself book. As a jewelry designer that revamps old jewelry and adds house hold items to the mix as I see fit this book was right up my alley. It was full of loads of ideas which I loved to see instead of the usual big build up from the cover photo items then nothing exciting in between. I will be incorporating a lot of these ideas in the future!

I've often been attracted by hand-made jewelry, probably a result of my older brother having designed some rings back in the 1960's/1970's, and thought I might make a decent jewelry designer myself. When I saw this book, combining home-made jewelry with Steampunk stylings, I knew I had to check this out.

There are some very nice designs within and I do hope I can convince some of my jewelry-making-artisan friends to make some of this for me. I'm not much of a jewelry wearer any more, but some of these rings and brooches and stick-pins are so creative and unique, I can see myself wearing them on special occasions.

Aside from some really nice designs, I think that the best part of this book is the manual aspect, detailing the tools and materials needed and the "how to" work with the tools. Although I am simplifying this I felt that, I ... someone with passable knowledge of working with hand tools ... could actually make any of the pieces in this book if I was willing to try. This aspect...this ability to make the reader feel confident that this is all achievable is important in a book like this.

I can't say that I've ever looked at a jewelry-making book before, and I see now that Marthe Le Van has written a number of jewelry-making books. This provides me with more confidence that if I follow her advice, I'll come out with something that I could proudly wear.

My only 'complaint' would be that calling these designs "steampunk" was sometimes 'iffy.' There is definitely something steampunk-ish about many of the designs, but as interesting and nice as designs such as "Xylophone Pendant" or "Pillar Necklace & Earrings" are, they aren't really 'steampunk.'

Looking for a good book? Perhaps a small niche market, but Nuts & Bolts will appeal to anyone with an interest and rudimentary skills in jewelry making and steampunk designs.
I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

So refreshing to actually find a step by step that IS step by step. I'm a visual learner so the tons of images are a great asset.

Well done basic overview, with quite a bit of information on tools and how to do the techniques. While those making jewelry may find it boring, those looking for a new way to make some extra money could find this a complete instruction on getting started. There is some information on designs, with encouragement to seek your own as well, and a pretty complete overview for those without jewelry making experience.

In full disclosure, I reviewed a copy via NetGalley, but it gave many ideas for a niche I've been thinking about.

3.5 Stars (rounded up) for Nuts & Bolts

The book was well laid out with the introductory section featuring tools, supplies and inspirational pictures of various works. The next section provided instructions on performing the basic elements of jewelry construction such as filing metal, forming jump rings, annealing, riveting and soldering. The pictures were clear and well placed. If you like a contemporary take on industrial, then you may find some designs and inspirational pictures that match your aesthetic.

If you are looking for true steampunk design, this book may not be what you are looking for. When I first got this book, I was really attracted to the cover and was interested in how Marthe Le Van was going to interpret Industrial and Steampunk design. From that perspective I was disappointed as the featured how-to designs seemed more contemporary than steampunk. When I think of steampunk, I think of clocks/clock faces, gears, keys and a layering of various elements with small screws, wrapped wire and rivets. The featured designs looked more like the designs that I have found in my books featuring contemporary jewelry. Although the designs could be deemed industrial by featuring elements including tubes, blank discs and washers, they also featured clean lines and a minimalism not generally found in steampunk.
What did bring steampunk to mind was the photos of rusted gears and metal disks that accented a number of the pages in the book and some of the featured jewelry was photographed against cool pieces of rusted metal. I loved the pictures of the Pillar Necklace & Earrings which were featured on the back drop of rusted metal. I would classify this necklace and earrings as a contemporary design and not a steampunk design. If you are interested in a more contemporary take on industrial then this book might be a good fit. I really did like the Pillar Necklace & Earrings and feel other artists would as well. There was also a silhouette bracelet which was very nice and I appreciated the atomic earrings design as well.

The how to instructions were well written, however, it should be noted that the how to's did not include in-process pictures which help in more difficult designs and with newer or novice jewelry makers. Also it should be noted that soldering was required in a number of the designs and if you are looking for the cold connection aspect frequently found in steampunk, be aware you will need to solder a number of the designs.

I would recommend this book to those who are interested in exploring a contemporary take on industrial design. I received this book via the Net Galley program in exchange for an honest review.

Ever a lover of all things arts and crafts, I can never resist the opportunity to look through a book on how to create something. So it goes without saying, I couldn't resist taking a peek at this how-to-make-steampunk-jewelry book by Marthe Le Van.

Heavily illustrated, Nuts and Bolts is packed full of easy to read instructions on making jewelry. Even if you are not into the steampunk style, I would still suggest reading this book for the information on materials, basic tools, and different techniques. The last half of the book is filled with different projects and the instructions are very easy to follow.

All in all, this is definitely a win for anyone who is interested in making jewelry.

A treasure-trove of inspiration!. Previously published by Lark Books, Dover Publications has done the crafting world a great service by keeping this book in print. Appealing photographs of sample pieces are sure to spur creativity. Easy-to-follow instructions accompany project photographs. Helpful tips and explanations of materials used are also provided. Five stars and more.