The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Making Metal Jewelry

gives readers more than 125 step-by-step instructions and 200 fully illustrated color photos, for various metal jewelry making techniques, including soldering, smithing, stamping, hammering, riveting, and wiring. Readers learn how to work with easily obtainable but beautiful metals to make unique pieces. In this book, readers learn about:

• Setting up an organized, efficient, inexpensive, and safe workspace.
• Buying the right tools for what they want to accomplish.
• The fundamental concepts of working with metal.
• Key fabrication techniques such as moving, piercing, smoothing, and joining.
• How to add embellishments such as gems and found objects.
• Adding surface textures and colors.
• Attaching chains and mechanisms and finishing a piece to perfection.
• Designing and executing truly unique pieces.

Along the way, special sidebars give readers alternate methods for accomplishing various techniques, tear-free ways to correct common mistakes, safety warnings, and more. The book also includes a dozen original project ideas, with access to more projects and video instruction online.