Beaded Bracelets

September 1, 2014

Jalajas was an accidental convert to jewelry making--she got her start after stumbling across a demonstration at a craft store. In the 20 years since, she's sold her work and taught a variety of classes on bead-weaving techniques. Her first book focuses on bracelets, which are small enough to be completed quickly but large enough to be a satisfying project. Jalajas includes a variety of stitches in her designs, including right-angle weave, herringbone, and peyote, and her focus is on using the best supplies available--these are bracelets built to last. The specificity of the supply lists is helpful--most jewelry-making books simply cite a bead size, but Jalajas provides size, brand, color, and vendor, allowing jewelry makers to duplicate the pictured design or choose a different color as desired. The complexity of the patterns varies, but the color-coded bead-weaving diagrams are clear and allow novice jewelry makers to attempt any of the designs in the collection. VERDICT The designs are attractive, and the variety of stitches and styles make this a worthy addition to jewelry-making collections.

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