In recent years, pearl beads have gained an especially strong presence in fashion jewelry design. As jewelry-making components, they're reasonably affordable and available in a huge variety of sizes, colors, textures, and styles. Pearls can be used alone or mixed with stone, glass, or other organic-material beads to create a broad range of design styles from conservative to couture.

If you're unsure where to start with your own pearl-bead designs, Create Jewelry - Pearls: Luxurious Designs to Make and Wear, by Marlene Blessing and Jamie Hogsett, can be of help. The soft-cover book is part of a series of gorgeously illustrated and clearly organized jewelry making titles published by Interweave Press, the editors of Beadwork magazine.

The book is mainly a collection of projects, with general educational and reference material provided at the beginning and end, and interesting historical facts interspersed throughout. The first two sections are brief, but informative, introductions to the in-and-outs of pearl beads. They include tips for selecting pearls, common pearl bead shapes, and advice for caring for pearl jewelry.

The next three sections contain a total of 22 projects, which are categorized by style: Classic, Special Occasion, and Fashion Forward. The Classic projects begin with simple knotted pieces and progress to designs with multiple strands and especially-stylish findings.

The Special Occasion projects are slightly more complex and "showy." Some include interesting combinations of materials and textures (like pearl and ribbon, or pearl strands and chain), and others are relatively simple in design, but still bolder in appearance than the Classic projects. These are not all designs that I would wear to a wedding or prom; some appear more appropriate as night-club wear.

The final project section, Fashion Forward, contains designs that are more trendy and playful. Some incorporate seed-beading techniques and others feature wire work and multiple strands of chain in various lengths and thicknesses. These projects provide some nice examples of ways you can use pre-made components and ornate findings to accentuate your more fashion-forward designs.

The projects tend to focus more on inspiration than highly detailed, step-by-step instruction. They are like recipes: they identify the supplies and materials you'll need, and then explain what to do to complete a project, rather than how to do it.

For example, a project may instruct you to "attach a crimp cover" to a crimp bead, but it will not explain how to attach it. The materials at the end of the book provide a review of techniques (including attaching crimps and crimp covers, knotting, some bead weaving stitches, and basic wire work skills), but I would not recommend them for absolute beginners. They are more useful as refreshers for crafters who already have some jewelry-making experience.

If you already know how to make a basic, strung-bead necklace or bracelet, and you're primarily looking for inspiration or some fresh, new pearl designs for your jewelry wardrobe, this book may be just what you're looking for. If you sell your own pearl jewelry designs, it will also help you to learn more about pearls so that you can better describe them to your customers. Create Jewelry - Pearls: Luxurious Designs to Make and Wear is available on Amazon.com and at many local book stores.

Other titles you may be interested in:

Tiffany Pearls	Making Designer and Gemstone Pearl Jewelry

Chris Franchetti Michaels is a writer and jewelry artisan specializing in beaded designs, wire work, and metal fabrication. She is the author of the books Teach Yourself Visually: Jewelry Making and Beading, Beading Quick Tips, and Wire Jewelry Quick Tips. Visit her website BeadJewelry.net for more jewelry-making help and inspiration.