A Charming Exchange: 25 Jewelry Projects To Create & Share

Make your own stunning jewelry and meet new friends in the process!

Welcome to A Charming Exchange, a place where inspired minds meet to combine and swap ideas and techniques to create unique charm bracelets, earrings, talismans and more. Your hosts, authors Ruth Rae and Kelly Snelling, have joined forces with a diverse group of talented contributing artists to bring you 55 step-by-step techniques in 25 inspiring jewelry projects. Combine the techniques in your own way, learn how to collaborate with other artists, create pieces for yourself or trade what you make with others.

Whether you are new to jewelry making or a seasoned pro, you'll find plenty to inspire you to take your creations to a new level. In addition to basic jewelry techniques, you'll learn to:

• Connect with other jewelry enthusiasts online or in your own community and work together to merge styles and share ideas and methods.
• Discover how easy it is to incorporate unusual elements (from gold leaf to animal crackers tins) into your wearable pieces.
• Make your own decorative chain links, add rivets to metal, create your own jump rings and much more!

Readers will be introduced to techniques and inspiration for creating mixed-media charms and other jewelry items from a selection of twenty-five talented contributing artists. Together, these artists have collaborated to create a stunning charm bracelet that demonstrates techniques such as working with wire, beads, solder, fabric, found objects and more which can be applied to other crafts. In addition to reading about each individual artist's inspiration and creative thought process, readers will learn how to organize art swaps or collaborations of their own.

Kelly Snelling is a self-taught mixed-media artist whose work has been published in Artist Trading Cards Workshop, Somerset Memories (Formerly Legacy), Somerset Studio, Somerset Gallery and the 2007 Top Hat Calendar. Kelly holds a master's degree from Ohio State University in journalism and telecommunications, and spent several years in the Creative Services office of NFL Properties. Ruth Rae received her artistic training in metalsmithing and lapidary arts, but has also worked in fiber arts, polymer clay and precious metal clay. Her work can be found in retail shops within California and online at www.Belecia.com.