Book Review: All Wired Up by Mark Lareau

My day job as a school librarian gives me the chance to get to know lots of books, most of them relevant to kindergartners through fifth graders. I also read voraciously in my free time, usually mysteries, sometimes other fiction. Once in a while, I read or consult nonfiction books and magazines that relate to jewelry making.

One book that I have used again and again is Mark Lareau’s All Wired Up: Wire Techniques for the Beadworker and Jewelry Maker, published by Interweave Press in 2000. It is a useful resource for the beginner just starting to work with wire, as well as someone ready to try out more advanced techniques. The diagrams are easy to follow and the instructions are detailed in a step-by-step fashion.

The contents include chapters on materials, tools, and basic wirework techniques, as well as some basic wirework projects. Findings, ear wires, clasps, and cages are also covered in chapters that show how to put the basic techniques to good use.If you are interested in wire wrapping beads and cabochons to use in your jewelry, this book contains detailed instructions for these elements as well.

Lareau concludes with a gallery of designs by twelve contemporary wire artists, including himself. These are meant as inspirational rather than instructive. He also lists several bead shops where tools and supplies can be purchased. An index makes this book even easier to use.

If you are interested in creating wire findings to use in your jewelry designs, this book is a great resource. It is still in print and still listed on Amazon as of this morning. Stretch yourself a little and try something new—who knows where it will take you?

This photo shows some of the wire findings I have made using Lareau’s instructions. I started off with craft wire, so that I could practice techniques relatively inexpensively. Once I felt more confident, I began using sterling silver wire.

Note: This review is written from the point of view of one who has found this bookt useful; I am not affiliated in any way with the author, publisher, or bookseller.