Ancient Modern: Polymer Clay and Wire Jewelry

by Ronna Sarvas Weltman and TurtleMe

Artistically combining polymer clay with wire, this distinctive manual teaches crafters and jewelry makers how to create organic, sophisticated, and contemporary jewelry. A range of innovative... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1596680970
• ISBN13: 9781596680975
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Interweave Press
• Length: 136 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.4" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

BRAVA!! EYE CANDY OF A BOOK!

Ancient Modern is a superb book with an authentic voice. It's definitely not a cookie cutter polymer book. Ronna Sarvas Weltman's book is very original and innovative. It's filled with generous ideas, large colorful photos, clear directions, and stunning pieces of jewelry. She packs in loads of bead texturing techs, fresh bead surface decorations and ingenious color and form combos with new ways to rethink rings, brooches, bracelets and necklaces. Her use of wire with polymer is both functional and aesthetically fantastic. An amazingly wonderful book to enjoy over a cup of coffee and for inspiration. If you enjoy the works of Eric Silva, Robert Dancik, Susan Lenart Kazmer, Celie Fago and Barbara McGuire, you'll love this book.

Daring to be different

I've been reading Ronna's book. It's quite different from most of the polymer clay books on my shelf. Her aesthetic seems to invoke stone and bone, pod and seed. It's a good approach for beginners, encouraging experimentation and setting aside the scourge of perfectionism. So many contemporary pc artists are producing exquisite, tight, detailed designs that it is refreshing to dip into Ronna's much looser and free style. Ronna writes for Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry magazine, and she brings her expertise in that arena to her book. The section on wire working is thorough without being labored. She includes one of the most useful charts I've found in any wire working book. You'll find the coiling grid on page 21, which shows how much wire you will need for various coiling projects. One of her very bright young students mathematically developed the chart, and it's been tested several times by the student, Ronna, and the folks at Interweave Press. I also appreciate her section on the mechanics of jewelry design. It may look terrific on the bench, but if it doesn't fit or hang properly, it'll never get worn. The projects themselves won't be to everyone's taste (I happen to like them a lot). But even readers with very different taste can be inspired by the shapes of her beads, the way she puts colors together, and the various ways she uses texture. Within the projects, I would have liked more step-out photos, but overall, the design of this book is elegant and clear. The cover is fabulous and inviting, and what's inside delivers the goods.

MORE! MORE!

I was sent a copy for early review, and I love love love this book! I love that not only do you learn how to make Art Jewelry from polymer clay and wire, but you also learn about designing jewelry so that it actually looks good when it is worn! This book gives you practically everything you get from Ronna's fabulous classes -- close-up and personal looks at her inspiring jewelry, easy-to-understand (and duplicate) techniques for polymer clay and wire, a nurturing approach coupled with an understanding of how students learn, and lots of clearly-written excellent techniques. Doug Yaple's photography is incredible too. Very high-quality book! The only thing missing? The lady herself! You see, Ronna is one of those amazingly talented, widely versed - and incredibly generous teachers that will give you everything she's got when you ask "What if...?", "Then what..?", or "Why?" Her warm & giving spirit keeps students asking for more! More books like this one too, please! Ronna's book takes Polymer Clay up several notches as an art form, and incorporates new materials with great elan -- we can't wait to see what she has in store for us next! Randi Harper - The Ranch. Center for Arts & Craft

Scrumptious!!

This long-awaited book is so delightful and delicious you won't need desert! Ronna's approach to polymer clay is fresh and unique and gives us permission to free ourselves from the constraints of technique. It will open your eyes to what you can do if you let yourself go. Not to worry, the first part of the book is full of the necessary technical information including some great design basics and wire working essentials. Then the step-by-step projects take you into Ronna's quirky off-beat world where making polymer beads is joyful. Fun, fun, fun. In the end, there's the gallery of her work, all beautifully photographed and presented for your consumption. This book fills a gap in my polymer bookshelf. It's about inspiration and finding your own personal story to tell. I always remind my students that they "know how" but need to find out "why" they are making polymer jewelry. This book will help open that door.