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Rustic Wrappings: Exploring Patina in Wire, Metal, and Glass Jewelry by Kerry Bogert is published by Interweave and is available as both a hard copy book and an e-book. The e-book retails for $17.95 and is available for download on the publisher's web store. The print edition retails in the United States for $22.95. It is a paperback book with 128 pages and includes full color photographs throughout.

Kerry Bogert has been published previously in a number of other books and magazines and is also the author of Totally Twisted: Innovative Wirework and Art Glass Jewelry.

Tools and Supplies

The first few sections of the book cover the tools and supplies needed for the projects demonstrated in the book. While the author is well-known for working a lot with wire, this book also includes a fair amount of metal fabrication work, so additional tools such as hammers, saw, and a dapping set are also needed in addition to regular hand tools normally used for working with wire. Each tool is described and there are photographs of many of the tools as well.

For the supplies section, information is provided about metal sheet and wire. The range of gauges for both the wire and sheet metal are from as thick as 14 gauge to as thin as 30 gauge. Various types of metal are included in this section, many of them fairly economical too: copper, brass, steel, and sterling silver. She discusses the qualities of each and the "cons" of each or, really, issues to be aware of when working with each of these metals.

Techniques and Patinas

The techniques section, for the most part, is pretty basic. Primarily, it covers many wire techniques such as making ear wires and wrapped loops. In addition, however, it has how to make hoop ear wires, wire toggle clasps, and drawn bead head pins. Each step by step set of instructions is accompanied by full color step out photographs.

The next three short sections in the book are when it starts to stand out among so many wire and metal books published these days. There is a section for patina recipes that also explains how to seal the metal afterwards so you can keep the look you have created with one or more of the patina techniques explained in this section. She uses heat, chemicals, and even salt water to make some wonderfully colored metal.

Then there is what she calls "wire embroidery." She demonstrates how to use thin wire to stitch through and around metal plate. Some of the stitches are familiar too, such as whip stitch and blanket stitch, so this is really an interesting part of the book.

Finally, before heading into the projects, there are a few pages that discuss the use of color, specifically rustic colors that are an important part of the book's creative focus.

Projects Section

The projects area of the book has 25 jewelry designs. While the book's title calls these designs "rustic," they are not rustic in the sense of being sloppy or unfinished, which is something I see on occasion from some jewelry artists who claim to be rustic. In my estimation, many of these folks usually just are not making well-crafted and completed jewelry. With the author's projects, however, the "rustic" idea comes more from the metal finishes created with the patina recipes provided earlier in the book. While these are not classic designs either, as in the case of something like a pearl necklace, I found them all to be wearable and not overly "artsy" to the point that they are items to hang on a wall or set in a glass case and look at versus wear comfortably.

The projects all include color photographs and step by step written instructions, a list of tools and supplies needed, and a list of techniques used. The jewelry pieces range from bracelets, earrings, and necklaces, and many of them incorporate other non-metal components such as lampwork beads, found objects, and fiber. All jewelry pieces are assembled using fabrication methods, so no soldering is required. Though the style is modern and maybe a little edgy in some cases, I felt that none of the designs were overly trendy. A few of my favorites are the "Blooming Twine Earrings," "Moroccan Archways Necklace," and "Safe Passage Bracelet."

Final Thoughts

My only very small issue is that I would have liked to see just a few more step out photographs with some of the projects. However, considering the number of projects and the interesting patina and wire embroidery techniques included in this book, I was pretty impressed. I think any jewelry maker who is looking for ways to expand on his or her already existing metal and wire skills will enjoy this book, even if some of the basic wire methods are not necessarily new. For beginners, there is still a great deal to offer here because none of the methods are necessarily very difficult. Like anything new, beginners would just need to practice a little, and with the use of lesser expensive wire (copper for instance), that is very possible.

Publisher's Site

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