Creating Your Own Jewelry: Taking Inspiration from Museum Masterpieces - 35 Surprisingly Simple Projects

Part museum tour, part how-to manual, Creating Your Own Jewelry shows readers how to quickly and easily craft 35 different pieces of polymer-clay jewelry inspired by artworks and antiquities dating from seventh century B.C. to the twentieth century A.D., as found in museums throughout the world. Among the stunning projects are a brooch inspired by one in Ruben's famous portrait of Isabella Brandt; a bracelet from a painting of Madame Moitessier by Ingres; and Charlemagne's talisman, which was buried with the emperor's body in the 9th century. Each project includes a color photograph and brief overview of the original artwork and step-by-step, illustrated instructions for making the copy. Most of the projects call for easy-to-find art supplies and common household tools (polymer clay, model paint, glass and semiprecious stones, scissors, tweezers, pliers) and can be completed within two to five hours.