Cool Jewels is designed to “teach you how to make trendy jewelry with the hottest materials and very little effort.”   Naomi covers the basic information about beads, findings, tools and materials, and techniques.  There are 33 distinct jewelry projects, plus a snowflake design, and information on how to plan a jewelry party with friends.  These projects are varied and cover a range of different jewelry styles, which is great as an introduction to many different design possibilities.

I thought the tools list was a bit long when I first scanned the page, but Naomi Fujimoto actually divides that into 2 sections, with the first being 3 tools that are the minimal amount needed to create all the designs.  Then the second section discusses other tools that can come in handy and help expand the reader’s options and skills.  So I thought that worked well, as many of us start out with just the basics, and add to our tools (even becoming “tool junkies” later).

I found the book’s focus on talking to girls about making jewelry and spurring their creative efforts to be fresh and new.  There are very few jewelry books that are written with younger girls in mind, and this one is a great example of what I would call a “bridge” book.  By that I mean that it successfully bridges the gap between little girl plastic bead designs and designs that would appeal to grown women.  It could be called a successful “tweener” book, perhaps.  These projects aren’t childish and girls would wear them for years.  They could be described as chic, trendy, and hip.  These are youthful designs, but not childlike. 

I found the book’s focus on talking to girls about making jewelry and spurring their creative efforts to be fresh and new.  There are very few jewelry books that are written with younger girls in mind, and this one is a great example of what I would call a “bridge” book.  By that I mean that it successfully bridges the gap between little girl plastic bead designs and designs that would appeal to grown women.  It could be called a successful “tweener” book, perhaps.  These projects aren’t childish and girls would wear them for years.  They could be described as chic, trendy, and hip.  These are youthful designs, but not childlike. 

If you want to spark a young girl’s interest in designing jewelry, or help her knowledge of components and designs grow, this is a great book to achieve those ends.  Further, if you want to offer a group of girls some options on a project they can complete during a party, or as part of a team goal, Cool Jewels is a great option.

We are just starting to offer jewelry making birthday and slumber party activities here in Jeffersonville, Indiana and the surrounding area. This is a perfect reference book for my collection.  I want to be able to offer a hostess several options of designs to choose from, and this will be a great jump-start to a plan!!!

My favorite are the chandelier earrings! But I admit I like my jewelry big. You can easily see from both the chandelier earrings AND the large ring that these are not juvenile, elementary school projects!

And there are designs for projects that aren't jewelry, like the beaded snowflake. These designs would be great for girls to make some gifts for family and close friends. It may even earn a scout troop a new badge or give you some great ideas for a fund raiser!

Thank you Naomi and Kalmbach Books!