After exploring the exquisite ideas and 35 projects showcased in this one-of-a-kind jewelry collection, you'll never look at "found items" the same way again. There are countless suggestions for recycling everyday objects, from electrical wire to soda cans, and uncovering their vast potential for beauty. Begin by examining various metal types and forms, and the techniques for shaping and cold-connecting them. Select from a range of surface finishing treatments, and find out about special skills often used for working with stones, shells, plastic, wood, and bone. The wildly creative pieces include a driftwood brooch, a bracelet with wooden game pieces, and a pendant featuring old boat charts. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Le Van (Fabulous Jewelry from Found Objects) pushes the envelope when it comes to jewelry design. Bottle-cap bracelets and pencil-stub necklaces, for example, might not suit everyone's taste. However, as these projects use a wide array of materials in highly creative ways, there is certain to be something for most people. A photo gallery of the finished jewelry, designed by several jewelry artists, includes striking pieces like a brooch made of gold and real Japanese beetles (a renewable resource). This fun book will liven up public library crafts collections. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Just because the raw materials for these projects are castoffs--small forks, pencil stubs, broken glass, old magazines--it doesn't mean the results are second-rate. Nope. The projects here are pretty classy, and definitely not for crafters unwilling to put some time into learning basic metalworking techniques, such as soldering and sawing. Fortunately, some technical instruction, including a preamble about tools, prefaces the 40 funky, gorgeous, and sometimes outrageous jewelry designs (contributed by 16 artists) to adorn neck, ears, ankles, and wrists. The projects, even the fairly easy ones such as laminated stamp earrings, are demanding, though the step-by-step text is pretty straightforward and accompanying illustrations help visualize the instructions. Along with photos of the projects are pictures of dramatic creations credited to other artists. These occasionally overwhelm the photos meant to illustrate the procedures, but they still provide a dazzling array of jewelry-box options to make in the future. StephanieZvirin. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.