First off, this book surprised me. When I read "Beadweaving with Cabochons", I was thinking it would be some kind of embroidery around flat-back stones. Not so! There is not a single loose flatback stone used here. For the purposes of this book, a "cabochon" is a stone in a 4-hole sew on setting with prongs.
That being said, this book is even BETTER than what I was expecting!!
Love, love, love her color choices! It's like this author made this book just for me choosing saturated colors, vivid deep jewel tones, and mixing shiny & matte finishes in all my favorite ways!
The cover says 37 projects, but it looks more like these are all the variations on a dozen or so component/link designs made into matching sets of earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. Books that teach components are always my favorites since I can mix and match to my own taste/style and there's no limit to what you can do with them. A lot of complex mandala or mosaic style patterns, a few open work/filigree style pieces, and some are just gorgeous frames around a focal stone.
100% success for projects in my opinion! Usually you buy a craft book because you like "a few" or "more than half" of the patterns in the book. I love this ENTIRE book, no pages wasted on duds here!
Easy to follow diagrams, fantastic up close pictures, and I think the links will come out very sturdy woven properly. Finished projects will be practical, wearable and comfortable.
A note on supplies, in addition to a beader's usual stash, this book uses a lot of swarovski stones in prong settings which are a little harder to find. She refers you to a few websites for resources on the last page. I have an excuse to go buy something I don't have yet in my bead hoard!
Thank you Marie Geraud! Your book is now a treasured favorite in my collection.
Update: This is a translation from French to English, which explains the use of "cabochon" when it's not what American crafters would call a cabochon. I used google translate to check out the author's french site which has more cool patterns and designs.