French-Inspired Jewelry: Creating with Vintage Beads, Buttons & Baubles

Celebrated designer Kaari Meng—owner of the Hollywood-based store, French General—invites beaders along to learn all about her distinctive French flea market style. Meng’s projects charm with their vintage flair and feminine beauty, yet all require very little experience to make. Follow Kaari as she digs through her vast personal archives of classic beads and creates unique pieces; along the way she teaches all the basic techniques, from simple wirework to bezel setting, and explains how to build a bead collection, develop a palette, and get exquisite results from easy-to-find reproduction beads. All the chapters are organized by places of inspiration throughout the French countryside, each with its own color scheme and special necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and hair ornaments to craft.