pioneer. Although Tony and I had lived a few miles apart, we only met in 1990, when he was folding and selling his origami jewelry from a Boston Haymarket pushcart near Faneuil Hall. Our friendship led to a co-production of our first beginner’s origami lessons on video, in 1991. Tony quickly sold out our first run at his Origami Store in Boston. Michael and I were approached soon after to produce the first beginner’s origami video kit for QVC!
We also thank Joyce Saler, a dear friend and folder, and a strong advocate of the delightfully simple designs of our mutual friends, the late Ranana Benjamin and Florence Temko. Joyce particularly enjoyed the fun of folding with beginners. She promoted the use of Velcro dots so that even the youngest folders could create cheerful origami “jewelry” to share and wear on jackets, headbands, and backpacks-- an easy way to accessorize outfits for various moods or occasions.
We also thank our jewelry customers. Their discerning tastes and concerns for durability greatly influenced the scope and content of this book.
Finally, we wish to thank our capable and patient editor, Jon Steever, and his entire team at Tuttle Publishing for keeping faith through the many stages of this project.
The Origamido Studio
Some of the most popular purchases from the Origamido Studio are stunning pieces of origami jewelry. We fold many, but not most, of the pieces we sell. Artist friends and students, after being inspired at a class, or by one of our designs, often bring their expertly crafted paper jewelry to display proudly for purchase in our showcase.
The Origamido shops in Boston, Massachusetts and Hawai‘i.
Our jewelry customers return often, bringing family members or friends to see what’s new in the case. They are often wearing pieces from earlier visits, but sometimes sporting new pieces of their own design.
We wrote this book for the jewelry-making novice and expert alike. Anyone hoping to incorporate beautiful papers and other foldable materials into their wearable creations using origami techniques will be pleased to find that the origami elements in this book do not require you to be an origami expert. Nor do you need to be expert at reading origami diagrams, because the accompanying video contains exclusive lessons that demonstrate the folding methods for all of our various origami beads and elements. Diagrams are provided for those who enjoy their convenience, and for beginners who want to better understand other books by learning this handy international “origami shorthand.”
Origamido Studio’s jewelry on display.
Origami jewelry can and should be celebrated, not feared, and so this book addresses concerns for paper quality and for the robustness of design. In this book, we discuss selecting the best papers, preparing them (by laminating or back-coating), and wet-folding them with paste (for adding the necessary body and strength). We have also designed several new, versatile, folded “jewels.” You will love arranging and combining these elements with other materials such as seashells, or beads of glass, metal, plastic, or stone. By using readily available findings and fittings you will create attractive, wonderfully expressive and distinctive, wearable folded jewelry art. People notice and comment about origami jewelry because it is so unusual. Origami jewelry is a natural conversation starter. Friends will ask, “Did you fold your earrings?” Now you can say, “Yes, of course!”
Origami Symbols Key
The origami diagrams used in this book are an efficient, internationally-standardized system of lines and arrows, dots, dashes, and a few other symbols.
Although simple, it is not immediately intuitive, so please invest a few moments to study the key, and refer back to it as needed. Become familiar with the symbols and what they mean. As you watch the video, look at the corresponding diagrams in the book to reinforce your understanding. For efficiency, a diagram may contain more than one instruction, so check carefully for details you might have overlooked at first. If you are unsure of a step, glancing ahead to the next step often reveals the desired shape, and may provide other valuable clues. Rotate the paper for your comfort as you fold it (even though the diagrams will not show the object rotated), and then return it to the position shown in the diagram as you compare the shapes. Once you learn this elegant diagramming system, you will be able to enjoy countless origami books.
Cut
Wire Cutters
Paste
Curl
X-Ray View
Push, or Pull
Repeat
Inside-Reverse Fold
Scale
(Ratio of Paper Size to Bead Size)
Major Color Side
Minor Color Side
