Designing jewels, creating rings, necklaces, earrings, designing entire collections of jewelry: it is a dream that sometimes becomes reality. But how do you become a jewelry designer?
Becoming a jewelry designer isn’t difficult, but it’s not easy either: it depends on many factors. But, first of all, why do you want to become a jewelry designer? Are you planning to open your own boutique and also become a jeweler? Or are you thinking of looking for a job in a large company that produces jewelry? Or, finally, would you like to simply show your creativity with handcrafted jewelry designed by you?
Several options. Although designing jewelry may seem like a precise activity, designing rings, earrings and necklaces is not always the same thing: it depends on the context in which you find yourself. An artisanal activity, in which a few handmade jewels are designed, is different from preparing the design of a collection for a large brand. In the first case, for example, a craftsman can more easily adapt the design of a jewel to the materials available to him, as the size or shape of the stones. A large company, on the other hand, needs to design jewels that are always the same, with standard stone sizes and more easily achievable in large-scale production. Furthermore, in a large company the designer creates after having received the indications on the type of jewel to create, also in terms of cost.
Paint jewelry. In short, if you imagine the activity of a designer as that of a painter who draws wonderful jewels with many colored stones on cardboard, you should know that this is not the case. But, sure, designers often use a preparatory sketch for their best jewelry. It takes an artist’s hand to draw a necklace with pencil and tempera colors. Keep in mind, however, that it is not easy: the sketch must be very proportionate, because even the difference in tenth of a millimeter, in reality, is of great importance. You need to know how to evaluate the size of a stone you want to insert: most jewels, for example, use gems of predefined dimensions. In any case, no one will ever prevent you from designing your collections starting from a sheet of paper, a pencil and a thin brush. But then you have to know how to do something else.
After the sketch. Of course, to create a jewel you have to start from an idea. At this stage, drawing sketches on paper with a pencil can be helpful. Thus, the final design of the jewel is approached. The preliminary sketch will be the basis on which to work. This is the beginning of the creative process. The second step, on the other hand, is to transform the idea, the aesthetics of the jewel, into a project that is achievable. The jewel must not only be pleasant to look at, but also sturdy enough despite being made up of a few grams of metal. In addition, it must also be pleasant to wear, not too heavy or uncomfortable in contact with the skin. All aspects that need to be refined.
3D design. After a possible sketch on paper, in most cases the jewel must be designed for industrial production. It needs takes precise measurements, which must be transferred to the production machinery. Obviously, the designer’s job consists in proposing something original, but also achievable with the tools available to the company. Of course, if the jewel is handmade in an artisanal way, the expert eye of the person making it will be especially important. But normally the artistic work on paper is transformed into a special 3D CAD (Computer Aided Design) file with the use of special software. In a certain type of production, for example, the file can later be used to create a plastic model made with a 3D printer. This prototype is then used to make a plaster mold that will be used to proceed with the subsequent processing of the jewel. This last part must also be well known to the designer, who must design jewels that can actually be worked. But at that point the designer is already thinking about the next collection.
Training. In short, how do you become a designer? In the world of jewelry there is no shortage of great designers with a self-taught path. But they are exceptions. To become a good designer you don’t need to be skilled only in drawing. Fantasy is not enough. It is necessary to know the whole production cycle of the jewel and, better still, to have at least knowledge of gemology. For example, you need to know the difference in treatment between an opal and a diamond. Furthermore, it is evident, it is necessary to know how to design a jewel. You can learn all this, or almost all, with an apprenticeship in a goldsmith’s shop, or directly in a jewelry company. And there are many who have followed this path, especially in the jewelry districts, such as Valenza in Italy, Geneva in Switzerland or Pforzheim in Germany. But the best solution is to enroll in a jewelry school. There are many, in all major countries and major cities. In fact, once out of school, a small jewelry brand may just ask for a trial period to test your skills. But large companies in the sector can ask for a practical test, organize several interviews to test your preparation and even a written exam. In short, even to become a jewelry designer, creativity is not enough: you need to broaden your knowledge.
