Find out how a jewel is designed!

When we come across a jewel, we immediately recognize its beauty, but we think little about its creation process, right? Believe me: when we know all the work involved in the piece, it becomes even more beautiful! In addition to all the creativity and design techniques, the jewelry designer needs to be very knowledgeable about geometry and have skills in prototyping programs. Do you want to understand a little more about how your jewel was designed and the technical and artistic aspects that permeate the whole process? Then keep following our article!

creative conception

Before being designed, the jewel was thought through a lot of research, both conceptual and market. Choosing the theme of a collection requires in-depth knowledge of the content it involves — imagine having pieces inspired by Ancient Egypt without first knowing the stones and formats that were preferred, the meanings that the adornments had?

At the same time, studying the target audience, the competition, the trends and the market is essential for drawing up the jewel's sales plan. With all this in mind, you can start working on the design.

In practice

The first drawing is usually done by hand, a sketch that already represents the design of the jewel, in addition to markings on its cutting, setting and coloring. Most professionals draw it in 2D, although it is possible, with knowledge of geometry and isometric perspective, to carry out studies in 3D. This work is essential to study the proportions of the jewel and its angulations, in a graphic presentation that is also mathematically coherent.

Technology, however, facilitated this process and brought easy-to-use vectorization and modeling programs — which do not replace the initial design, but complement it. The best known are Trace, which vectorizes the image, making it easier to manipulate, and Rhinoceros and Rhinogold, which work with 3D modeling. They already contain specific extensions for jewelry, in which it is possible to draw types of stones and use specific proportions for each type of model. These rapid prototyping tools facilitated the manufacturing process, giving greater possibilities for production, but they are difficult to be used by those who do not know them. There are simpler programs, such as Jewelcad, which bring ready-made models that can be modified or combined, but which restrict the jewel to be designed.

the jewelry designer

Recently jewelry design has been recognized as an independent profession. His work process has craftsman and product designer aspects and the specific tools for the area have grown little by little. Despite having the support of goldsmiths and jewelry production machines, the professional needs to be aware of all aspects of the process to design it in the best possible way, combining creativity with feasibility. What matters is monitoring the process as a whole, not just the final product.

Next time you visit a jewelry store, try to imagine how your favorite jewelry was designed! The complexity of the product makes it even more important to you, doesn't it?

Did you have any questions about how the jewelry is designed? Write to us in the comments!

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