What is Jewellery Design?
Jewellery design is the art or profession of designing and creating jewellery, fabricating and repairing jewellery or to make models or moulds to create jewellery items.
The art has taken many forms throughout the centuries, from the simple beadwork of ancient times to the sophisticated metalworking and gem cutting is known in the modern day.
Who is a Jewellery Designer?
Jewellery designers work with precious metals, diamonds, beads and gemstones to create wearable pieces of art. A jewellery designer may create one-of-a-kind pieces for high-end jewellers or an entire line for a mass-market fashion designer
What does a jewellery designer do?
Jewellery designers work with precious metals, diamonds, beads and gemstones to create wearable pieces of art. A jewellery designer may create one-of-a-kind pieces for high-end jewellers or an entire line for a mass-market fashion designer.
They-
· Smooth soldered joints and rough spots, using hand files and emery paper, and polish smoothed areas with polishing wheels or buffing wire.
· Position stones and metal pieces, and set, mount, and secure items in place, using setting and hand tools.
· Create jewellery from materials such as gold, silver, platinum, and precious or semiprecious stones.
What is learned in jewellery designing?
Understand jewellery design concepts acquire a working knowledge of jewellery artistry. Develop skills to illustrate the shape, form, and texture of metal work with drafting tools. Use drafting tools to render yellow and white metals, as well as a range of faceted and cabochon gemstones and pearls Illustrate rings in five different views discover how to keep your design ideas flowing. Developing motifs to create jewellery objects. Render jewellery designs using drafting tools for display as a participant in the final class design exhibition. Creating a portfolio of class projects and custom designs that are ready for presentation to potential clients and employers.
Types of career options in Jewellery Designer-
Some of the career prospects in the field of jewellery designing are:
· Jewellery designer or artist: A professional whose primary responsibility is ideating new jewellery designs and then rendering or drawing those designs.
· Goldsmith: Expert in making any standard or traditional range of jewellery.
· Fashion jeweller: One who specialises in designing jewellery for the fashion Industry.
· Manufacturer: Runs either a small unit or a mass production house. Markets their own line of branded jewellery.
· Repair person: A professional who specialises in the art of mending various jewellery products or accessories.
· Lapidary: An expert in setting of precious and semi-precious stones in various jewellery products.
What is the workplace of aJewellery Designer like?
While many jewellers are self-employed, others might work in retail stores, in jewellery repair shops, or in jewellery manufacturing plants. Those who work in retail jewellery stores often spend a lot of time interacting with customers, either helping them choose pre-made pieces, or taking orders and instructions for custom pieces. Jewellery store employees often earn a commission for each piece of jewellery they sell.
Those who work in repair shops usually spend a lot of time alone, with little or no supervision. While those who work in retail settings often have set schedules, they might also have to work on holidays, when customers often visit jewellery stores.
It is estimated that about 50% of all jewellery artists are self-employed. Self-employed jewellery artists are able to set their own work hours. In fact, many work from their own homes, where they'll usually have a workshop or studio in which they make jewellery. Self-employed jewellery makers often sell their wares at craft fairs and trade shows. Many have also started to sell their work online.
Many artists who make jewellery end up opening jewellery stores of their own. While this is a competitive field, those who are able to build a solid reputation in the jewellery trade are often very successful as jewellery merchants.
Knowledge areas that need to be acquired –
Business
· customer service
· sales and marketing
Engineering and Technology
· design
Manufactured or Agricultural Goods
· manufacture and distribution of products
Skills-
Basic Skills
· thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem
· talking to others
Problem Solving
· noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Abilities –
Hand and Finger Use
· keep your arm or hand steady
· put together small parts with your fingers
Ideas and Logic
· create new and original ideas
· group things in different ways
Personality –
People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.
They do well at jobs that need:
Integrity
Attention to Detail
Dependability
Innovation
Analytical Thinking
Initiative
TECHNOLOGY
You might use software like this on the job:
Accounting software
· Intuit QuickBooks
Point of sale POS software
· Jewellery store point of sale POS software
Customer relationship management CRM software
· Customer information databases
Education –
For Diploma, Degree and Certificate courses in Jewellery designing, one should have passed 10+2 or equivalent examination from any stream of a recognized institution.
Several short-term courses are offered for those who have completed their 10th class. Before qualifying for the course, a student has to pass an aptitude test followed by an interview.
Crash courses are also offered to the working professionals and students.
Training in this field may include art classes through technical schools, along with computer-aided jewellery design training in specific software packages like Rhino, Jewel Cad, Auto Cad, 3D Studio, etc.
Moreover, the use of Photoshop, Corel Draw and in-depth analysis of volume, weight and metal composition are generally considered to be vital parts of the jewellery designing syllabus.
Job outlook –
The boom in the gems and jewellery industry has brought innumerable employment opportunities for jewellery designers. After the successful completion of your course, you can easily find vacancies in this industry. You can also start your own freelance designing business or set up your own retail and trading unit.
Hot job opportunities and lucrative salaries make it just the perfect time to consider jewellery designing as a career option. Pay packet of a jewellery designer can differ depending on the education and experience. For a starter, you can expect salary to be around Rs 7000 to Rs 8000 per month. With experience, it can increase from Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000 or more. Top-rated designers can easily fetch salaries in excess of Rs 1 lakh a month. If you are working as a freelancer, then your earnings will completely depend upon your creativity and your skills in marketing your work. Here there is no limit for how much you can earn
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the Positives/Negatives of being a jewellery designer?
Positives:
· The market demand in India for jewellery designers is so high that it seems like an evergreen career path.
· Jewellery designing is a highly rewarding profession.
Negatives:
· Jobs vacancies for jewellery designers are usually not advertised therefore you will have to put in a great deal of effort to get a foothold in this industry.
· The initial cost of setting up your business is high.
2. What are Jewellers like?
Based on our pool of users, jewellers tend to be predominately artistic people. As long as jewellers are imaginative, creative, and artistic, jewellery will remain a marketable product that consumers will seek to own.
3. Are Jewellers happy?
Jewellers rank as moderately happy among careers. Overall, they rank in the 61st percentile of careers for satisfaction scores.
It has been said that genuine happiness arises in the context of our relationships with others. This might, at least partially, explain the considerable happiness quotient of jewellers. Even though many jewellers work alone, the end product they deliver has the capacity to bring great satisfaction to the customers and designers that commission their work and, by extension, to themselves as well.
4. How long does it take to become a Jeweller?
The length of time that it takes to become a jeweller will depend on the chosen learning track.
Aspiring jewellers able to secure an apprenticeship without any formal training may enter the field in relatively short order. Today, however, this route to the career is rare. It is more likely that employers will look for new-hires who have completed some related courses or an applicable six-month or one-year program at a vocational school or community college; or who have earned a two-year Associate’s Degree from a university or art institute.
Prospective jewellers seeking a higher level of learning and those planning to operate an independent business may choose to earn a relevant four-year Bachelor’s Degree. Some may even spend an additional two or three years completing a Master of Fine Arts program.