First (and foremost): Jewelry is art only as it is worn.
Second: Jewelry should reflect the artist’s intent Creativity is not merely Doing. It’s Thinking, as well.
Third: Jewelry is something affected by, and in return, affects the contexts within which it is introduced. The purpose of jewelry design is to communicate a designer’s idea in a way which others understand and will come to desire. Jewelry is not designed in a vacuum; rather, it results from the interaction of the artist and his or her various audiences, and is communicative at its core.
Fourth: Jewelry design should be seen as a constructive process involving the balancing act of maintaining both shape (structure) as well as good movement, drape and flow (support); jewelry should be seen as more architectural than craft or art alone.
Fifth: Design choices are best made and strategically managed at the boundary between jewelry and person, where the artist can best determine when enough is enough, and the piece is most resonant.
Sixth: Jewelry must succeed aesthetically, functionally, and contextually, and, as such, jewelry design choices must reflect the full scope of all this, if jewelry is to be judged as finished, successful and, most importantly, resonant.
Seventh: Everyone has a level of creativity within them, and they can learn and be taught how to be better and more literate jewelry designers.
Eighth: Students need to learn a deeper understanding about why some pieces of jewelry attract your attention, and others do not. Successful teaching of jewelry design requires strategies leading students to be more literate in how they select, combine and arrange design elements, and to be fluent, flexible and original in how they manipulate, construct, and reveal their compositions.
Ninth: Successful jewelry designing can only be learned within an agreed upon disciplinary literacy. That is, jewelry design requires its own specialized vocabulary, grammar and way of thinking things through and solving problems in order to prepare the designer to be fluent, flexible and original.
Tenth (and final): Disciplinary literacy should be learned developmentally. You start at the beginning, learn a core set of skills and how they are inter-related and inter-dependent. Then you add in a second set of integrated and inter-dependent skills. Next and third set, and so forth, increasing the sophistication of skills in a developmental and integrative sense. The caveat, if you have been making jewelry for a while, it is particularly helpful to go back and relearn things in an organized, developmental approach, which can be very revealing, even to the experienced designer, about how your design choices impact your pieces and your success.
Our curriculum emerged from our understandings about disciplinary literacy in jewelry design and our attempts to implement what we learned from it. This curriculum evolved into this book.
Here you will begin to understand
The challenges jewelry designers face
How to channel your excitement
How to develop your passion
How to cultivate your practice
How to understand what jewelry means and how jewelry is used by various audiences
The variety of materials, techniques and technologies you might want to explore and incorporate into what you do
The creative process, and the things involved in translating inspirations into aspirations into designs
What it means to develop a passion for design
The role desire plays in how people come to recognize and understand whether a piece is finished and successful, and how values are set and imposed on any piece of jewelry
Principles of composition, construction and manipulation, and the intricacies and dependencies of various design elements, such as color, point, line, plane, shape, forms, themes, among others
Creating and using components
The architectural bases of jewelry design
What the ideas underlying “good design” are, as well as those associated with “good contemporary design”
How design concepts are applied in real life
The psychological, cognitive and sexuality underpinnings of jewelry design
Your professional responsibilities as a jewelry designer
Entering the creative marketplace and threading the business needle
Self-care
In fact, the book covers the full range of things you need to learn (or teach others) in order become fluent, flexible and original in jewelry design
Sadly, the field of jewelry design has little academic scholarship relative to the ideas which must support it. This is mostly because jewelry design is not thought of as a discipline apart from art or craft. And this is a disservice to we designers.
Most description and analysis focus on the accomplishments of various successful designers. These texts detail their biographies, their use of artistic elements and techniques, and their influence over styles and fashions. This information is important, but insufficient to support jewelry design as a profession all its own, relevant for today and tomorrow, and inclusive of all of us who call ourselves jewelry designers.
This book covers the bases of those critical professional, think-like-a-designer skills jewelry designers need to develop and at which to become proficient.
SO YOU WANT TO BE A JEWELRY DESIGNER Merging Your Voice With Form
So You Want To Be A Jewelry Designer reinterprets how to apply techniques and modify art theories from the Jewelry Designer’s perspective. To go beyond craft, the jewelry designer needs to become literate in this discipline called Jewelry Design. Literacy means understanding how to answer the question: Why do some pieces of jewelry draw your attention, and others do not? How to develop the authentic, creative self, someone who is fluent, flexible and original. How to gain the necessary design skills and be able to apply them, whether the situation is familiar or not.
Join my community of jewelry designers on myPatreon hub From Warren and Land of OddsUse January’s Discount Code For Extra 25% Off @Land of Odds: JANUARY25 www.landofodds.comJanuary 1, 2025Hi everyone, Some Updates and Things Happening. (Please share this newsletter)
In this Issue: 1. Trailblazers in the art jewelry scene 2. About mixing materials 3. Drilling pearls 4. Conquering the creative marketplace 5. David Szauder digital reels 6. Getting a letter of recommendation 7. Latest question from our members – please share your comments 8. Types of places which showcase jewelry for sale Some articles you may have missed Featured
1. What It Takes, Art Jewelry Forum Panel Discussion at NYCJW24 Art jeweler, educator, and AJF board member Emily Cobb moderates a panel that spotlights trailblazers in the art jewelry scene who have shaken things up with inventive collaborations and/or daring ventures. The panelists are Funlola Coker, Melanie Georgacopoulos, Roxanne Simone, and Mallory Weston.
2. I have some strong opinions about Mixing Materials. Here’s a synopsis of some of my ideas.
MATERIALS / MIXED MATERIALS
It is difficult to mix materials. The brain/eye interaction with various materials are often different, and this is unsettling for the brain. Painful. When this happens, the piece may get interpreted as unsatisfactory, not appealing, even ugly.
Example: Mixing gemstone and glass With most gemstones, the light travels from eye to surface of the material, and continues below the surface, before bouncing back to the eye. With most glass, the light travels from eye to surface of material, then bounces back. It does not penetrate the surface. When mixing gemstone and glass, if the brain/material interaction requires a shift in physical perception, then this is often painful for the brain. If using gemstones, where the light penetrates below surface before bouncing back, then I’d choose a translucent glass bead where this physical perceptual activity mirrors that of the gemstone.
Let’s continue and take the example of an Opal bead. With opals, the light penetrates below surface, interacts with movement (fire), then bounces back to eye. If adding glass, I’d add silver lined translucent glass beads to mirror this effect. Light penetrates below surface, silver is a mirroring/shimmering effect which creates some of that movement below the surface.
If I had added silver lined transparent glass bead, the light would hit the surface and bounce back, with the silver lining creating a mirroring effect primarily reflecting back the color of the glass, but this would not duplicate the shimmering effect had the glass been translucent.
Now say I added an opaque black bead between each opal bead. The bead would have to be very small in proportion to the opal bead. I call this framing. If small enough, this would kick in the GESTALT cognitive behavior of the brain. It sees a ‘gap’, not a black glass bead, and fills in the space as if something similar to the opal bead were there. The Gestalt overrides the perceptual effects. However, if the black glass bead takes up too much volume relative to the opal bead, then the brain has to deal with the perceptual anomaly of light bouncing back and forth in different ways, which is painful for the brain. The Gestalt effect would not kick in.
Aesthetic Materials: Sensations and Symbolism Materials have sensory and symbolic powers which extend beyond the materials themselves. Obviously, this can be very subjective. It might have psychological roots, sociological roots and/or cultural roots.
Things may feel warm, cold, soft, rough, oily, weighty. Things may represent romance, power, membership, religiosity, status. Vanderbilt University’s colors are gold and black, so using those colors in the Nashville, TN area might evoke a different emotional response than when used elsewhere. And here’s that very-difficult-to-design-with University of Tennessee orange, again, in the Nashville area will evoke a very different response than elsewhere.
Materials like amber and bone and crystal are things people like to touch, not just look at. The sensation extends beyond the visual grammar.
The surface of a material has many characteristics which the jewelry designer leverages within the finished piece. Light might reflect off this surface, such as with opaque glass or shiny metal. Light might be brought into and below the surface before reflected back, such as with many gemstones and opalescent glass. Light might refract through the piece at different angles, even creating a prism effect.
The surface might be a solid color. It might be a mix of colors. It might be matte. It may have inclusions or markings. It may have fired on coloration effects. There may be tonal differences. There may be pattern or textural differences. It may have movement. It may have depth.
Best combine the materialistic qualities with the non-materialistic qualities of the project Every material has two over-arching qualities. The obvious is its physical properties and physicality. Let’s call this materialistic. It is something that is measurable. In the realm of the mystic, it is ordinary or profane.
But the material also has qualities that extend beyond this. They can be sensory. They can be symbolic. They can be psychological. They can be contextual. Let’s call this non-materialistic. It is something that is non-measurable. In the realm of the mystic, it is extraordinary and sacred.
Both properties must be considered when designing a piece of jewelry. They have equal importance, when selecting, placing and arranging materials and design elements within a piece.
Example: Take a Chakra bracelet strung on cable wire with a clasp. The beads used are gemstones. Each gemstone has spiritual and healing properties. Each gemstone has a coloration, and each different coloration, too, is associated with certain spiritual and healing properties. Moreover, every individual has their own unique needs for which set of gemstones and which assortment of colorations are best and most appropriate. This can get even more complicated in that each situation and context may have its own requirements. The person may end up needing several Chakra bracelets for different occasions. The designer could have used glass or acrylic beads, instead, which have less non-materialistic value, and might be less durable over time. The designer could have strung the beads on elastic string without using a clasp, again, less non-materialistic value and durability.
When mixing materials, it is best to let one material predominate.
3. A NOTE ABOUT DRILLING PEARL HOLES TO MAKE THEM LARGERPearls typically have very small holes. Because of how they are often drilled, the hole on one side is slightly larger than the hole on the other. The holes are small because it is too easy to chip and crack the nacre around the holes, when drilling them.You can, however, make the holes a little larger. You could first try to use a hand-held or battery-operated bead reamer to make the holes in your pearls larger. You want your drill bits to be diamond coated. Sometimes this might work, but more often, you need something more powerful.More likely you will want to use a dremel, with carbide steel drill bits.Usually, your drill bits need to be between .5mm (1/50”) and .7mm (3/50”), with .5mm the most common.With some natural pearls, however, you may need drill bits to be between .3mm (1/100”) and .45mm (1.6/100”).For a large hole, you would want drill bits to be between 1.0mm and 2.0mm.I keep a set of carbide drill bills between .4mm and 1.2mm.You want to work slowly but steadily.Wear safety goggles. Pearl dust can adversely affect your eyesight.Until the 1970s, pearl holes were typically drilled by hand. Pearl companies from Japan would often have boys in India drill holes in pearls. They would hire and train boys who were 9 years old. By the time the boys were 14, many had lost their eyesight. Thankfully, with the advent of mechanized ways to drill pearls, this practice no longer continues today.
4. I have advised so many students and clients about taking their jewelry making to the creative marketplace and becoming a successful entrepreneur. In this book, CONQUERING THE CREATIVE MARKETPLACE, I summarized all my advice. 548pp, many images and diagrams Kindle or Ebook or Print
HOW DREAMS ARE MADE BETWEEN THE FICKLENESS OF BUSINESS AND THE PURSUIT OF JEWELRY DESIGN
This guidebook is a must-have for anyone serious about making money selling jewelry. I focus on straightforward, workable strategies for integrating business practices with the creative design process. These strategies make balancing your creative self with your productive self easier and more fluid.
Based both on the creation and development of my own jewelry design business, as well as teaching countless students over the past 35+ years about business and craft, I address what should be some of your key concerns and uncertainties. I help you plan your road map. Whether you are a hobbyist or a self-supporting business, success as a jewelry designer involves many things to think about, know and do. I share with you the kinds of things it takes to start your own jewelry business, run it, anticipate risks and rewards, and lead it to a level of success you feel is right for you, including
• Getting Started: Naming business, identifying resources, protecting intellectual property • Financial Management: basic accounting, break even analysis, understanding risk-reward-return on investment, inventory management • Product Development: identifying target market, specifying product attributes, developing jewelry line, production, distribution, pricing, launching • Marketing, Promoting, Branding: competitor analysis, developing message, establishing emotional connections to your products, social media marketing • Selling: linking product to buyer among many venues, such as store, department store, online, trunk show, home show, trade show, sales reps and showrooms, catalogs, TV shopping, galleries, advertising, cold calling, making the pitch • Resiliency: building business, professional and psychological resiliency • Professional Responsibilities: preparing artist statement, portfolio, look book, resume, biographical sketch, profile, FAQ, self-care
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1. AN INTRODUCTION: CONQUERING THE CREATIVE MARKETPLACE
2. THREADING THE BUSINESS NEEDLE 3. Where Can I Sell My Jewelry? 4. Can I Make Money? 5. Why Designers Fail in Business
6. DISCIPLINARY LITERACY IN THE CREATIVE MARKETPLACE
7. GETTING STARTED IN BUSINESS 8. Write A Business Audit Memorandum To Self 9. Your Getting Started Story 10. Naming Your Business 11. Protecting Your Business Name and Other Intellectual Property 12. Tag Line, Descriptions, Naming Jewelry, Story, Elevator Pitch 13. What Do I Need To Become Official? 14. What Form of Business? 15. Retail, Wholesale, Consignment 16. Your Business Model 17. Custom Work
18. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND RETURN ON INVESTMENT 19. Understanding Risk and Reward 20. Tracking Costs and Revenues With Bookkeeping and General Accounting 21. Other Record Keeping 22. Fixed and Variable Costs, Budgeting, Break Even Analysis 23. Managing Inventory 24. Efficiency, Effectiveness, Component Design Systems 25. Employees and Independent Contractors 26. Banking, Insurance, Credit Card Processing 27. Getting Terms 28. Getting Paid 29. Developing a Growth Mindset 30. Crowd Funding
31. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT 32. Product Goals 33. Product Target Market / Market Niche 34. Product Design Management and Design Coherency 35. Build A Distinctive Line Of Jewelry 36. Product Production 37. Product Distribution 38. Product Marketing, Promotion and Positioning 39. Product Pricing 40. Product Launch 41. Product Feedback and Evaluation
42. MARKETING / PROMOTION / POSITIONING 43. Finding Your Target Market 44. Competitor Analysis 45. Fashion and Consumption 46. Influence and Persuasion 47. Marketing Strategies 48. Social Media Marketing 49. Collaborating With Influencers 50. Increasing Credibility and Legitimacy 51. Building Your BRAND 52. Self Promotion and Raising Your Visibility 53. Writing A Press Release and Preparing For Reporters
54. SELLING 55. How Will You Link Up Your Product To Your Buyer? 56. Knowing Your Competitive Advantages 57. Training and Educating The Customer 58. Selling At Art And Craft Shows 59. Selling Online 60. Selling In Local Shops, Boutiques and Department Stores 61. Consignment 62. Selling In Galleries 63. Selling At Home Shows 64. Selling At Trunk Shows 65. Selling At Jewelry Making Parties 66. Selling Through Mail Order Catalogs 67. Selling On TV Shopping Sites and Streamed Web 68. Selling Through A Mobile Truck Business 69. Advertising 70. Cold Calling And Making The Pitch 71. Working with Sales Reps, Agencies, and Show Rooms 72. Selling At Trade Shows 73. Teaching Classes and Selling Patterns and Kits 74. Other Selling Venues 75. About Contracts and Agreements 76. Overcoming Setbacks and Fears of Rejection 77. Relying On Other People To Sell Your Jewelry 78. Saying Goodbye To Your Jewelry 79. Merchandising and Display 80. DesignerConnect – Interview With Tony Perrin
81. RESLILIENCY
82. PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES 83. Artist Statement 84. Portfolio and Look Book 85. Biographical Sketch and Profile 86. Resume or Curriculum Vitae 87. Certificate of Authenticity 88. FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions 89. Self Care
About Warren Feld, Jewelry Designer Thank You and Request For Reviews Other Articles and Tutorials
5. Although this has nothing to do with jewelry per se, this guy’s (David Szauder) digital reels on instagram are so phenomenal, I wanted to share them with you. https://www.instagram.com/davidszauder/
6. There will be occasions where you might need a letter of recommendation. There will be occasions where you might need a letter of recommendation. You might be applying for a grant or some other source of funding. You might be trying to get your pieces into a gallery or high-end boutique. You might be submitting a piece to a juried competition. You might be searching for a partnership or collaboration or guidance. You might request this letter from a mentor, a colleague, someone familiar with your work, or a gallery or boutique owner. You want that person, in the context of that letter, to refer to your competitive advantage. That is how you differentiate yourself from other jewelry designers. It suggests that taking a risk on showing/selling your works is worthwhile. Some examples of describing your competitive advantages:innovative, originality, differentiationsells well, clear and predictable client baseexperimenting with new materials, techniques or technologiesresponsible, always timely, communicates well with client during processopen and willing to learn, adaptable, flexibleContinue reading this article on our Jewelry Designers’ Hub.
8. I am often asked where you can showcase your jewelry for sale. There’s the obvious: Boutiques.
Then the less obvious: Beauty parlor (usually the law prevents jewelry sales, except in a separate lobby waiting area) Nail salon (usually the law prevents jewelry sales, except in a separate lobby waiting area) Spa, massage shop, tattoo shop Hotel lobby gift shop Museum, art center gift shop Farmer’s markets Art and craft shows Holiday markets Antique stores Libraries Flea markets Art galleries
Where it becomes worth your while, you want to showcase your jewelry in places your typical “client” would go to, but not where it is stressful, like a doctor’s office.
At the least, you want to maximize your exposure.
Ask the business owner to host a reception where their customers could meet you. This is a win-win. The business gets to build better relationships with their clients, and you get exposure.
Assess how secure your pieces will be, and whether you can live with whatever security there might be.Be sure to post statements about your inspiration and creative process with each piece of art. Have business cards there.
Be sure there are obvious ways a person can find you outside of this business. Be sure it is obvious how someone can purchase any of your pieces.Set a time limit for showcasing at this business. 1-3 months is a good framework. If there is a lot of interest in your work, you can repeat with another exhibit.
Check in on the display regularly to make sure your haven’t run out of promotional materials, like your business cards, and that things are still displayed well.Determine what percent of sales will go to the business and what percent to you. Best arrangements: 60-40, 50-50, 40-60. When the arrangement is outside this range, this is a yellow flag indicating that your exposure (and sales) probably is not worth the risk of your time, resources and energy.
WARREN FELD JEWELRY (www.warrenfeldjewelry.com) Custom Design, Workshops, Video Tutorials, Webinars, Coaching, Kits, Group Activities, Repairs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Join our community of jewelry designers on myPatreon hub Be part of a community of jewelry designers who recognize that we have a different way of thinking and doing than other types of crafters or artists. One free downloadable Mini-Lesson of your choice for all new members! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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In the 1990s, my partner and I decided we wanted to set up a training program, but something different than what already existed. It was obvious to us that what already existed wasn’t working.
It came down to this: our bead store customers and our jewelry making students were not challenging us. They were not pushing us to seek out new materials. They were not demanding that we more critically evaluate the quality, usefulness, and long term staying power of various stringing materials and jewelry findings options. They were not wondering why some things broke or didn’t come together well. They were not encouraging us to explore the craft, improve upon it, search for more variations on existing methods and more ideas about new methods, and see where we could take it.
The typical customer, at that time, would learn one technique, apply it to one pattern, and do this pattern over and over again, perhaps only varying the colors. They would make at least 10 or 12 of the exact same pieces, again, typically only varying in color choices, and carry them around in zip lock plastic bags secured in their purses. They rarely deviated from using the same materials, the same clasps, the same jewelry findings. They never asked questions about what else they could do. They never varied their techniques. They never challenged themselves. They never questioned why things broke, or didn’t come together well, or why people liked or didn’t like the pieces they were making.
Students wanted us to tell them, step-by-step, how to do it. They didn’t want to think about it. They just wanted to make something quickly, that looked good on them, matched what they were wearing, and could be worn home. Uninterested in whether there were better stringing materials for the project. Or a more clever way to construct the clasp assembly. Or better choices of colors, patterns, textures or materials. Or things they could do to make the piece move better, drape better and be more comfortable to wear. Or even take the time to consider the appropriateness of the technique or the appropriateness of the piece itself, given where and when and how the piece was intended to be worn.
We began to see that this was not a customer or student problem. It was not any personal characteristics. Or motivations. Or experiences. Or skill level. This was a problem about what they learned and how they were taught and their level of expectations about what to assume and what to anticipate. They weren’t learning or getting taught that disciplinary way of asking questions, solving problems and day-to-day thinking unique to jewelry designers. They were not learning how to become literate in design. Their expectations about what was good, acceptable, finished, successful — you get the idea — were low. Bead and jewelry magazines, video tutorials, craft and bead stores, jewelry design programs set these low bars and reinforced them. As a result, they convinced their readers and students and practitioners to understand jewelry merely as an object to be worn, not inhabited. And not part of any kind of public interaction or dialog.
Jewelry design, at the time we began in business, was considered more a hobby or an avocation than an occupation or a profession. There was the assumption that no special knowledge was required. You were either creative or you were not. And all it took to make a piece of jewelry was to reduce a project to a series of steps where jewelry making was basically paint-by-numbers.
Art and Design concepts were dumbed down for jewelry makers, rather than elaborated and reinforced. It was assumed that everyone universally used the same criteria for judging a piece as finished and successful. As a consequence, there was a lot of standardization in jewelry designs, materials and construction. Too much sameness. Not enough variation and originality. Too much focus on fashion and product consumption. Too much diminishing of individuality and the reflection of the artist’s hand in design. And with all this standardization, an increasing risk that the jewelry artist was no longer a necessary and critical part of jewelry making and its design.
Around this time, the art world seemed to want to make a big push to encompass jewelry, as well. Jewelry was defined as a subset of painting or sculpture. And this lent an air of professionalization to the field. Jewelry making here became a beauty contest. But jewelry design was divorced from the materials it was made from, the constructive choices necessary for it to function, and the person who was to wear it.
Before designing jewelry, I had been a painter. For several years when I began designing jewelry, I approached jewelry projects as if I were painting them. This was very frustrating. I couldn’t get the color effects I wanted to achieve. Or the sense of line and shape and dimension. To compensate for my repeated feelings of failure, I actually pulled out my acrylic paints and canvas and painted my creations as I had visualized them in my mind. I could paint jewelry well. But, stuck as I was in this painter-as-designer-rut, I could not satisfactorily translate my vision into a satisfying piece of jewelry.
It finally began to dawn on me the things which needed to be learned and needed to be taught. I needed to approach jewelry from the jewelry’s standpoint. I needed to understand the components and beads used in jewelry on their own terms — how they asserted themselves within each of my projects. Beads and related components were not paints. I needed to understand what happened to all these components over time. I needed to understand how the placement of each component, as well as clusters of components, affected people within the situations they found themselves. I needed to understand much more about light and shadow and reflection and refraction. I needed more insight into how things moved, draped and flowed, all the while keeping their shape. Starting with a merely mechanical view of making jewelry wasn’t cutting it. Nor was starting with an artistic view of the aesthetics of jewelry. We needed to incorporate aspects of design, as well.
My partner and I began organizing our evolving ideas and values about the designing of jewelry into something we called The Design Perspective. These ideas and values form a sort of Design Manifesto. They are principles at the core of any jewelry design discipline. These principles take the designer beyond craft. They integrate art with function and context. These principles were, and continue to be, as follows, and it is my hope, as you read through the book, that these become yours, as well.
SO YOU WANT TO BE A JEWELRY DESIGNER Merging Your Voice With Form
So You Want To Be A Jewelry Designer reinterprets how to apply techniques and modify art theories from the Jewelry Designer’s perspective. To go beyond craft, the jewelry designer needs to become literate in this discipline called Jewelry Design. Literacy means understanding how to answer the question: Why do some pieces of jewelry draw your attention, and others do not? How to develop the authentic, creative self, someone who is fluent, flexible and original. How to gain the necessary design skills and be able to apply them, whether the situation is familiar or not.
Abstract Color is the single most important Design Element. Most artists and jewelry designers learn about how to use and control for color in art schools. They learn about how colors are perceived. How to combine colors and maximize the appealing effects of such combinations. How the perceptions of color vary, given the context, and how to anticipate these variations. These art theories work well for those who paint. But not so well for those who design jewelry.
How Artists and Jewelry Designers Respond Differently To The Use Of Color
The artist is concerned with achieving harmony, balance and evoking an emotional response. Color theories point the way. The artist wants to be guided by these and conform to them. To the artist, color theory is more about objectives and universals. They tap into the brain’s propensity to balance things out. People are prewired with an anxiety response. Our brains have some presets so that we avoid snakes and spiders. When things get too unbalanced and too unharmonious, the brain gets edgy. We begin to interpret things as not as interesting, perhaps somewhat unsatisfying, even ugly.
Color schemes show what colors in combination yield a balance in energy and wave length signatures. For example, and with a lot of oversimplification, color theory points out that in any project, the proportion of red should equal the proportion of green. If red has an energy signature of +1, then the energy signature of green would be -1. Added together, they equal zero. The brain wants things to equal zero. Balanced. Harmonious. And artists who follow the theories about color are secure in this. They recognize that all people want the colors in front of them to balance out to zero. Color theory leads the way. Artists want to be guided and conform to it.
For the jewelry designer, however, color theories are a starting point, but quickly break down. This is because jewelry is only art as it is worn. That means the jewelry will move with the person, shift from one type of light to another as the person moves from room to room or from inside to outside. The materials used in jewelry do not come in every color of the rainbow. You cannot crush them up and blend them. Even with a simple round bead, the color will vary across the bead, becoming lighter or darker, sometimes even changing the color as presented, as you move around the curved surface, perceive the hole piercing through the bead, at the hole’s end with added shadows. Many beads will even cast a color shadow extending well beyond the boundary of the bead, but changing scope and direction as the wearer pivots or the lighting changes. The silhouette of any piece of jewelry will shift in shape as the jewelry shifts in position in responses to the forces of movement, stresses and strains. Unlike a painting, jewelry is never static. The perceived colors keep changing. If from any one position, the jewelry appears less than appealing, this is awkward for the wearer. People viewing jewelry attribute the qualities of the jewelry to the qualities of the person wearing it. This situation is unacceptable to the professional jewelry designer. The wearer should always look good. So color, as a design element with all its attributes of expression, must be managed differently.
The artist manages the perception of color. The jewelry designer manages its sensation. Perceptions may be managed as objective, universal responses to color. Sensations result from designers manipulating, exploiting, challenging and violating theories of color, because sensations are more subjective, less predictable and are context specific. The artist seeks an emotional response. The jewelry design seeks something a little bit more, a slight edginess beyond harmony, what I call resonance. An emotional response to jewelry would be I like it. A resonant response to jewelry would be I want to wear it, or I want to buy it.
PAINTS vs. BEADS
How one becomes fluent in art is by necessity different than how one becomes fluent in jewelry design. Jewelry designers must learn to think differently than artists when working with colors. They must learn to be able to anticipate and control the sensation of colors by wearer AND viewer, as the jewelry is worn.
With artists, color is applied. With jewelry designers, color is arranged. Because color is not applied per se, the bead — its very being — creates a series of dilemmas for the colorist.
(1) Availability of Colors Beads do not come in every color. The perceived color on any bead has a lot of variation due to the shape, curvature and faceting of beads, as well as the effects of the hole and its drilled channel. Some beads will cast a shadow past their boundary. Some beads have striations or other similar effects where different colors are strewn within and throughout the bead. The perception of color may differ as the bead is viewed under different light sources, or indoor or outdoor, or different casts of shadows. Different types of bead finishes reflect, absorb or refract light differently from each other. The perceived color of the bead might vary based on the colors of the clothing, skin tone, hair style and color, and makeup of the person wearing the jewelry.
With paint, you can construct any color and can create many coloration effects. But, once completed, the painting is static as is the lighting. There will be a more consistent perception of colors and colorations.
(2) Position Painting is observed in fixed position with fixed lighting with a viewer standing in front of it. Jewelry is observed as it moves, with varying light and shadow conditions by someone who wears it and others who view it. Jewelry will also shift positions as it is worn.
(3) Appeal and Functionality Jewelry has to succeed both visually and functionally. The things contributing to function, from canvas to clasp assembly, offer their own complications to the sensation of color.
Paintings are judged by appeal alone.
(4) 2 or more colors in contrast When you have 2 or more colors existing within the same composition, they may affect the perception of color of any one of them. They may blend, exude temperature, feel closer or more distant. The proportion of each color present will affect how they are perceived. The juxtaposition of 2 or more colors has a critical effect on the sensation of colors, moreso, complicated because jewelry moves.
(5) Transitioning from one bead to the next With jewelry, more attention must be given to the transitioning from one bead to the next, one color to the next, because this often is not fluid or natural. There will be gaps of light between beads, or negative spaces not taken up by the volume of each component. With jewelry, as it moves, it is more often the case that perceptions of color will not conform to scientific universals.
(6) Goals The goal for the artist is to evoke emotions based on harmony and balance with a little variety. Evidence of finish and success lie in establishing harmony and balance.
The goal for the jewelry designer is resonance with a little more of an edge to it that takes the viewer slightly beyond harmony and balance. Evidence of finish and success relates to how the designer and the wearer establish some shared understanding that the values and desires of each have been met when the jewelry is worn.
DESIGNING JEWELRY INVOLVES MAKING A WHOLE HOST OF CHOICES
As designers, we…
Select materials and techniques, leveraging their strengths and minimizing their weaknesses
Anticipate how the parts we use to make a piece of jewelry assert their needs for color
Anticipate shared universal understandings among self, viewer, wearer, exhibitor, collector and seller about color and its use
Think through how colors relate to our inspirations and how they might impact our aspirations
Pick colors
Place and arrange colors
Distribute the proportions of colors
Play with and experiment with color values and color intensities
Leverage the synergistic effects and what happens when two (or more) colors are placed next to one another
Create focus, rhythm, balance, dimension and movement with color
Create satisfying blending and transitioning strategies using color
Anticipate how color and the play of color within our piece might be affected by contextual or situational variables
Reflect on how our choices about color affect how the piece of jewelry is judged as finished and successful by our various client audiences
Use color to promote the coherency of our pieces, and the speed and extent to which attention by others continues to spread
PICKING COLORS FOR JEWELRY DESIGNS
The jewelry designer has to pick colors pleasing to the designer, as well as anticipate what colors will be pleasing to the wearer or buyer. This makes picking colors very personal and subjective. We all know that designs are imperfect. Beads are imperfect. Colors are imperfect. So part of picking colors has to be very strategic and well-managed.
Colors are used by the designer to clarify and intensify the effects she or he wants to achieve. They are used to:
Delineate segments, forms, themes, areas
Express naturalism or abstraction
Enhance the sense of structure or physicality (forward/recede; emphasize mass or lines or surfaces or points)
Stimulate the senses (warmth or cold; memories; enlarging or decreasing)
Play with light and shadow (surprise, distort, challenge, contradict, provoke)
Alter the natural relationship between the jewelry and the situation it is worn in (context, clothing, body and face types/skin tones, setting)
The resulting relationships between space and mass, negative and positive areas
Focus attention, particularly providing information about direction, boundaries, permissions
Color Tools At The Designer’s Discretion
Both the artist as well as the jewelry designer have three primary color tools at their discretion. For the artist, these tools are used to control perceptions of color. For the jewelry designer, however, these tools are used to control the sensations and experiencing of color.
TOOL 1: SENSATION OF COLOR BALANCES (Light Values)
Individually, each color is perceived in the same way. Each color is associated with a particular energy and wavelength signature. Both artist and jewelry designer can assume that each color standing fixed and alone is perceived in the same way universally. For the jewelry designer, however, since jewelry is worn and moves, the designer cannot assume that in any one minute, each color will be perceived consistently in the same way.
TOOL 2: SENSATION OF COLOR CONTRASTS (Color Schemes/Color Wheel, Color Proportions)
When 2 or more colors co-exist in the same space, they affect each other. Color schemes and information about color proportions have been scientifically derived. These determine, to oversimplify things, a zero-zero point where the positive and negative energy signatures of each color balance out to zero. With a composition of blue and orange, this contrast color scheme indicates that their energy signatures would balance out to zero. When dealing with proportions, color theory determines that there should be one orange for every 3 blues, again to achieve harmony within this zero balance point. In this way, certain combinations of colors are seen as more appealing than others.
For the artist, she or he can achieve these universal understandings about color contrasts within any composition. For the jewelry designer, not so much. Color schemes and color proportions are a good place for the designer to start any project. But because movement and context will continually distort perceptions of these colors as the jewelry is worn, more color management will be called for, if the piece is to feel finished and successful. The jewelry designer literally has to work hard to trick the brain so that it interprets the inevitably resulting imperfections in color use as PERFECTions.
TOOL 3: SENSATION OF COLOR CONTRASTS IN CONTEXT (simultaneity effects, shared understandings)
When 2 or more colors are present, and you take into effect more contextual information, you often find that colors experienced simultaneously can affect how each color is perceived apart from what you would predict from things like color light values, color schemes or color proportions.
A yellow square inside a white box appears to feel cooler than that same yellow square in a black box. Similarly with the red square. Colors appearing simultaneously can be made to feel to be receding/approaching, warm/gold, blending and bridging, overcoming gaps and negative spaces or paralyzed by them, establishing dimensionality and movement, redirecting attention, blurring or bounding, smaller or larger.
Any color with a gray or black undertone will take on the characteristics of the color beside it. Besides the obvious black diamond color, other colors which have gray or black undertones include prairie green, Montana blue, French rose, purple violet, Colorado topaz.
Other types of beads which allow you to create simultaneity effects: silver, gold, anything with a mirror or foil effect, color-lined beads.
Thus, Simultaneity Effects are a boon to the jewelry designer. They are great tools for TRICKING THE BRAIN and …
Making the variation in color as expressed within the bead or other object as more homogeneous
Filling in the gaps of light between beads
Assisting in the guiding attention along or the sense of movement of colors along a line or plane
Assisting in establishing dimensionality in a piece that otherwise would appear flat
Harmonizing, Blending or Bridging two or more colors which, as a set, don’t quite match up on the color wheel
Establishing frames, boundaries or silhouettes
Re-directing the eye to another place, or creating sense of movement
The Blue Waterfall Necklace
In this Blue Waterfall Necklace, which is one of my designs, I capitalized on the use of simultaneity effects. As you can see in the image above, there are three colors which I lined up together: Sapphire (cube), Crystal Diffusion (cathedral) and Indian Sapphire (which is a rounder shape). Normally, you would not mix sapphire and Indian sapphire in the same piece. They don’t really go together. Using a color in between — crystal diffusion in this case — which acts in a similar way to a gray color bead, I was able to blend the characteristics of the Indian sapphire bead on one side and the sapphire bead on the other. When you look at the finished piece, the colors lined up in each segment appear harmonious.
Some additional examples of strategic color use that I have done:
A. Putting a transparent faceted olivine bead next to a transparent faceted capri blue bead. In bright or direct light, depending on in what direction from the light the person wearing the piece is standing, will cast a color shadow — either an olivine shadow over the capri bead, or a capri blue shadow over the olivine bead. That means, when the person orients their stance in various positions, you will often get a muddy brown look, rather than distinct olivine and capri blue colors.
This arrangement would also be the beginning of an analogous color scheme. In this scheme no color should predominate. If one does, it starts to look less satisfying. If we rely on a different color theory about color proportions, then we want to have 1.5 blue green for every 1 olivine. In this case, we could not meet the criteria for both the color scheme rule and the color proportion rule.
In any event, I would probably first place a sterling silver or gold bead between the olivine and capri. These metal beads will create that simultaneous effect. When a person is wearing the piece, sometimes, depending on the lighting and the person’s stance, the capri and its shadow will take up a greater volume, and vice versa with the olivine. There won’t be that occasional muddy look.
B. In my piece — Little Tapestries: Ghindia — I embedded red crystal beads within a seam. They are not visible if you are standing in front of the person wearing the piece. I wanted the person wearing the piece to subtly catch the eye (bright red flashes of color reflecting the light) of anyone to her side or just behind her.
C. It is difficult to mix materials within the same piece. That is partly because the brain/eye interaction with each type of material is often different, and this is unsettling for the brain. Painful. When the brain is unsettled, the piece gets interpreted as unsatisfactory, unappealing, even ugly. Successfully mixing materials gets very caught up in an understanding of light and shadow. And an understanding of light and shadow is very influenced by and influential in the use of color.
The surface of a material has many characteristics which the jewelry designer leverages within the finished piece. Light might reflect off this surface, such as with opaque glass or shiny metal. Light might be brought into and below the surface before getting reflected back, such as with many gemstones and opalescent glass. Light might refract through the piece at different angles, even creating a prism effect. Light might be absorbed below the surface, as with pearls.
The surface might be a solid color. It might be a mix of colors. It might be matte. It may be flat, have crevices, have matrixing, or have inclusions. It may have fire or flashing coloration effects. There may be tonal differences. There may be pattern or textural differences. It may convey movement. It may convey depth.
One example that comes up a lot: it is difficult to mix gemstone with glass. For most gemstones, the light travels from the eye to the surface of the material, then continues below the surface, before bouncing back. For most glass, the light travels from the eye to the surface of the material, then bounces back; it does not penetrate the surface. When mixing gemstones and glass, if the brain’s interaction with the materials requires a shift in the activity of physical perception, then this is often uneasy and painful for the brain.
If I were to mix glass and gemstone, I would choose glass which mimics the brain/eye/light effect. I would choose a translucent glass bead where this effect is mirrored to that with the gemstone.
Let’s say I created a necklace of opal beads. With opals, the light penetrates below the surface, interacts with movement (fire effect), then bounces back to the eye. I can mirror this effect with silver lined translucent glass beads. The silver lining within the transparent glass mimics the sense of ‘fire’. If I had added a silver lined transparent bead instead, this would not work as well. Here, with the transparent bead, the light hits the surface of the glass and the silver lining intensifies the experience of the particular color of the glass.
Let’s stick with this opal necklace. Say I added an opaque black seed bead in between each opal bead. If small enough, this configuration kicks in the GESTALT cognitive behavior. The brain “sees” a gap between each opal bead, and not a glass bead. The brain fills in the gap with color approximating that of the opal beads. If this seed bead gets too large relative to the opal bead, however, a different cognitive process kicks in. Here the brain has to deal with the perceptual anomaly of light bouncing back and forth in different ways — eye to surface and eye to below surface. Again, painful for the brain.
D. Substituting one material for another will result in a very different experience of the object for the wearer. Take, for example, a Chakra bracelet strung on cable wire with a clasp. Say the beads used are gemstones. Each gemstone has spiritual and healing properties. Each gemstone has a coloration, and each different coloration, too, is associated with certain spiritual and healing properties. Moreover, every individual has their own unique needs for which set of gemstones and which assortment of colorations are best and most appropriate. This can get even more complicated in that each situation and context may have its own requirements.
The designer could have used glass or acrylic beads instead. These would be less spiritual, less healing, less valuable and less durable over time. Only the property of coloration would be the critical variable leading to spiritual and healing properties. The sensations the wearer would have with the gemstone bracelet would differ significantly from those with the glass or acrylic bracelet.
YOU CANNOT SEPARATE THE COLOR FROM THE HOW AND WHY IT WAS CHOSEN
With any art object, the designer and the artist are at the core of it all. Its success depends on the types of choices made. Though both disciplines overlap some, artists and designers have to resort to a different thinking process when making choices about color.
When someone interacts with any art object, the brain tries everything it can to make sense of and harmonize the situation. Should it like it or not? Should it touch it, wear it, buy it, or not? Should it influence you to share your observations and emotions, or not? The brain tries to zero-sum the light values by taking into effect each color’s energy signature. It has to weigh information about how much of one color there is in relation to one or more other colors. It has to evaluate information about emotional and other meaningful content the juxtaposition and placement of any set of colors within any context or situation represents. It has to fill in the blanks — gaps and negative spaces — where it might expect to see some color but does not. It has to determine whether the person should expend the time and energy to attend to the whole object, or stop at just a small part of it. It has to attend to color, whether static or moving.
The artist seeks to anticipate how people perceive color, and based on color theories, can recognize how certain universals come into play. They emphasize these universals. This results in harmony and balance.
The jewelry designer has a different task, more complex, riskier. The designer, in anticipation of how others perceive, recognize and interpret colors in their lives, has to establish within any design a strategy for how color is used to enhance expression within any piece. The jewelry designer must anticipate the effects of movement on color. The jewelry designer is the manager. The designer is the controller. The designer is the influencer. The designer brings to the situation personal values and desires. The designer establishes and conveys intent and meaning resulting from the choices, including and especially about color, she or he has made. Fluent designers can decode color and its use intuitively and quickly, and apply color in more expressive ways to convey inspiration, show the designer’s strategy and intent, and trigger an especially resonant, energetic response by wearers and viewers alike.
The viewer and wearer then must determine whether the designer’s use of color meets and assists them in expressing their own values, needs and desires. They might wear or buy it. They might show it to their friends. They might merely complement the designer. They might walk away.
Jewelry making has aspects of craft to it, but it is so much more. It is art. It is architecture. It is communicative and interactive. It moves with the person wearing it. It is reflective of the jewelry designer’s hand. And it defines and reaffirms the narrative stories of everyone who wears it, views it, buys it, exhibits it, collects it, talks about it.
To go beyond craft, the jewelry designer needs to become literate in this discipline called Jewelry Design. Literacy means understanding how to answer the question: Why do some pieces of jewelry draw your attention, and others do not? How to develop the authentic, creative self, someone who is fluent, flexible and original. How to gain the necessary design skills and be able to apply them, whether the situation is familiar or not.
Craft and art techniques and theories are of little help. These do not show how to make trade-offs between beauty and functionality. Nor how to introduce pieces publicly. These provide weak rules for determining when a piece of jewelry is finished and successful. Often, the desires and motivations of wearers, viewers and buyers are minimized or ignored.
So You Want To Be A Jewelry Designer reinterprets craft techniques, modifies art theories, and introduces architectural, socio-cultural and perceptual-cognitive considerations so that jewelry makers are better prepared to approach design.
By the end of So You Want To Be A Jewelry Designer, established jewelry artisan Warren Feld teaches you how to
· Select materials, techniques and technologies
· Choose, compose, construct and manipulate jewelry design elements
· Anticipate expectations, perceptions, values and desires of client audiences
· Develop those soft skills of creativity, inspiration, aspiration and passion
Warren Feld examines with you all those things which lead to your success as a jewelry designer, and your associated design practice or business.
Guiding Questions? 1. How do I write a Biographical Sketch or Profile? 2. Does a biographical sketch replace or compliment a person’s resume?
Keywords: biographical sketch profile resume connection avatar 1st person vs. 3rd person voice
The Biographical Sketch or Profile
Your customers, your sales venues, your clients all love stories, and they want to know yours. Your story might be a profile on a social media site. It might be a synopsis on the back of your portfolio or print book on demand. It might be part of a grant or art show application.
You will want to create several versions of varying lengths, but all basically highlighting the same information. I suggest creating versions which are 25 words, 50 words, 100 words, 250 words, 500 words. Your first 25 words should sound fun, intriguing, exciting, enticing, creating wonder and curiosity … you get the point.
Do not follow a template. You want your bio or profile to feel authentically your own.
Write your bio for a portfolio in the 3rd person. Write your profile for a social media site (think Facebook) targeted at family and friends in the 1st person. Write your profile for a social media site (think LinkedIn) targeted at potential employers in the 3rd person.
Within your Sketch or Profile, you will want to anticipate what people will be curious about. When someone first sees your jewelry, they will try to understand it, categorize it, emotionally connect to it. The greater the connection, the more likely the sale. How well has your bio helped them?
Your bio or profile is not your resume. It is not a listing of things. It will only touch on some things, and not all things, you might include in a resume. It is a story about you and your work. You might highlight a particular product, achievement or contribution as a way of illustrating the points you are making in your bio or profile.
Things to help people make that connection will include,
· Your name
· How you got started
· Where you are from
· How long you have been making jewelry
· Your style preferences
· Where can they find and buy your work
· Your inspirations and aspirations
· Techniques and technologies
· Materials used
· Who taught you; where did you learn your craft?
· Your career development
· Awards won, certifications, exhibitions, where to find your work
· Reviews, testimonials, what others think about your work, collectors
Avoid vague statements like “innovative approach” or “original” without context — use specific influences, techniques, and themes instead.
An Avatar
An Avatar is a digital image that represents you. Avatars are relatively small and usually are placed at the top left or right corner of web pages which represent your work, such as an article you have written or a video tutorial you offer.
The Avatar may be an image of yourself, typically a head shot. It might be an image of a favorite piece of jewelry. It might be your logo. It might be an animation representative of you and your business.
Remember that the space is limited in size. It may be a circle or an oval, rather than a square or rectangle. This means you will need to center the image to its advantage.
There are avatar generators online. Or you can make your own from scratch.
_________________
FOOTNOTES
Patkar, Mihir. The 8 Best Avatar Maker Sites for Profile Pictures. 4/27/22.
This guidebook is a must-have for anyone serious about making money selling jewelry. I focus on straightforward, workable strategies for integrating business practices with the creative design process. These strategies make balancing your creative self with your productive self easier and more fluid.
Based both on the creation and development of my own jewelry design business, as well as teaching countless students over the past 35+ years about business and craft, I address what should be some of your key concerns and uncertainties. I help you plan your road map. Whether you are a hobbyist or a self-supporting business, success as a jewelry designer involves many things to think about, know and do. I share with you the kinds of things it takes to start your own jewelry business, run it, anticipate risks and rewards, and lead it to a level of success you feel is right for you, including
• Getting Started: Naming business, identifying resources, protecting intellectual property • Financial Management: basic accounting, break even analysis, understanding risk-reward-return on investment, inventory management • Product Development: identifying target market, specifying product attributes, developing jewelry line, production, distribution, pricing, launching • Marketing, Promoting, Branding: competitor analysis, developing message, establishing emotional connections to your products, social media marketing • Selling: linking product to buyer among many venues, such as store, department store, online, trunk show, home show, trade show, sales reps and showrooms, catalogs, TV shopping, galleries, advertising, cold calling, making the pitch • Resiliency: building business, professional and psychological resiliency • Professional Responsibilities: preparing artist statement, portfolio, look book, resume, biographical sketch, profile, FAQ, self-care
There will be occasions where you might need a letter of recommendation. You might be applying for a grant or some other source of funding. You might be trying to get your pieces into a gallery or high-end boutique. You might be submitting a piece to a juried competition. You might be searching for a partnership or collaboration or guidance.
You might request this letter from a mentor, a colleague, someone familiar with your work, or a gallery or boutique owner.
You want that person, in the context of that letter, to refer to your competitive advantage. That is how you differentiate yourself from other jewelry designers. It suggests that taking a risk on showing/selling your works is worthwhile. Some examples of describing your competitive advantages:
1. innovative, originality, differentiation
2. sells well, clear and predictable client base
3. experimenting with new materials, techniques or technologies
4. responsible, always timely, communicates well with client during process
5. open and willing to learn, adaptable, flexible
You want to clearly explain to that person, before they write that letter of recommendation, what you personally want to get from the opportunity. It might include such things as new clients, more sales, representation, becoming a part of an agency, test out new ideas, and such.
If the person you are requesting your letter from has never written one before, feel free to show them this template👇
I am very familiar with [your name’s] jewelry design pieces, and I know you will be as excited with them as I am. In discussions over the years with [your name], I have seen (her/him) grow and develop as a designer. I have watched (her/him) explore, investigate and experiment with colors, compositions and techniques. We have discussed various opportunities and their pros and cons for [sales, exhibits, demonstrations, whatever you want to happen at the other end.]
[Your name’s] pieces generate a great interest among [her/his] clients. [She/he] shows an intuitive sense of color and composition, meeting goals both of appeal as well as functionality. [Her/his pieces sell well / are original / other competitive advantage]. [Her/his] workmanship is impeccable. [She or he seeks from the target audience what outcome.] [Working with you / achieving funding / other outcome] would be incredibly beneficial to [her/him], and make a great different in [her/his] continued development as a jewelry designer.
For more articles about CONQUERING THE CREATIVE MARKETPLACE, click over to our Jewelry Designers’ Hub
I have been designing jewelry and teaching classes for over 38 years now.
What excites me is finding answers to such questions as:
What does it mean to be fluent and literate in design?
What are the implications for defining jewelry as an “object” versus as an “intent”?
Why does some jewelry draw your attention, and others do not?
How does jewelry design take you beyond art or craft?
How do you judge a piece as finished and successful?
Why is disciplinary literacy in design important for introducing your works publicly, as well as selling your works in the creative marketplace?
My ideas have developed and evolved over time. These are ideas about jewelry, its design, and the necessary tradeoffs between appeal and functionality. These are ideas which express the why and the how jewelry design differs from art or craft. These are ideas which are embedded in and emerge from the special disciplinary and literacy requirements all jewelry designers need to learn so that they can think and speak and work like designers. These are ideas about how to introduce jewelry into the creative marketplace. These ideas center on fluency, flexibility and originality. And that’s what you want to be as a jewelry designer: fluent, flexible and original.
I teach classes in jewelry design and applications.
I want my students to learn the mechanics of various techniques. This is obvious. But I want them to go beyond the basic mechanics. I want them to be able to have a great degree of management control over the interplay of aesthetic elements. I also want them to have a great degree of insight, strategy and “smartness” in how things get constructed architecturally. Last, I want them, and this is important, to understand and recognize and incorporate into their designs how and why people desire things — why they want to wear things and why they want to buy things and why they want to tell all their friends about the things they are wearing and buying.
Literacy involves all these things: craft, art, design, context. Teaching a disciplinary literacy specific to jewelry design is a lot like teaching literacy in reading and writing. We want our students to comprehend. We want them to be able to be self-directed in organizing and implementing their basic tasks. We want them to be able to function in unfamiliar situations and respond when problems arise. We want them to develop an originality in their work — originality in the sense that they can differentiate themselves from other jewelry designers. We want them to anticipate the shared understandings their various audiences have about whether a piece is inhabitable — that is, finished and successful for them. We want them to think like designers. And, we want a high level of automaticity in all this. The basic jewelry design curriculum does not accomplish this. There is an absence of strategy and strategic thinking.
Hence this book and guide for anyone who wants to become a successful jewelry designer. This book is for someone who wants to develop that strategic kind of thinking and speaking and doing which underly their discipline we call Jewelry Design.
For more articles about Fluency in Design, click over to our Jewelry Designers’ Hub
SO YOU WANT TO BE A JEWELRY DESIGNER Merging Your Voice With Form
So You Want To Be A Jewelry Designer reinterprets how to apply techniques and modify art theories from the Jewelry Designer’s perspective. To go beyond craft, the jewelry designer needs to become literate in this discipline called Jewelry Design. Literacy means understanding how to answer the question: Why do some pieces of jewelry draw your attention, and others do not? How to develop the authentic, creative self, someone who is fluent, flexible and original. How to gain the necessary design skills and be able to apply them, whether the situation is familiar or not.
But when you think jewelry and speak jewelry and work jewelry, this is what you become.
Yes, jewelry making has aspects of craft to it. But it is so much more. It is art. It is architecture. It is communicative and interactive. It is reflective of the jewelry designer’s hand. And it defines or reaffirms the self- and social-identities of everyone who wears it, views it, buys it, exhibits it, collects it, talks about it.
To go beyond craft as a jewelry designer, you need to become literate in this discipline called jewelry design. As a person literate in jewelry design, you become your authentic, creative self, someone who is fluent, flexible and original. You gain the skills necessary to design jewelry whether the situation is familiar or not. You are a jewelry designer.
The literate jewelry designer grasps the differences between jewelry as object and jewelry as intent. That is, you recognize how a piece of jewelry needs to be orchestrated from many angles. How jewelry making involves more than following a set of steps. How jewelry, without design, is just sculpture. How jewelry is a very communicative, public and interactive work of art and design. How jewelry focuses attention. How true design enhances the dignity of the person wearing it. And how the success of a jewelry designer, and associated practice or business, comes down to what’s happening at the boundary between the jewelry and the body – that is, jewelry is art only as it is worn.
Read more articles about becoming Fluent in Jewelry Design on our Jewelry Designers’ Hub.
SO YOU WANT TO BE A JEWELRY DESIGNER Merging Your Voice With Form
So You Want To Be A Jewelry Designer reinterprets how to apply techniques and modify art theories from the Jewelry Designer’s perspective. To go beyond craft, the jewelry designer needs to become literate in this discipline called Jewelry Design. Literacy means understanding how to answer the question: Why do some pieces of jewelry draw your attention, and others do not? How to develop the authentic, creative self, someone who is fluent, flexible and original. How to gain the necessary design skills and be able to apply them, whether the situation is familiar or not.
“Asheville and its surrounding area in Western North Carolina boast a strong history with the arts. Penland School of Craft was founded in 1929, the Southern Highland Craft Guild started in 1930, Black Mountain College thrived from 1933 to 1957, and the Asheville Art Museum opened in 1948. More recently, Asheville’s River Arts District (RAD) began to develop in the 1990s, growing dramatically in the 2010s. Until late September 2024, it comprised more than two dozen old brick buildings and warehouses—mostly remnants of its time as an industrial hub—painted with bright murals and filled with vibrant studios, galleries, restaurants, and bars. With this rich artistic presence (which had a $3 billion economic contribution to Buncombe County in 2023), it is not surprising that, even amidst the shocking destruction and loss of life caused by Hurricane Helene, the impact on the arts community is keenly felt and widely acknowledged, even by the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. “
“I think the artists will suffer a lot of economic uncertainty. But on the other side of that I think a lot of art inspiration will come out of something so deeply felt by the artists.” —Jessica Blissett
“I feel like a small river pebble being worn round by a constant current of change. And I’m so beyond grateful for all the hugs, and prayers and folks putting in orders on my shop even though I don’t have a studio right now.” —Alice Scott
“While the waters and winds of Hurricane Helene ravaged studios and stalled practices that artists have spent their entire careers building, the tight social networks and a sense of hope remain. Artists have set up online fundraisers and raffles for friends, served meals through the World Central Kitchen (Deb Karash has helped serve tens of thousands of hot meals in downtown Asheville), and shoveled a lot of dirt and debris out of art spaces. Many are expressing optimism and sharing heart-warming experiences of fellow artists supporting one another. Blissett, for example, observed, “Those less affected at their homes donned hazmat suits and threw themselves into the cleanup. Those who lost so much still kept at the tasks at hand.” Foundation Studios conveyed the pervasive feeling of loss mixed with promise, posting on social media, “In the grand scheme of things we are lucky. This is an art gallery & studios, not a home (though it felt like it). These are things, not lives (though souls were put into them). If there’s one thing artists will do, it’s make more art!” “
Treats Studios in Spruce Pine provides a list of artists affected with links to make direct donations or support through direct sales: www.treatsstudios.org/artist-support-helene
Instagram is trying to phase out the use of hashtags.
Artist, social media influencer, and faculty expert Dina Brodsky recommends not focusing too much time on hashtags when you post.
“Honestly, they’re not really a thing anymore and it’s something that Instagram is trying to phase out.”
Unless it is a branded hashtag (when you specifically want a publication, gallery, or brand to see you), or you’re using your own: it doesn’t really matter.
3. Meet the world’s rarest mineral. It was only found once!
A single gemstone from Myanmar holds the title of Earth’s rarest mineral, kyawthuite.
“The kyawthuite crystal was discovered in 2010 by sapphire hunters in the Chaung Gyi Valley, near Mogok, Myanmar. Initially mistaken for an ordinary gem, it was later identified as unique by Dr. Kyaw Thu, a prominent mineralogist. After extensive analysis, the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) officially recognized kyawthuite as a new mineral in 2015. Today, the sole specimen resides in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, where it is safeguarded as a geological treasure.”
4. Pewter. A Most Misunderstood Metal by Ana LopezFrom an article in Metalsmith Magazine 44(3):
“Now that pewter alloys are lead-free, a surprising number of artists are revisiting pewter’s unique qualities and complex history. Pewter is a tin-based alloy. Since tin is brittle, it is combined with other metals to improve its durability and working properties. And because it alloys easily and has a very low melting temperature, it can form a eutectic mixture with other metals, reducing the melting temperatures of each component. For metalsmiths, the nightmare scenario is heating silver that unbeknownst to them has been in contact with pewter, which leads to a meltdown in every sense.”
“Conversely, fans of pewter rave about its accessibility and forgiving nature. For example, welded pewter joints provide a seamless construction without being brittle. Pewter can be formed with wood tools, and can be melted with just a small butane torch. Since no amount of hammering, rolling, or forming will cause it to stiffen, there is no need to stop and anneal the metal. And since it’s a poor conductor, pewtersmiths can hold elements in place with masking tape while soldering with a torch. It can be liqueified in a saucepan on a hotplate and cast into a silicone mold. Scrap metal can be endlessly melted down for reuse, so nothing goes to waste. Finally, it is food safe— and considerably less expensive than silver.”
5. At the shop, I went through 3 pearl knotting instructors, and was never satisfied. Not only could their students not do a consistently good job, particularly when they tried to repeat what they learned after their classes, but also these instructors could not do a consistently good job themselves. So, after a lot of research, I wrote this book: PEARL KNOTTING…Warren’s Way.
Classic Elegance! Timeless! Architectural Perfection! Learn a simple Pearl Knotting technique anyone can do. No special tools. Beautiful. Durable. Wearable.
PEARL KNOTTING Doesn’t Need To Be Hard
In this very detailed book, with thoroughly-explained instructions and pictures, you are taught a non-traditional Pearl Knotting technique which is very easy for anyone to learn and do. Does not use special tools. Goes slowly step-by-step. Presents a simple way to tie knots and position the knots to securely abut the bead. Anticipates both appeal and functionality. Shows clearly how to attach your clasp and finish off your cords. And achieves that timeless, architectural perfection we want in our pearl knotted pieces.
Most traditional techniques are very frustrating. These can get overly complicated and awkward. They rely on tools for making and positioning the knots. When attempting to follow traditional techniques, people often find they cannot tie the knots, make good knots, get the knots close enough to the beads, nor centered between them. How to attach the piece to the clasp gets simplified or glossed over. Fortunately, Pearl Knotting doesn’t need to be this hard.
Pearl Knotting…Warren’s Way teaches you how to: • Hand-knot without tools • Select stringing materials • Begin and finish pieces by (1) attaching directly to the clasp, (2) using French wire bullion, (3), using clam shell bead tips, or, (4) making a continuous piece without a clasp • Add cord • Buy pearls, care for them, string and restring them, store them
By the end of this book, you will have mastered hand-knotting pearls.
Not comfortable showing prices online? Publish a private page.
Create a website page that is only accessible via private link, in which you feature the prices of the pieces you have on sale.
Next to your product information and image, add an INQUIRE Button.
Whenever an interested buyer asks about the prices of certain pieces, send them the private/exclusive link so they can see the works.
Also, include them immediately in your email database. Flag them as more likely to be interested in your work, because they have taken the effort to click on the INQUIRE button.
I was burnt out in my job as Director of a non-profit, health care organization when I met Jayden at a local bar. I was so bored in my job. Bored with the people I worked with. Bored with the tasks. Bored with the goals. I felt so disconnected from the field of health care. I wanted to stop the world and jump off. But into what, I had no idea.
I so much yearned for some creative spark. Some creative excitement. Something that challenged me, was artistic, was fun. And someone to do these things with. And, in 1987, I met Jayden. Jayden epitomizes creativity.
Soon after we met, Jayden moved to Nashville. But she was having difficulty finding a job. There was a recession going on at the time. At one point, I asked her what she could do, and she said that she could make jewelry. I thought we could build a business around that.
And so we did. Land of Odds was born.
Initially the business was oriented around Jayden’s design work. She made all kinds of jewelry from beads to wire to silver fabrication to lampwork. And at first, I had little interest in actually making or designing jewelry. But gradually, very gradually, I began learning the various techniques and the different kinds of materials and components. We took in a lot of repairs. I found it intellectually challenging to figure out why something broke — construction, technique, something about the wearing. I began to formalize some ideas and hypotheses into rules and principles.
Around 1998, Jayden and I wanted to offer jewelry making classes in our shop. But we did not want to repeat and replicate the types of classes already offered at other craft and bead shops in town. We did not want to do the Step-by-Step paint-by-number approach to jewelry making. We wanted to integrate architectural considerations with those of art. While we recognize that all jewelry making has some aspect of craft to it, we wanted to inspire our students to go beyond this. Jewelry beyond craft.
Over the next couple of years, with the help and guidance from many local artisans and craft teachers, we developed an educational curriculum embedded within what is called the Design Perspective. That is, our classes would teach students how to manage both beauty and functionality, and how to make the necessary tradeoffs between these within their finished pieces. Our classes would guide students in developing a literacy and fluency in jewelry design.
Eventually Jayden retired and our business began to revolve around my own designs and my developing understanding of the Design Perspective. After 35+ years in the business, I came away with some strong beliefs about what jewelry designers should be taught and how they should be taught. I’ve encapsulated all this within this text So You Want To Be A Jewelry Designer and its companion book Conquering The Creative Marketplace.
Promote your current projects, promotional copy, News & Views, videos, reels, tutorials, instructions, social media posts online in this newsletter and on our jewelry designers’ Patreon hub.
No deadlines! Opportunity available all the time. No fees. But don’t wait to take advantage of this opportunity. This copyrighted material is published here with permission of the author(s) as noted, or with Land of Odds or Warren Feld Jewelry. All rights reserved.
Repairs Stumping You? Let Me Take A Look
I take in a lot of jewelry repairs. People either bring them to me in Columbia, TN, or, I pick them up and deliver them back in Nashville. I am in Nashville at least once a week. It’s been convenient for most people to meet me at Green Hills Mall. But if not, I can come to your workplace or your home. This is perfectly fine for me. My turnaround time typically is 3-4 weeks.
I do most repairs, but I do not do any soldering. I also do not repair watches. These are the kinds of repairs I do:
o Beaded jewelry o Pearl knotting, hand knotting o Size/Length adjustment o Re-stringing o Wire work/weave/wrap o Micro macrame o Broken clasp replacfement o Earring repair o Replace lost rhinestones or gemstones o Stone setting o Stretchy bracelet o Metal working which does not involve soldering o Bead woven jewelry and purses o Beaded clothing o Custom jewelry design
WARREN FELD JEWELRY (www.warrenfeldjewelry.com) Custom Design, Workshops, Video Tutorials, Webinars, Coaching, Kits, Group Activities, Repairs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Join our community of jewelry designers on myPatreon hub Be part of a community of jewelry designers who recognize that we have a different way of thinking and doing than other types of crafters or artists. One free downloadable Mini-Lesson of your choice for all new members! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was burnt out in my job as Director of a non-profit, health care organization when I met Jayden at a local bar. I was so bored in my job. Bored with the people I worked with. Bored with the tasks. Bored with the goals. I felt so disconnected from the field of health care. I wanted to stop the world and jump off. But into what, I had no idea.
I so much yearned for some creative spark. Some creative excitement. Something that challenged me, was artistic, was fun. And someone to do these things with. And, in 1987, I met Jayden. Jayden epitomizes creativity.
Soon after we met, Jayden moved to Nashville. But she was having difficulty finding a job. There was a recession going on at the time. At one point, I asked her what she could do, and she said that she could make jewelry. I thought we could build a business around that.
And so we did. Land of Odds was born.
Initially the business was oriented around Jayden’s design work. She made all kinds of jewelry from beads to wire to silver fabrication to lampwork. And at first, I had little interest in actually making or designing jewelry. But gradually, very gradually, I began learning the various techniques and the different kinds of materials and components. We took in a lot of repairs. I found it intellectually challenging to figure out why something broke — construction, technique, something about the wearing. I began to formalize some ideas and hypotheses into rules and principles.
Around 1998, Jayden and I wanted to offer jewelry making classes in our shop. But we did not want to repeat and replicate the types of classes already offered at other craft and bead shops in town. We did not want to do the Step-by-Step paint-by-number approach to jewelry making. We wanted to integrate architectural considerations with those of art. While we recognize that all jewelry making has some aspect of craft to it, we wanted to inspire our students to go beyond this. Jewelry beyond craft.
Over the next couple of years, with the help and guidance from many local artisans and craft teachers, we developed an educational curriculum embedded within what is called the Design Perspective. That is, our classes would teach students how to manage both beauty and functionality, and how to make the necessary tradeoffs between these within their finished pieces. Our classes would guide students in developing a literacy and fluency in jewelry design.
Eventually Jayden retired and our business began to revolve around my own designs and my developing understanding of the Design Perspective. After 35+ years in the business, I came away with some strong beliefs about what jewelry designers should be taught and how they should be taught. I’ve encapsulated all this within this text So You Want To Be A Jewelry Designer and its companion book Conquering The Creative Marketplace.
SO YOU WANT TO BE A JEWELRY DESIGNER Merging Your Voice With Form
So You Want To Be A Jewelry Designer reinterprets how to apply techniques and modify art theories from the Jewelry Designer’s perspective. To go beyond craft, the jewelry designer needs to become literate in this discipline called Jewelry Design. Literacy means understanding how to answer the question: Why do some pieces of jewelry draw your attention, and others do not? How to develop the authentic, creative self, someone who is fluent, flexible and original. How to gain the necessary design skills and be able to apply them, whether the situation is familiar or not.
