The History of Jewellery Designing
People have adorned themselves in eye-catching jewellery for centuries. Jewellery was (and often still is) a way to silently present your wealth, status and rank to others. Past kings and queens would drown themselves in gold, diamonds and emeralds to show off their style and their high position.
In the early days of jewellery, people would decorate themselves in whatever they could find. Animal feathers, stones and even plants would do! We actually have the Indians to thank for the progression of jewellery design. They integrated jewellery into their culture so much that they worked out how to gather and process gold. Jewellery design in India became a lot more advanced than many other cultures, who have since followed suit.
Now we have so much modern technology, anyone can take jewellery designing courses to learn all about it and create their own pieces! Necklaces, flashy rings and even a princess tiara can all be in your reach if you take on the art of jewellery designing.
Jewellery Designing Tutorial for Beginners
I don’t advise you to jump right into jewellery designing. You might be able to pick up some wire or thread and a few beads and put them together, but planning is key here. You want to get your ideas out on paper before you start assembling, and actually design your pieces before you make them. This will help you to visualise your jewellery.
Here are some items that I recommend starting off with:
- Silver plated wire (around 0.8mm)
- Silver plated ear wires
- Silver plated head pins
- Silver plated lobster clasps
- Silver plated jump rings
- Silver plated crimps
- Assorted beads
- Nylon wire
- An assortment of pliers
- Wire cutter
- Beading mat
- Sketchbook and pencils
It’s good to learn some basic skills that you’ll use throughout your jewellery designing career. I’m going to provide a short tutorial on how to form a simple wire loop. You’ll find that you use this skill in most jewellery pieces you make, so it’s best to master it now!
- Choose a bead and place it onto a head pin. With your dominant hand, use needle nose pliers to bend the head pin at a 90 degree angle. You should bend the pin just above the bead.
- Trim the pin just after the bend. Face the trimmed end away from you and use needle nose pliers to twist it back towards yourself in a loop.
- You’ll now notice your bead is secured with a simple wire loop and you can hang it from anything you want. Easier than you thought, hey?!
For more skills and techniques, you can take a jewellery designing course or follow tutorials and teach yourself at home.
Benefits of learning about Jewellery Designing
You can make anything you want
You know when you have that outfit for a special occasion, and you just can’t find the jewellery to match?! Trawling through shops to find that exact shade of red can be tiresome, and nothing ever matches the image in your head. With your new skill, you’ll be able to create any fashion pieces you like and really let your individual style shine.
You’re never too old to learn a new skill
It’s good to keep your cognitive and your motor functions ticking along. Jewellery designing requires concentration and patience, and you’ll eventually be able to ingrain processes and techniques into your memory. It also requires hand-eye coordination, as playing with beads and wire can be a fiddly process and you’ll probably notice your thumbs get in the way a lot!
You’ll keep your fingers nimble and exercise your brain by practising this new hobby regularly.
Create unique gifts for family and friends
No gift is more personal than one you’ve made yourself. Crafting pieces of jewellery to give as a gift shows that thought and time have gone into your present. Your friend or family member will be thrilled with a meaningful gift that they can treasure for a lifetime.
And – if you’re skilled enough to give your items away as gifts, then you’re probably skilled enough to sell your jewellery! You can make money from this hobby, and I’ll go into more detail about that later on.
Keep handmade products alive
Jewellery is widely available nowadays and often at a very cheap price. Cheap versions are usually low quality, and we see pieces cloned in many high street shops. It’s a wonder that we don’t see everyone walking the street in matching necklaces! Handmade products are often better quality and have more weight to them.
Help in the fight against cheap imitations by creating individual pieces that have been made with love, not machines.
Make an Income from Jewellery Designing
There are a couple of different paths you can take if you want to make money from designing jewellery. You could be your own boss and sell your pieces, or make a career by working for someone else. Decide which path is best for you. Some people love the autonomy of working alone, but others don’t like the stress of running their own business!
Here is how you can get started with each option.
- Start a jewellery designing business
First of all, you need to decide which types of jewellery you want to focus on. Would you like to make brooches, rings or a little bit of everything? Will you use rhinestones, shells or plastic beads? It’s always nice to narrow down your product list as it gives your business its unique stamp and your customers know exactly what they’re getting when they go to you! It also helps you to hone your skills down to a few areas.
You will need some initial capital to get started, although you can buy materials in bulk to keep costs down. Work out your start-up costs and do some financial planning for along the way. Starting your own business means you’ll also have to deal with doing your own taxes, insurance and all that other boring stuff.
When you have that figured out, you can name your business and start selling! Decide if you want to rent a studio or work from home, figure out prices and product lines, and find the best way to ship your jewellery. It’s a good idea to set up a website or create a virtual stall on sites like Etsy or Asos Marketplace.
- Get hired as a jewellery designer
It’s a common saying that “you don’t make money working for other people”. In many industries, that saying doesn’t ring true. There are lots of great employers out there looking to hire someone with skills and experience, and they pay well as a reward.
You could land a job as an assembly assistant at first, and then work your way up to design assistant and then head designer! For your interview, you’ll need to show your portfolio of work and bring some sample pieces to show your potential employer just what you’re capable of.
The great thing about being hired as a jewellery designer is you’ll have the chance to work on some challenging projects that you otherwise wouldn’t have considered. You’ll receive ongoing training and there’s plenty of room for career progression.
Grab your tools and your jewels and start creating timeless pieces!
If you want to make a career from jewellery designing, I’d suggest immersing yourself in a complete, comprehensive course. Of course, if you just want a creative hobby, you can have some fun and learn all about jewellery designing at home! In not so long, you’ll be dripping in diamonds just like a queen!
