Jewellery Designing

Introduction:

Jewellery - something which always charms us - has a great economic significance in the Indian Industry and is regarded as a major source of investment. Women has always had an affinity towards jewellery and Indian women has adorned herself with precious jewellery, gold and diamonds to enhance her feminine beauty from time immemorial. India, is the biggest consumer of gold with 20% of world gold consumption and this industry gives employment to millions of people. Indian jewellery industry is said to have an ancient and historical tradition of over 5,000 years with its own distinct designs, patterns and art forms.

For centuries, the art of making jewellery has been the monopoly of traditional 'kaarigars' or goldsmiths who have inherited the expertise from their ancestors and have played the dual role of designer and manufacturer. During those days, jewellery designing as a career had been limited to the kaarigars and one could learn this profession only by becoming an apprentice to an experienced jeweller. But today with the explosion in the fashion and accessories arena, the field is becoming a lucrative career which offers a sparkling future for those who are fascinated by gems and jewellery. A new breed of jewelry designers and professionals like gem appraisers are in great demand with the growing market for branded ornaments.

Jewellery designing is an art of designing and making jewellery, stone cutting, engraving and polishing etc. Jewellery designers are those who plan the style and pattern of jewellery, silverware and other decorative metal work products. They require a high degree of skill and precision and use a variety of specialized hand tools and equipments to design and manufacture new pieces of jewellery.

In addition, to be successful in the field they should be able to understand the market, identify the consumer needs, visualize ideas to suit the demands and create impressive presentations to communicate the end product to the client.

The fast growing jewellery business in the country has tremendous employment potential and offers excellent career opportunities to professional executives in the industry. Graduates with specialization in Jewellery Design and Management are in great demand globally for managing the jewellery business.

Eligibility & Course Areas:

A course in Jewellery designing is a comprehensive one, dealing with all the fine details of jewellery making and designing. Specially meant for those who are creative and have an artistic blend of mind, these courses give basic information on the different kinds of stones, colour coding, schemes, polishing and finishing, presentation and framing, drawing techniques, ornament making and designing and so on. Apart from these, they could also learn special skills like electroplating, metal colouring, anodizing, enameling, stone setting and silversmith. Numerous institutes all over India offer various courses in jewellery designing. In most of the institutes, the course is incorporated with other designing courses.

For Diploma, Degree and Certificate courses in Jewellery designing, one should have passed 10+2 or equivalent examination from any stream of a recognized institution. Several short term courses are offered for those who have completed their 10th class. Before qualifying for the course, a student has to pass an aptitude test followed by an interview. Crash courses are also offered to the working professionals and students. Training in this field may include art classes through technical schools, along with computer-aided jewelry design training in specific software packages like Rhino, Jewel Cad, Auto Cad, 3D Studio, etc. Moreover, the use of Photoshop, Corel Draw and in-depth analysis of volume, weight and metal composition are generally considered to be vital parts of the jewellery designing syllabus.

Duration of the courses may vary from 3-6 months to 2-3 years. The minimum age required is 15 years. As part of their curriculum most institutes conduct special workshops for students.

Personal skills:

The most vital attribute needed for a jewellery designer is the sense of design and a passion for the profession. They should be creative, imaginative, technically sound, well-versed with the fashion industry, and committed to work. Other attributes needed for a designer are skills in drawing and computer designing, an open mind that can visualize designs from anything and everything, skills to understand the latest trends and practical skills with tools and materials. They must also possess a working knowledge about manufacturing, understanding of various metals and gemstones and must have numerical skills for measuring, calculating costs of materials and pricing items.

Job Prospects & Career Options:

Making of jewelry requires a wide variety of skills, which involves training and creativity. The work in the jewellery industry involves casting and molding of jewellery, and the identification and testing of jewellery and gemstones. Designing, Manufacturing and Marketing are the major tasks performed. One can work in the industry as a Designer, join the Manufacturing section, Retailing department and even specialize in Gemology and deal with identification and grading of various precious stones and diamonds.

The designer prepares sketches of the design on a paper by hand or on the computer to conceptualize the design. After consulting with the customer or the manufacturing team, the designers make detailed drawings, a structural model, computer simulations or a full-scale prototype. Then these designs are created out of the regular or floral patterns and then forms are generated by connecting different structures together. In the manufacturing process, a model of the design is prepared by shaping the metal or by carving wax and the individual parts are soldered together. After that, finishing works like setting stone or gems, polishing, engraving etc are done.

Nowadays, computer-aided design (CAD) software's are used in the manufacturing firms to facilitate product design and to avoid flaws during the designing process. CAD allows to create a virtual-reality model of a piece of jewelry and the designers can modify the design, change the stone or try a different setting and see the changes on a computer screen before cutting a stone or performing other costly steps. After that a mold of the prepared model is produced in a wax like or other material with the help of Computer aided manufacturing (CAM) process. CAM helps in the easier manufacturing of numerous pieces of the same design which are then distributed to retail establishments across the country.

The most essential factor in getting a job is to present a strong portfolio of the work. More than qualification, it is the skills and experience that makes an excellent jewellery designer. Graduates in jewellery designing with excellent skills are in great demand in India and abroad. After successful completion of a course in jewellery designing, one can find outstanding job prospects in various jewellery manufactures & designing houses, export houses and renowned jewellery brand names such as Nakshatra, Tanishq, D-damas, Swarovski, Gili, Tribhuvandas Bhimji Zaveri to name a few. One can opt for setting up their own Design Studio and workshop; or can also work as a freelance designer.

Most designers start their career in jewellery industry as apprentices in showrooms or in their family businesses. As they gain more skill in jewellery design and repair, they may take advantage of opportunities to specialize in a specific area of the field such as Goldsmith, wax carving or stone setting. One can start their own business with a couple of years experience, or once they have evolved their unique style and has the ability to identify and rate a good gem or a stone. Jewellery designer should be well aware of the current trends and carry on with the latest models and styles.

Since most vacancies in this field are not advertised, it is handy for a designer to make a good contact network within the industry by attending trade fairs and exhibitions. Some of the career prospects in the field of jewellery designing are :

  • In Jewellery Stores
  • Manufacturing Companies
  • Self Employment
  • Teaching and Research
  • Independent Shop/ Private Studios
  • Fairs and Flea Markets.

There are abundant job openings for jewellery designers in foreign countries, especially in Bangkok and Singapore.

Challenges:

The greatest challenge many designers report is being able to both influence and respond to their markets. This poses several creative conflicts. A designer must be free to express his or her individual creativity, yet also translate existing trends in fashion and design into their designs; they must bring their own ideas to their work, yet the end result must express the feelings and identity of clients they may never meet. Ultimate success comes from meeting that challenge – seeing their designs in stores and worn by people across the country.

Price is definitely a challenge when it comes to high quality pieces. With the recent election and the high price of gold, consumers are much more price conscious.

Remuneration:

Jewellery Designing is a profession with great scope in India and abroad. The pay packet varies according to qualification, experience and skills. In retail stores, one can work on a commission basis and depending upon the organisation and their talent, they would be paid extremely well. The earnings of a freelance designer depends upon the designer's creative skill and how successful they are in selling their work.

Entry Level – Rs.1,20,000/- to Rs.3,00,000/-

Qualified/Experienced – Rs.4,20,000/- to Rs.6,00,000/-

Career Potential – Rs.9,00,000/- to Rs.12,00,000**

** The career potential implies the best possible earnings that one can expect, without much risk, if the career is handled well.

Bibliography:

"Edulife." Edulife.in. N.p., 2017. Web. 25 Sept. 2017.

Pant, Ashutosh. "Creations India, Pune, Diamond Grading, Gemology, Institute Of Design And Technology, School Of Design And Technology, Jewelry, Jewelry Making, Jewellery, Jewellery Designing, Fashion Designing, Interior Designing, Courses, Gemology, Gem Testing, Kundan Jewellery, Meenakari, Thewa, Pacchikam, Indian Jewellery, Cameos, Textile Designing." Creationsindia.net. N.p., 2017. Web. 25 Sept. 2017.

" Inna-q.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 25 Sept. 2017.