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JEWELRY DESIGNER

A jewelry designer designs and creates accessories such as earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. They may use various materials like precious metals, beads, gems, stones, and crystals. First, designers create jewelry in computer-aided design (CAD) software. Jewelry can be mass-produced or custom-made through a combination of techniques like wire wrapping, soldering, welding, cutting, shaping, polishing, or engraving. Many designers also repair jewelry and appraise precious gems.

A Jewelry Designer creates, sketches, and prototypes wearable art, such as rings, necklaces, and bracelets, using precious metals, gems, and diverse materials. They blend creativity with technical skills to produce designs for manufacturing or bespoke pieces, often utilizing CAD software to create 3D models. They also monitor trends, manage production, and ensure quality. 

The job overview

We are seeking a jewelry designer to design and create original, eye-catching pieces for our customers. You will be responsible for designing collections, assessing inventory to determine production needs, pricing pieces, and communicating directly with customers. You may also meet with clients to discuss and sketch their ideas for custom pieces so they can visualize the final design.

The Work

You could be:

• researching new ideas; taking photos, searching the internet or looking at other designers' work for inspiration
• using CAD software to design jewellery on computer
• working with a wide range of materials: gold, silver, platinum, brass, copper, plastic, wood, feathers, fabric, beads and gem stones
• using many different tools such as pliers, cutters, mallets, soldering torches, drills and polishing machines, or chemicals such as acids and staining agents
• using a wide range of craft techniques: soldering metal pieces together, engraving or etching images, making and casting moulds, setting stones or chasing metal (raising the surface using a press or hand tools)
• outsourcing work to craft specialists, such as having a mould manufactured for casting multiple items, or having expensive precious stones set in a ring
• finishing your item to a professional standard, such as smoothing a metal surface with fine emery papers and files, then using a polishing machine to give a highly polished finish
• keeping up to date with design trends and the latest techniques
• promoting or selling your work online, or at craft fairs, galleries or through a shop.

Jewelry designer responsibilities

Below are some responsibilities of a jewelry designer: 

• Design exclusive, original collections 
• Manage the design process from start to finish 
• Create jewelry designs using cad software
• Communicate directly with clients 
• Meet with clients to create custom jewelry
• Assess current inventory and determine production needs
• Manage production and ensure quality control with manufacturers and suppliers
• Price pieces

Jewelry designer job qualifications and skill sets

Below are the qualifications expected of a jewelry designer:

• A high school diploma (a bachelor’s degree may be required—specifically in art and design, fashion design, graphic design, or a related field)
• Minimum five years of jewelry design experience
• Excellent sketching and illustration skills 
• Good technical knowledge of jewelry sales and merchandising 
• Knowledge of metals and precious stones
• Knowledge of the current market and jewelry trends
• Good working knowledge of computer-aided design software: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign with proficiency in CAD illustration
• Strong attention to detail and time management skills
• Communication skills
• Jewelry making techniques: metalworking, mounting, setting, soldering, shaping, polishing, engraving, and welding

What to expect

• The work setting ranges from a small studio to a large workshop, which can be noisy and dusty. Self-employed jewellery designers may share a studio with other designers or work from home.
• As a freelance or self-employed jewellery designer, you can work in any location. Most employed designers are based in towns and cities. Cities with significant numbers of jewellery manufacturing factories and workshops include Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Sheffield.
• Self-employed designers often work to commissions or sell online, through craft fairs and retail outlets. If you are employed by a company, any designs you produce whilst working for them will usually belong to the company.
• Travel to exhibitions and trade fairs is an occasional part of the job.
• In the short term, designers sometimes take stop-gap jobs before getting relevant work. Working part time and keeping your longer-term aim in view, as well as the steps you need to reach it, may be a necessary compromise.

Qualifications

Although you don't need a degree, HND or foundation degree to be a jewellery designer, the following subjects are particularly relevant:

• jewellery design and production
• silversmithing
• 3D design.

Any art and design degree, HND or foundation degree with a craft or making element may give you an advantage, in particular:

• applied arts
• fashion design
• fine art
• textile design.

It may be possible to enter this type of work with other art and design degrees if you have a suitable portfolio and are prepared to learn the relevant craft-based skills.

A postgraduate qualification is not necessary, although it may be useful for making the transition from other areas of art and design. Search for postgraduate courses in jewellery design.

Entry without a degree is possible. You will usually learn on the job from experienced jewellery designers by taking an apprenticeship, which combines paid work with part-time study. Examples include:

• Level 3 Jewellery, Silversmithing and Allied Trades Professional apprenticeship - offered by the British Academy of Jewellery (BAJ) and available in London or Birmingham. You must find an employer willing to employ you as an apprentice.
• The Goldsmiths' Company Apprenticeship Scheme - provide ten apprenticeships each year in London and the South East or the Midlands.

You could take an accredited jewellery design course such as the BAJ Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Design & Manufacturing. As well gaining essential knowledge of design principles and practical jewellery-making techniques, you will also build a portfolio of your work, which you can use when looking for work or further study.

There is also a range of specialist, short jewellery courses and workshops offered by colleges and private course providers. Research the content of courses carefully to make sure they meet your career aims.

As well as courses and qualifications, you will also need a portfolio of your work (which can be both digital and physical) to show to employers and clients. It's important that you develop your portfolio as you go along to show the range of your designs and your progression as a designer.