Discipline and using method in designing jewelry

Jewelry Discussion
21 
The difference between a designer and an artist, is the difference
between a chemist and a scientist. While not every artist is a
designer, every designer must be an artist.

Yep I’m sure that can be said about the designer of the latest cast
iron sewage pipe elbow.

Design is about product, designing the product, manufacturing said
product, and on time. The nature of art is about transmitting ideas
and feelings, nothing else matters to the artists bar those two
points.

Now a good design can be viewed as art, but art is entirely up to
the discretion viewer, the artist just tries to direct the viewer,
not meet a deadline.

Regards Charles A.

22 
Nobody can consistently output designs. Designs are not bagels.
Designer who can provide with steady stream of creation is not a
designer, but a hack. Incidentally, clientele who, can actually
afford designer jewellery and not just talk about it, understands
it very well and would not have it any other way

Leonid - I am detecting signs of structural weakness in this
platform.

This argument works for the groupies, weak minded collectors of
ephemera,

not for the rest of your peers. The question is, what are some of
your disciplines and methods in your design work ? - goo

23 
First is the research and prep work. This can be studying, going to
museums, etc. Some of this can be interesting and some can be
downright boring but it all falls into the "you gotta do it"
category. A lot of people get weeded out from their intended
profession in this stage because "it's too much work!" Next is what
I like to call the stew pot.

Barbara lays it out quite well, I think. And I’ll say that Charles
Anderson wrote me a very eloquent off-list posting, which I’ll
respond to shortly. I want to temper yesterday’s posting a bit,
though.

The reason that it’s called a creative process is because it’s a
process. The song I talked about writing isn’t really a song, yet.
It’s just a framework that gets “fleshed out”. Chords get tweaked,
timing is adjusted, solos added, etc. Songs are crafted just like
jewelry is crafted.

To say that there’s a method doesn’t mean that the first attempt is
necessarily the finished product, either. And the teen jewelry line
I brought up will take a month to design and tweak before it goes
into production - from concept to product. After the automobile
body/style design is approved, then comes the REAL design - how and
where are the doors bolted to the body, how do the wires get from
the dimmer switch to the headlights. All the boring stuff that must
be done.

A psychologist once said, “Teenage girls tend to think that if they
haven’t felt it, it doesn’t exist.” The fact that somebody is
flailing around in the dark, artistically, doesn’t mean that
everybody is. Just because it’s “you” doesn’t mean it’s normal - the
way of the world.

There was a fine exhibit of Pixar in a local museum here. Some
hundreds of pieces… In it you could see clearly the process of
developing a major 3d motion picture. Character development and
studies, lighting, mood, environment. There were plasticene
(something else, I think, but like plasticene) models for motion
studies. The thing is, even the scribbles on cocktail napkins were
professionally drawn. The maquettes were sculptures anyone would be
proud to have in their living room. The level of talent and ability
was extraodinarily high in every detail of every thing.

Some people actually studied and learned it, some people don’t.
Those are people who, when they draw, it comes out like the cover of
a magazine the first time.

I’ll also say - some may be surprised - that I am NOT a jewelry
designer in the real sense of the word. I’m good at it, yes. I
wouldn’t take on the job of teen jewelry that I mentioned because
it’s a job for a “real” jewelry designer, which I’m not. There are
people who design jewelry for a living - all the major houses have
them on staff. Most of them are not goldsmiths, they’re just
designers. That’s a whole other world.

24 
Nobody can consistently output designs. Designs are not bagels.
Designer who can provide with steady stream of creation is not a
designer, but a hack.

I decided to rethink this bagel analogy, the humble bagle a circle
with a hole in the middle Hmmmm… carried on sticks at some places
HHMMMM… compare that to something worn on the finger ? the humble
bagel with different toppings plain ( wedding band ) onion or poppy
seed ( wedding band with pave ? ) then there would be whole wheat
bagels ( rose gold ? ) rye ( white gold ? ) so on and so forth same
basic thing each with a slightly different flair… are you seeing
the briliance of your analogy yet ? - goo

25

Hi Guys,

Barbara lays it out quite well, I think. And I'll say that Charles
Anderson wrote me a very eloquent off-list posting, which I'll
respond to shortly. I want to temper yesterday's posting a bit,
though.

I’ve got to write a public personal thank you to John.

What came of the off list conversation is that John has helped me to
discover some personal creative demons that I have to deal with.

Suffice it to say the the journey will be long, and it’s just
started.

You deserve a public thank you.

Sincerest thanks John.

Kindest regards Charles

26 
The reason that it's called a creative process is because it's a
process.

This is the most fundamental misunderstanding about design. I do not
want to pick on John, because this mistake is made over and over
again, even by people who should know better. If one approaches
design as a “creative process”, the results are either disastrous or
none at all.

While the line between design and so called pure Art sometimes
getting blurry, for the purposes of this discussion we can these
nuances aside. If we do that, than what remains is the function of
the object. The raison d’etre of any design is maximize the
usefulness of a designed object. One may ask “what it has to do with
Art” ? The answer lies in human perception. We intuitively
interprete functionality as beauty. It is the result of natural
selection process.

So, the first step is to understand the function of the object to
be. After that the process is of elimination of everything which is
extraneous to the function. A designer simply has to have the ability
to answer 3 questions correctly - Is this too much; too little; or
just right. By interviewing available choices and selecting only with
“just right” answers, we arrive at the design.

Design is not a creative process. It is a process of distillation,
where every component of the distillate is govern by the intended
function of the object. Let me leave you with the following example.
Suppose your task is to design a pot de chambre. No matter how
beautiful you make it! No matter if you use gold and platinum and set
the whole thing with the rarest If you put the handle
inside it, nobody would ever use it for intended purpose and
regardless of the artistry and efforts expended, the design will be
flawed. Please observe that such an “innovation” would score very
high on creativity scale.

Leonid Surpin

27 
The question is, what are some of your disciplines and methods in
your design work ?

I just posted a reply on this subject. I think that it contains the
answer to the above question.

Leonid Surpin

28

An artist makes art so I think it’s prudent to decide what art is.
When I used to teach aesthetics I had all the bibliography to back
this up, but fortunately for you it’s long gone. An art object has
it’s own life and it’s creation depends on a dialog between itself
and the artist. The artist thinks “This is what I want to make.” The
art object says “NO, this is where I want to go.” The negotiation
leads to the creation of the art object. If you design a piece in
rigorous detail and then execute it, all the creativity takes place
in the design stage. The execution, while it may be artfully done ,
is craft. You may throw stones at my skills but I prefer to have an
idea as to what I want to make and let the object guide me. However,
the work of the art object isn’t done when the piece is finished. If
it truly is art, then the work must continue to “speak” to the people
who view it. The artist then “communicates” with the viewer through
the art object. Emotion is also involved, but the intensity of the
emotion can vary widely. It can be anywhere on a scale ranging from
"Isn’t that pretty." to a breathtaking

29 
do you have any methods or ideas on the mechanics of designing you
would like to mention - goo

Well, no Goo, I wouldn’t - haha. I already wrote today that I don’t
consider myself a jewelry designer in the real sense. All things
being relative - certainly I do it every day. And I’m no design
teacher, either. But since you ask, and this being an educational
site…

Barbara said it quite well the other day, I think. The big picture -
study, learn, look at everything, think about how and why things are
done. That’s a lifetime avocation and you may as well start now.
Since I’m not a teacher, I’ll just write more of a checklist, in a
way.

All things come from nature - human kind is a part of nature, too.
Without a study of nature you will get nowhere fast. That doesn’t
necessarily mean learning botanical names, it means how the nautilus
shell works, and leaves and flowers and crystals and joints and
wings and rocks. Also a lifetime avocation - start today.

The notion that a person can design jewelry without understanding
how it’s made is utter and complete nonsense. If all you understand
is bezels, then that’s all you will use. If you understand pave and
channel setting, then those will be part of your repertoire. And all
the other things about jewelry construction, too. Learn.

This is about being a jewelry designer. If you only make
loop-de-loop silver chains, then you are a loop-de-loop chain maker.
This isn’t an argument about nomenclature, but a complete designer
should be able to design anything. Maybe not the best, maybe not
even very good, but that’s what a designer does.

Jewelry is three dimensional at it’s best, and it is literally about
3d objects. If you are stuck in 2d (sheet metal) then you are only
1/2 a jeweler. There’s plenty of space for sheet metal jewelry, but
that’s still good advise. I’ve heard it estimated that only about
20% of the population can visualize in 3d. Do everything you can to
become part of that 20%.

BTW, bending sheet into a circle does not 3d make. Not in the real
sense.

START FROM THE CENTER Whatever your center is - stone, carving,
visual/mental center, that’s where you start. Always, no exceptions.

To be a complete designer you really need to know your genres -
Edwardian, Victorian, Nouveau, Deco, Arts & Crafts, Modern,
Contemporary. Add to that India, Pakistan, Inuit, Chinese, Japanese,
Hispanic… And what elements each has that defines them. That’s
several books that I won’t write here.

There are many things that are also books - proportion, scale, line,
tone and more - that you can easily get ~from~ books. If you went to
school and they didn’t teach them, get your money back. You need to
understand symmetry even if you don’t use it. In a strange way, the
best assymmetry is based on symmetry.

Hand in had with that, and most important, is your numbers: Odds,
evens, 3’s 6’s and twelves. If you put an odd number of stones
(whatever) around a circle, you will have a stone at the top and a
space at the bottom -most people don’t like that. Try it, you’ll
see. So, you need to have an even number, and the same goes for
ovals. Threes are another thing - triangles instead of squares and
all that. Sixes will give you a stone (or other thing) at north and
south, and a space at east and west, which can be pleasing and
useful. Twelve is the magic, mystical number because it is 2,3,4 and
6, all rolled into one. I won’t go deeper into it and I only mean
magic allegorically. You can play with the concepts of this
paragraph with real objects and it will become more clear than my
writing.

It’s fundamental stuff.

You can make “art-to-wear” as most people understand the term, but
it’s unlikely you’ll make a career of it. Most of that gets
photographed and scrapped, anyway. Jewelry should be comfortable and
easy to wear. Balance, weight, center of gravity, soft edges where
it applies. No “swords” projecting outwards. If a ring a customer
likes “fits like a glove”, it’s sold. Put it on and try to put your
hand in your pocket. If you can’t, you may have made a mistake,
unless it’s a 15 carat stone.

I don’t think any of this writing is news to those here who actually
know much about jewelry making - certainly it’s solid, foundational
stuff and not controversial. I guess I could go on and on, but I
won’t. I have little doubt that others will expand on this - I hope
so. There is one last thing, and that is craftsmaship, whether it’s
yours or for-hire. There’s two parts to it, in this context: First
is that there are actually TWO designs. First is the paper
rendering, or your mental image. The second is what the person at
the bench does with it. Give (generic) you and me the same paper
design and you’ll get two different rings, because we will each
interpret all of the above things differently. But they are the same
design…If I make it, people will look at both and say, “I want
that one…” See below.

Second is that I can turn a mediocre design into something great,
because I am a superior craftsman (that’s not ego, it’s my job). I
can take your silver chain design that you can’t sell and make
people say WOW, just by craftsmanship alone. It’s the realization of
the concept - it’s a piece of jewelry, not a drawing on a piece of
paper. How that concept is execute d is ~most~ important. It’s the
difference between something that lays in the case and something
that says, “Buy me!, buy me!”

OK, last thing that I wrote to Charles A. yesterday. Design is the
breaking up/division of space - I won’t go on like I did with him,
but it’s really just that simple. How that is done can be a
multitude of options - here I’m trying to stay generic. “I have a
band ring that I want to give character, what can I do?” Groove it,
flute it, carve it, inlay it, enamel it, set it will stones, on and
on. And there is a fundamental similarity, often. First you groove
it and you could leave it like that. OR you can enamel the groove.
OR you can inlay the groove. OR you can channel set diamonds into
it. That’s why knowing how jewelry is made is so important, again.

That’s enough - in an hour I’ll think of things I might have
written, but somebody else can do it tomorrow…

30

Charles, I am one more “designer/jewellery artist” who does not wait
fror lightening to strike while creating a new piece of art. As
others have stated in this string an artist’s job is to create
regularly, fluently, and on demand. If my customer or instructor in
my case hands me 10 diamonds and asks me to design a piece for
him/her. I ask a series of pertinent questions about the person who
will wear the piece including profession, colour choices (influence
metal), shapes they are drawn to (square, circle, triangle),
lifestyle and whatever else I feel will help me to design a piece of
art. I do not then go have a bath and wait for inspiration to
strike. I pull out my sketchbook, write down the words/info I
obtained about the client and begin with simple shapes and sketch
and sketch and sketch until I am thrilled with the piece I am going
to create. Then I draw it from top, front and one or both sides so
it makes sense. Next I work on a model/s of parts or whole if
necessary to be sure it is functional. Finally, I make my work
ofart!

I mentioned that we are working on themes where I'm studying at
the  moment. I chose a theme, and trying to think too much about
the theme actually stopped any ideas at all, I had one, but that
was it. The worry that I had about what to do for the other pieces
was eluding me. Jumped in a bath, relaxed, let go of the worries,
and the designs simply popped into my head.

I am also studying jewellery design and am in my third year. No
matter how inspired I am when an idea pops into my head I work using
the exact same processes each time. The idea I had was simply that
-an idea - a starting point for the design process. I often find
that the idea I first had was not nearly as beautiful as the final
piece of art I create utilizing a design process to back up the
idea.

A commercial designer who creates designs, day in, day out, is
employed because they "can" produce on demand. It's not a matter
of experience, it's a matter of aptitude.

I would disagree with you now that I know better. A designer who can
produce day in and dayout is a disciplined artist.

I think, because I'm a sculptor, I look at jewellery more as art
and  not so much design.

That is a shame. Jewellery is both art and design married by the
goldsmith who works on a small scale with metals, stones, found
objects, etc. Each piece evoking emotion for the wearer/viewer.

Though I am still a student in jewellery design I am already a
scientist and high school teacher so I am no spring chicken to hard
work and discipline. plus, I grew up at my dad’s workbench watching
him and my uncle work hard day in and day out at their benches.

Bonnie

31 
An artist makes art so I think it's prudent to decide what art is.
When I used to teach aesthetics I had all the bibliography to back
this up, but fortunately for you it's long gone. An art object has
it's own life and it's creation depends on a dialog between itself
and the artist. The artist thinks "This is what I want to make."
The art object says "NO, this is where I want to go." The
negotiation leads to the creation of the art object. If you design
a piece in rigorous detail and then execute it, all the creativity
takes place in the design stage. The execution, while it may be
artfully done, is craft. You may throw stones at my skills but I
prefer to have an idea as to what I want to make and let the object
guide me. However, the work of the art object isn't done when the
piece is finished. If it truly is art, then the work must continue
to "speak" to the people who view it. The artist then
"communicates" with the viewer through the art object. Emotion is
also involved, but the intensity of the emotion can vary widely. It
can be anywhere on a scale ranging from "Isn't that pretty." to a
breathtaking

And this is why in painting, the viewing prior to the exhibition is
called vernissage. A piece is not finished until it is “varnished”
which in this case means seen. The final varnishing is done by the
eyes of the viewer. And to continue Mr. Strmberg’s though - the
notable English artist, Turner, used to drive the gallery owners
snakey by still painting the paintings as they were hung on the
walls on the day of vernissage. He didn’t seem to be ever finished!

32 
As others have stated in this string an artist's job is to create
regularly, fluently, and on demand.

I would disagree with that. The artist’s job is to transmit idea and
feelings. If they get paid for it that’s a secondary consideration.

I know of a few homeless artists in Sydney, so consumed in their art
that they’re penniless, the gallery owners make the money, the money
they receive goes to the next work. I’m not that dedicated.

If my customer or instructor in my case hands me 10 diamonds and
asks me to design a piece for him/her. I ask a series of pertinent
questions about the person who will wear the piece including
profession, colour choices (influence metal), shapes they are drawn
to (square, circle, triangle), lifestyle and whatever else I feel
will help me to design a piece of art. I don't have an issue with
that kind of creation, if someone gets the ball rolling for me,
that's fine, I can run with an idea that someone else starts.

It’s where you have to come up with original ideas from scratch.
That’s where I need a jump start in the tub. I invest a lot of myself
in those ideas, and when I’ve made item “X”, I find it hard to part
with. It’s like selling a child.

I am also studying jewellery design and am in my third year. No
matter how inspired I am when an idea pops into my head I work
using the exact same processes each time. The idea I had was simply
that -an idea - a starting point for the design process. I often
find that the idea I first had was not nearly as beautiful as the
final piece of art I create utilizing a design process to back up
the idea.

I’m not studying jewellery design, I’m studying jewellery trade. For
me the course is helping me round off a few corners to what I can
already do.

Where are you studying(?), I’m at Enmore.

I would disagree with you now that I know better. A designer who
can produce day in and dayout is a disciplined artist.

An artist disciplined or not that doesn’t suffer blocks on occasion,
just has a lot more talent than the rest of us that have to sweat
:wink: (imo)

The point is creating original ideas on demand on a daily basis
would just wear me out. If someone said to me “I have a couple of
ideas…” that wouldn’t be so painful, as starting from scratch
requires a lot of emotional investment for me.

I think, because I’m a sculptor, I look at jewellery more as art
and not so much design.

That is a shame. Jewellery is both art and design married by the
goldsmith who works on a small scale with metals, stones, found
objects, etc. Each piece evoking emotion for the wearer/viewer.
Though I am still a student in jewellery design I am already a
scientist and high school teacher so I am no spring chicken to
hard work and discipline. plus, I grew up at my dad's workbench
watching him and my uncle work hard day in and day out at their
benches.

I agree it’s a shame, and I’m working through it. I’ll eventually
find where I fit in this industry, or not.

My original business model is unique items, no duplication, no two
the same… ever. For sculpture that’s fine, but is proving
troublesome for jewellery.

I can work hard, but I find I work better when I’m driven.

Regards Charles A.

33 
After that the process is of elimination of everything which is
extraneous to the function. A designer simply has to have the
ability to answer 3 questions correctly - Is this too much; too
little; or just right.

Although Leonid’s summary is oversimplified, there’s some merit to
it. It’s probably English as a second language, though - you can’t
say it’s not a process and then talk about the process of
elimination, not to have any credibility. It’s been said several
times here - the first idea is often not the best, and even more
often it’s not complete enough to produce.

Sincerest thanks John.

You’re welcome, Charles, and I’ll say something in a sec.

An art object has it's own life and it's creation depends on a
dialog between itself and the artist. The artist thinks "This is
what I want to make." The art object says "NO,

With all due respect to Dick - what he says is very thoughtful and I
think true, it’s also part of the problem that’s addressed by this
thread, and it’s much of what I said to Charles: Don’t make it
complicated, it’s not philosophy it’s a piece of jewelry. Save the
Artspeak for your art showbio. I’ll say again to Dick, who is
quoted, that the thoughts are good - it just doesn’t have a lot to
do with the price of apples.

It’s the title: Discipline and method in designing jewelry. It
doesn’t mean it’s easy, but once you understand the underlying
principles it doesn’t matter if you’re designing shakudo cufflinks
or a diamond necklace.

There are ways that can be learned and known, and just like the
jeweler’s saw, once you get the hang of it the mystery vaporizes and
you just do it

34 
As others have stated in this string an artist's job is to create
regularly, fluently, and on demand.

It has been said before few times, but it does not make it so, no
matter how many times it is repeated.

The difference between an artist and a hack is that an artist is
never finished. An artist is constantly improving his/her work. It is
never good enough. What usually happens is that artist realizes on
that particular work the limit has been reached and decides to let it
go. But that realization takes many refinement cycles and long, long
time, even years in some cases.

A hack is satisfied with everything. A hack is so much in love with
himself that everything is a masterpiece, no refinements is
required. Whether it is a splash of paint on canvas or chunks of
metal mixed with gemstones in haphazard fashion, the world has no
choice but to drop on it’s knees in awe of been in presence of such
“talent”. It is exactly the type who “creates” regularly, fluently,
and on demand.

Leonid Surpin

35

John,

is that there are actually TWO designs. First is the paper
rendering, or your mental image. The second is what the person at
the bench does with it. Give (generic) you and me the same paper
design and you'll get two different rings, because we will each
interpret all of the above things differently. But they are the
same design......If I make it, people will look at both and say, "I
want that one.."

I disagree,

I had a job where the piece HAD to match the drawing to.o1mm even if
off of a zerox of a pencil drawing. It was a rough first year there,
making stuff which was dumb. Patience and it evolved to phone orders
after 5 years to make an interlocking matching band just like you
make. Not quite a trivial job,and not cheap. Clients engament ring
needed modification before starting…

Two jewellers working from the same drawing and they had better
match (a drop of nail polish to tell them apart) You make what the
drawing shows to the best of your abilities. If the work is a
disaster some one higher up the food chain answers. Benchies do not
get to interpret without consulting the designer.

jeffD
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
gmavt.net/~jdemand

36

I know it is inevitable–this discussion. But it seems to me that
there are as many definitions of art, as there are of “beauty” and
"love" as there are “artists” and self-described “lovers of art”.
Could we all agree to this perhaps?

Gary Strickland, GJG

37

Hi Gary,

I know it is inevitable--this discussion. But it seems to me that
there are as many definitions of art, as there are of "beauty" and
"love" as there are "artists" and self-described "lovers of art".
Could we all agree to this perhaps?

We can agree to disagree :-).

You’re quite correct art is subjective. One man’s art is another
man’s sewage elbow :wink:

Regards Charles A.

38

OMG Than You Leonid, I’m going to make a mini chamber pot ( silver,
Plat., or gold, hmm) with just such a thing… handle on the inside.
Viewable of coarse. There’s an analogy in there somewhere, but at the
moment I could give a rat. Just delighted at the thought. Maybe a
ring or bracelet… functional? Now there’s a practice lesson for me.
Again thanks for inspiration

39 
But it seems to me that there are as many definitions of art, as
there are of "beauty" and "love" as there are "artists" and
self-described "lovers of art". Could we all agree to this perhaps?

No we can’t. To define beauty as “all in the eye of the beholder” is
to destroy it. Beauty of an object or a living being is in ability
to function, or to serve a specific function. Nature designs things
with an eye to maximum functionality, and when nature succeeds, we
admire it. That is the core of understanding of what beauty its.
Artists are in effect are researches in the subject of the function,
and they conduct it by studying and imitating Nature, and sometimes
even add a thing or two, in order to correct Nature imperfections.

Let’s take jewellery as an example. The function of jewellery is
distinguish a wearer from the crowd, and/or to serve as a talisman,
or memento of something. Whatever function we choose, the jewellery
is worn all the time, because if it in a box, it does not perform
it’s function.

What will be the best metal to fulfill it ? Obviously metal which
does not interact with the environment and does not change it’s
appearance over time. Such metals are gold and platinum. But Nature
made a mistake and create them too soft, so we correcting this
mistake by alloying gold and platinum to make them function better.

Gemstones are very functional components of jewellery, but again
Nature screws up. Most of gemstones contain flaws. We correct these
mistakes and improving gemstones functionality by shaping and
polishing them. Goldsmith takes alloys and gemstones and combines it
with an eye towards improving their functionality even further and
that what jewellery design is. Goldsmith creates beauty by imitating
Nature ( preserving color of metals and gemstones ), and improving
Nature efforts ( polishing metals to high luster to interact with
gemstones even better and to reveal metal true color ).

Let’s take a beaten up phrase and pound on it some more. When
Michelangelo was asked how he created his David, he replied that he
simply knocked off extra marble that wasn’t David. ( I am
paraphrasing ) This phrase has much deeper meaning than commonly
recognized. “David” is not a reference to actual sculpture, but to
the concept of representation of story of David. Michelangelo
distilled the meaning and encapsulated it in the piece of marble
with maximum efficiency. Because he succeeded, we perceive his work
as beautiful.

Leonid Surpin

40 
I know it is inevitable--this discussion. But it seems to me that
there are as many definitions of art, as there are of "beauty" and
"love" as there are "artists" and self-described "lovers of art".
Could we all agree to this perhaps?

I think it would be nice if people could stay on topic and talk
about how they go about designing jewelry - goo