Your style is lovely and I can see that it would have a wide range of appeal. My flavour runs more to contemporary and organic so I am not a helpful judge, however, I love the drawings and sketches. I don’t think your jewelry gets “lost” at all, in fact as a customer it gives me a very clear idea on how it looks when it’s worn and that is HUGE when it comes to online ordering. Something can look great hanging off a branch or laying flat on a piece of graduated gray paper but it does not always translate on the human body. I love the sketches and I wouldn’t stop using them, honestly they grabbed my attention first and then I was drawn to the jewelry which then kept my focus as I imagined how that would look on me. The sketches should stay IMO. Particularly the black and white and if you want the jewelry sketches to pop instead of the drawn model, add colour to the jewelry, like they used to do in the 50’s to black and white photos with the lips and cheeks, that looks elegant and classy.
Michael- Although you are justly proud of your hand renderings, my issue is that the portraits of the women wearing them are too detailed and overwhelming. The jewelry should always be the star of the show. There should be just a whisper or suggestion of a graceful neck, wrist, hand, a nice jaw line. Here is an image from Designing Jewelry by Maurice P. Galli. Also check out The Art of jewelry Design by him as well.
Your designs are done for the common trade which is what the shops you work for want. However if you want to be independent and get famous, as in Henry Dunay or Faberge famous, you’ll eventually need a signature look. So that when a person opens a magazine or walks into a high end store they can walk past dozens of other designers and immediately recognize your work. So that rather than having to design things that you are told to by the clients they will come to you for YOUR work.
And one last thing…Have you had any professional bench training in making mountings and setting stones? The reason I ask that is that the second piece, the yellow center stone with a halo, has engineering issues. The weakest point of the ring is near the top of the shank where the mele diamonds are set into the shank. With wear or sizing of the ring it will bend first in that spot thus increasing the risk of the diamonds falling out.
You should probably pick up all three books by Maurice Galli, Dominique Riviere, and Fanfan Li: Designing Jewelry; Designing Jewelry: Brooches, Bracelets, Necklaces & Accessories; and Creative Variations in Jewelry Design.
Maurice, who sadly passed away in 2016, was at the time he wrote these books head designer at Harry Winston. (I had the good fortune to study with him at FIT.)
Dominique Riviere is currently head designer at Harry Winston.
Fanfan Li was for several years the designer at Bulgari’s New York store. I believe she is currently designing for Van Cleef in Paris.
Oooo! I didn’t know that there was a 3rd book.
Thanks for the tip. Now I’ll have to somehow make room in my library for yet another book. Lucky you to have studied under Galli. I’d love to hear more about your time with him. PM me if you wish.
Jo