people -
what bearing does what you’re called have on what you do? it’s what
you do and how well you do it that will assign a title to you. if
specificity is absolutely required, pick the closest in nature;
otherwise, instead of wasting time on labeling yourself, use that
time to make something that will show people what you can do
regardless of your label.
ive
who knows that time spent on extraneous matters will never be
regained; spend your time like a miser.
Please refer to my posts under “Salaries for Jewelry Designers”
If you want to know the job description and skill set required to be
calling oneself a jewelry designer.
If you don’t have the skills to be a bench jeweler, and you’re not
making your living from your metalsmithing skills… You’re a
hobbyist, an apprentice, or a student. Any other title is false
advertising.
That’s my $0.02 –
Nanz Aalund
In the post you referred to you state,
A true jewelry designer in the jewelry industry must be able to specify their designs not only in technical drawings (that any goldsmith could lay a caliper down on, to make the piece exactly as detailed) But must also specify which manufacturing techniques should be used at what points during manufacturing to either save money in the process or to accomplish a higher quality product. Comfort, fit, gemstone accommodations, metallurgical limitations, manufacturing procedures, and costs are all considered.
Those who design jewelry using beads, beading chain, string, wire,
or thread must also you those same design plans and in order for
others to be able to duplicate their design, they also must put in
down in “technical drawings” or lingo for other designers to follow.
Metal smithing does not have a monopoly on methods of designing or
teaching others to follow their designs.
You then state,
A true jewelry designer must intuitively see fashion trends 2 years before they materialize in the public, because you'll need your design in wide distribution before that marketing curve is on the downward slide.
This is the marketing strategy for companies of ALL types of
product, not just jewelry. One must always see into the future in
order to plan for what we be marketable in their field and to stay
ahead of the competition.
And finally you state,
having been a bench jeweler who worked my way UP to the position of designer. Just because a lot of wanna-bes are claiming the title of jewelry designer, it does not diminish what the real job actually requires. It is insulting that those who do not understand the title continue to denigrate the real, very demanding, job.
This is a prime example of snobbery. People in all fields of
“jewelry design” work their way up. We all start out with simple
basic designs and as we become more skilled move on to designing
things more intricate. You are not special in this, it is the way of
learning anything. Someone in medical school does not perform
operations their first day of class. We learn by study and practice
in all professions.
And thats my $.05 cents worth (Inflation, you know)
Carolyn
Eeeyikes!..“A TRUE jewelry designer”?? Ai yi yi…!!! This sounds
like the fourth installment of the lord of the rings…lol
Ok…ok…so “I worked my way up”…I started out making cute little
sterling kitty cat earrings with turquoise after one six week night
class. Now I make cute little 22k floral pendants with indicolite and
diamonds. Who cares really? There is a market and a position for
everything and everyone. Puhleeze don’t make me throw my distinct
lack of official credentials at you. It would take me all day to
explain what education I don’t have and what courses I haven’t taken,
where I haven’t worked, what tools I’ve never seen, or even know how
to use and who I don’t know, and how somehow, despite all odds, I and
others like me still manage to make stuff that someone buys every
once in a while. To quote the inimitable Charlie Brown: Good grief!
Thank god this ain’t medical school, or I would have killed all of my
patients…I and others on this forum have said it before and will
say it again. In the end, it does not matter How long you have done
it, who you have worked for, where you have gotten your education,
what your title is. This is not brain surgery, we are not saving
lives, we are not altering the cosmos or discovering cold fusion. We
happily and gratefully sell things that people don’t actually need to
live. Although some are more expensive and some are less expensive,
upscale or downscale, we make trinkets really…and we are lucky
for the opportunity. At least I am.
Have you noticed that there seems to be little correlation between
talent and experience? One does not necessarily go hand in hand with
the other. I believe what counts in this context, is your innate and
repeated ability to produce a fine product…however you get
there…However long you have done it, whatever education and
experience you have managed to gather to you, whatever you choose to
call yourself…and again…in the end…Beauty is in
the eye of the beholder. After all is said and done…? People
just looooved those dang kitty cats.
Lisa, (Still medicating my horse Duchess’ eye. I have resorted to
bribing her with apples in order to catch her. One wonders who is
training whom) Topanga, CA USA
This is a prime example of snobbery. People in all fields of "jewelry design" work their way up.
Well Carolyn, I guess you can call me a snob too. But here’s the rub
with your argument. You can’t call yourself a doctor without the
proper training and credentials. In most places, you can’t even call
yourself a plumber without a license that reflects your having passed
the appropriate exams. So how is it that just anybody who wishes to
call themselves a “jewelry designer” can just start putting the title
after their name with no other expense or effort than going to the
printer and ordering the business cards? My opinion is, finally, the
proof is in the pudding. And in all cases, it’s a matter of degree.
Learning to string beads and find a place to sell them is a bit less
involved, time and money wise, than learning to design state of the
art fine jewelry. Guess we could have two titles, “jewelry designer”
and “Jewelry Designer”.
David L. Huffman
You can't call yourself a doctor without the proper training and credentials. In most places, you can't even call yourself a plumber without a license that reflects your having passed the appropriate exams.
First of all it is the law’s requirement that a Doctor and a Plumber
have a license before using those titles. No where is it required to
have a license as a “Jewelry Designer”. So who is to say what makes a
“Jewelry Designer” if its not regulated by law? I never said that all
you needed was business cards to be a designer. What I said is that
all professions need to start out with the basics and work hard at
learning and practicing to be skillful at what they do. If one becomes
skillful and educated at “bead stringing” then who are you to judge
them of not being worthy of the title of “Jewelry Designer”? If we
are going to define “Jewelry Designer” based on how much supplies
cost, then I guess all the famous painters cannot be called artists,
for it costs little to purchase canvas and paints. Clay also is
relatively inexpensive compared to gold and gems yet do we hesitate
to call sculptures artists?
Have you ever strung beads in a way that produced a beautiful and
unique result? How do you know that it takes little effort or time.
True there are many examples out there of simple beads on simple
string, but that is usually where the beginners are at. It takes a
lot of time to learn how to put colors together in a way that is
pleasing to the eye yet not ordinary. Learning which beads go with
certain metal findings, perhaps doing some wire work around the
beads, or using other elements from nature, such as shells, fabrics
etc to accentuate the beauty of a design are just a few of the
complexities of “beading”. There is a lot more involved in what you
call bead stringing than you can even imagine in your prejudice. If
those who are “Bench Jewelers” have to hoard the title of “Jewelry
Designer” to yourselves to feel important than go ahead, but why not
instead be gracious to those who choose to work as hard in learning
and practicing the skills in their chosen field of making jewelry?
You wont lose anything by doing so.
Carolyn
carolyn -
There is a lot more involved in what you call bead stringing than you can even imagine in your prejudice.
very true!
as most know, i am one of the cursed 'jewelry
designer/fabricator/lapidary and not a beader BUT one of the artists
i most admire is joyce scott, a ‘beader’. too bad she doesn’t belong
to orchid! but people, you owe it to yourself before starting another
thread on ‘beaders’ to do an ‘advanced search’ on google: “joyce
scott” in middle box and ‘beads, jewelry’ in top box, set for 100
hits per page (she has over 440 hits). it will add a whole new
perspective on ‘beaders’. do it.
art has his laptop set up on the sidewalk bistro table and will keep
track of those of you with the guts to google joyce and those who are
gutless -
ive
ive,
Yours is an interesting post. As you may know, I teach gem cutting,
fabrication (many aspects I might add) and casting. Many many of my
students are beaders, “who want to go to the next level” (emphasis
mine). The thing I love to see is…when they make a nice bezeled
stone or whatever, they often will ‘bead it in’ to a necklace or
something and I am often amazed at how beautiful the whole thing is
when they are finished. By selecting beads that compliment the stone
or metal or the design, they enhance the entire piece. Some very
beautiful work going on here. Thanks for your input in this regard.
(I used to do beading but just got too busy doing other things).
Cheers from Don at The Charles Belle Studio in SOFL where simple
elegance IS fine jewelry! @coralnut2
hello again don -
I used to do beading but just got too busy doing other things
this time you have to make it to the delray affair, april 21, 22, &
23 - hopefully my regular space at the southeast corner of atlantic
and 4th - anyway, i too did some beading, not the stringing type -
except for one neckpiece i made to look like elegant spanish moss
strung around the neck - it was a ‘what if i do this and this’ thing:
string about 1.5" to 2" of the metalic-iridesent-gray beads and then
run the.012 tigertail wire back through already strung sections
randomly until it started to look like a ‘ruff’ of spanish moss. to
keep it off of the neck and not drooping down at the back i melted
low-temp solder into a sterling bicone bead for weight and a catch -
which pulled it back enough to set away from the neck just right. it
was neat! 2 women almost came to blows over who got to buy it. but
here’s one of the two reasons i gave up beading on strings: in a
hurry to see how the weighted thingie would work i polished the
bicone bead before i put away the thousand or so
metalic-iridesent-gray beads in a tray, on top of a towel (holds
tray in place) - the flexshaft cable snagged on something under my
bench and when i ducked my head without turning it off - yup.
spinning flexshaft met towel. but, on a dark night, when the wind
buffets impatiently against the windows of my studio and there’s only
a sliver of moon playing hide and seek with my once familiar but now
alien equipment in a suddenly unrecognizable studio - then, from
loose thread in a seam along the fabric of time, a metalic-iridesent
spot of glitter will flash as it rolls across a patch of moonlight.
that incident, and the 42 drawer (all full) bead cabinet that tipped
over one evening -
thanks for the email -
ive
ps: isn’t joyce’s design paradigm way ahead of most?
people -
what is jewelry design and what is creativity?
‘when in doubt, drag the dictionary out.’ pinning down accepted
definitions can sometimes cut to the chase before muddying the
original objective beyond recognition. but, since this got lost in
‘mail waiting to send’ that’s moot. so here are definitions, late,
but succinct.
“design: to prepare the preliminary sketch or plan for a work to
be executed; to plan and fashion artistically or skillfully.”
“create: to cause to come into being, as something unique that
would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary
processes.”
people, if you’ve got free time to spend on a side trip from ‘what
is art’ to ‘what is jewelry design’, you must be experiencing a
‘creative designer’s block’ - so, forget about titles and just call
yourself ‘hermione’ or ‘ethelrod’ or whoever, according to gender;
get away from the digressions and get back to the bench.
ive