A jewelry designer is a highly creative and yet technical job. Professionals in this field have to undergo a lot of training to build new skills, polish their creative ideas, and find a personal style. However, it is possible to do it within one or two years if you want to study at home. So, here are the main steps every aspiring jewelry designer has to take to enter this career path.
Choose a path
A jewelry designer can mean so many things at once. These professionals work with various materials and practice different styles, techniques, and methods. You’ll have to make many choices before finding your career path. For instance, not all designers also create jewelry. Some can make designs to path them onto crafters. Other designs and create everything themselves. Thus, you need to narrow down your expectations and desires to start learning.
With time, you’ll be able to take more lessons and explore other areas of jewelry making. However, you better start with what interests you the most. Experiment with raw materials, metals, and jewels to see what feels most natural to you.
Start with the basics
Jewelry designers have a lot to learn before they can call themselves professionals. You better start with the basics. Focus on your drawings and illustration skills first. These are essential for turning your jewelry ideas into actual products. Then, learn how to reshape and resize jewelry and work with various elements, including how to set and cut stones. Traditional metalwork like engraving and mold-making is also a must on the beginner level.
Later you can also read about the whole circle of jewelry production, from metals and gems mining to store sales. Actually, feel free to check these essay USA reviews and order some research papers on the topics you are interested in.
In addition, many of today’s designers don’t just use pencil and paper. They also work in various computer programs to enhance work processes. So, perhaps, you should also consider some designer software classes to diversify your skills and portfolio.
Sign in for online courses
You don’t need a formal education to be a jewelry designer. However, some learning is absolutely required. First, teachers can deliver valuable lessons that may take years to learn by themselves. Hence, you can master professional tips and techniques in just several months instead of spending years with error and trial.
Secondly, such courses often have professional designers and experienced professionals delivering the lessons. So, it’s a unique opportunity to make valuable connections, ask for professional opinions, and get inside tips on the business.
Finally, a well-planned course will help you structure your knowledge. Anyone interested in jewelry making has tried certain online lessons, and well-known techniques made a few attempts, etc. However, learning here and there can create significant gaps in understanding how things should work and why. A course will reorganize your gained skills and tips, making you more confident and aware of your work.
Besides, having a degree (preferably several) will look good on your freelance profile or resume. Meanwhile, you also can meet other aspiring jewelry makers, make friends, or exchange knowledge.
Find apprenticeships
Unfortunately, you can’t learn solely at home all the time. After all, learning on the job is the best way to polish your skills, gain practical knowledge, and see the industry from within. So, once you feel ready, see where you can practice your new craft. Most beginners should look for apprenticeships at professional jewelers and fashion houses. It is the first step to building a career in jewelry design for yourself. However, the competition will be tough, and you should already have personal designs of works on your making.
Learn current trends
To make and sell jewelry, you better know what people want to purchase. Hence, you need to stay on track with the newest and upcoming trends and fashion styles. Knowing the common fashion trends can help even if you work in your own style and have a clearly defined target audience. It never hurts to be educated about the industry you work in.
In addition, customers can also involuntarily choose new accessories based on what they see around them or in the media. Plus, you can always customize your personal style to the trends, offering a unique mix. Finally, each trend may have a long-lasting impact on popular fashion choices. So, past and current trends can affect your audience’s wants unless you work in a very narrow niche.
Master time management skills
Learning to be a jewelry designer takes at least several years. So, you better start from there. If you want to work in fashion and design, you better make a long-term plan on when you can actually enter the professional field and start earning money. Of course, you can also work freelance and make your own jewelry for sale. In both cases, you need to know your timing. It means knowing how many projects you can complete under a certain timeline. In addition, working freelance will require strong organizational skills, as you will manage your workload, client communication, sales, etc.
