Introduction to Jewellery Design Starter Pack

Professional Diploma in

Kim obtained her BTech in Jewellery Design and Manufacture

(Cum Laude) in 2010 at Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

Graduating top of her class, she won the Top Theory Award for her

Thesis along with the Top Overall Award for design, drawing and

manufacturing.

Being driven by precision and a passion for digital design, she

pursued a career as a Jewellery CAD Designer. In her 10 years of

working in the industry, she has succeeded in finding her own voice

and establishing her own design language. Some of her favourite

memories of working in the industry has been to teach, train and

mentor junior designers. After 10 years in the jewellery industry, she

felt it was time to focus on her core desire for teaching. As rewarding

as working in the industry is, her true calling is to teach, inspire and

empower prospect designers.

Jewellery design is much more than just creating an item to be

attached or worn on the body. Jewellery design is all about the

language; the story you want to tell. There is a beautiful aspect to

the design journey and part of this journey, is to develop your own

language.

“The wonderful part of being a designer is that you are constantly improving and consistently learning new skills.”

Kim Nel

Introduction to Jewellery Design

Meet your educator

Starter Pack

In the Introduction to Jewellery Design course, you can expect 4 modules comprising of the following:

Each module consists of:8 lessons8 post lesson quizzes4 practice assignments1 module assignment

As an extra, you are able to purchase the toolkit:Webinar slidesSummary notesBonus content

Software trial versions are available to download:https://www.rhino3d.com/download

https://t-splines-for-rhino.software.informer.com/3.5/

https://www.keyshot.com/try/

https://www.adobe.com/africa/products/photoshop/

free-trial-download.html

Module 1

Module 3

Module 2

Module 4

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All That Jewellery Jazz

Do You Speak Jewellery

Research is “Me-Search”

From Inspo to Jewelo

Foundation of Design

The Digital Age

Magics of Metallurgy

Time Warp

Bright Like a Diamond

The Alchemy of Design

Theme Development

Watercolour painting

Gouache Painting

Theme Collection in CAD

Rendering in Keyshot

Animation in Keyshot

The Jeweller’s Throne

Jewels’ Anatomy

Rolling Stones

Set in Stone

Style For Days

Design Decor

Drawing in Love

AbraCADabra

Motif Collection

Motif CADventure

Industry Jewellery: Design Essentials

Industry Jewellery: Manufacture Essentials

Design on Fire

SuperCAD

Superior Presentation

Building a Smashing Portfolio

Introduction to Jewellery Design

Course Outline

Introduction to Jewellery Design

1. Scavia2. Graff Diamonds3. Cartier4. Chopard5. Chaumet6. Boucheron7. Dior8. Van Cleef & Arpels9. Forms10. Piaget

1. The Complete Metalsmith – Tim McCreight2. Gemstones – Cally Hall3. Jewelry Concepts and Technology – Oppi Untracht4. Modern Jewelry: Design & Technique – Irena Brynner5. Jewel: A Celebration of Earth’s Treasures – Judith Miller6. Color, Texture & Casting for Jewelers – Carles Codina7. Practical Jewelry Rendering – Tim McCreight8. Techniques of Jewelry Illustration and Color Rendering –

Adolfo Mattiello (include stencil template set)

“Jewellery has the power to be the one little thing that makes you feel unique.” Elizabeth Taylor

My top 10 favourite jewellers I follow:

Suggested books for further reading:

Introduction to Jewellery Design

1. Solitaire2. Adorn3. Adore4. Diamond World5. The Art of Jewellery6. Harper’s Bazaar7. Porter8. Vogue

It is important to stay up to date on all things related to the luxury market

Q: Why would you recommend jewellery design as a career path?

Kim: As a jewellery designer, there are many career opportunities to choose from. Along with these options, you will see many niche roles to specialise in which will make your portfolio high in demand.

https://www.ganoksin.com/https://www.rhino3d.com/https://www.keyshot.com/http://www.gjd3d.com/https://klimt02.net/

https://www.riogrande.com/https://www.stuller.com/

https://www.katerinaperez.com/https://gemologue.com/https://gemgossip.com/https://diamondsinthelibrary.com/https://thecarrotbox.com/rings/index.asphttps://thejewelryloupe.com/https://www.gemobsessed.com/

Suggested magazine to subscribe to:

Q & A with your educator

Recommended forums to join:

Equipment, tools, findings, and technical advice:

Influencers & blogs to follow:

Introduction to Jewellery Design

Once you have gained enough experience, you can also opt to be your own boss, whether you decide to start your own brand, business or simply to freelance from home.

With all the different avenues to go in the jewellery industry, you can benefit financially. Lastly, job satisfaction. It is a very rewarding career, and you will reach high levels of self-actualisation.

Q: Is it necessary to have a degree in jewellery design to work in the industry?

Kim: Many jewellery designers are self-taught; a lot like many artists out there who turn their hobby into a career. I would not say a three-to-four-year degree is an absolute must-have, but it is a huge advantage to have. During my four years of studies, I gained all the technical skills required to work as a jewellery designer in the industry. There are many short courses online, including Shaw Academy’s course which provides a holistic collection of skills needed to be a jewellery designer. It is an advantage if you have bench experience, but it is not a requirement.

To get you started in your career, I recommend starting as a sales consultant in a jewellery store. Here you will gain a wide variety of technical terminologies. You will also learn the different materials used in jewellery, along with material values and how to work out costs. This will also give you first-hand experience of how to deal with clients, especially if your vision is to start your own brand.

Q: What is your favourite topic to be covered in this course?

Kim: All of them! That is so difficult to answer as I love all things jewellery related. But if I had to choose my favourite topic, I would have to say the design lessons, specifically digital design. Our design lessons place a lot of emphasis on independent thinking, staying inspired and methods of dealing with creative block.

Q: What are your favourite jewellery materials to work with?

Kim: My favourite gemstone is a Padparadscha sapphire. It is unfortunately one of the rarest gemstones. As mesmerising as diamonds are, the vibrant pink-orange colour of this gemstone simply cannot be matched by any other gemstone. My second favourite gemstone is pearls and I love to experiment with alternative materials like resin, lacquer, and fabric. Our course introduces all the materials used in jewellery and explores alternative materials that the contemporary artists use.

Introduction to Jewellery Design

Q: What does a typical day as a jewellery design entail?

Kim: That is the exciting thing about being a jewellery designer; every day is different, and you will probably never experience a dull day. In general, my day starts with a design brief, followed by a meeting with a client to discuss objectives and sourcing gemstones. The afternoons are generally filled with research, brainstorming and sketching. Towards the end of the day, I will convert my designs to a 3D CAD model with a rendering to present to the client. Depending on how complex the design brief is, the sketching and brainstorming may exceed beyond one afternoon.

Q: What is your favourite aspect of what you do?

Kim: The most rewarding and enjoyable aspect of being a jewellery designer is being part of your client’s journey and making them happy. It is an honour to be part of a client’s special moments in life.

Q: What is your least favourite aspect of what you do?

Kim: Administration and following up with manufacturers or suppliers.

Q: Any essentials that students should be aware of?

Kim: You will mostly work with very tight deadlines. Depending on the type of company you join, just know that you will be required to work well under pressure. Competition is fierce in the industry; clients shop around by comparing price and timeline for completion. Additionally, if you work in retail, chances are high that you will deal with clients that travel. Tourists do not stay at destinations for long periods in time; therefore, if they request a customised design, you need to spark like a diamond to complete the design and manufacture in time.

Q: Any words of wisdom for aspiring jewellery designers?

Kim: The competition in the jewellery industry is fierce. Do your market research, but do not build a brand according to trends. As an artist, authenticity is much more important. Know who you are as an artist and develop your own, unique style. If you are not sure what your style is, our course is definitely for you.

Connect with me:I would love to connect with you, so please reach out to me on

http://linkedin.com/in/kim-nel-22a7aa36