Making Jewelry, Beginners Guide-00-7104

By Author: tate
Total Articles: 4393
Comment this article

designing of fashion jewelry. Where to start?
Once you have determined how the object of fashion jewelry will look, you need to consider its construction - draw the piece from several different angles, using models if necessary. This will allow you to see if any arOnce you have explored the design of fashion jewelry on paper, start making three-dimensional models. There are a number of reasons for making models: to explore form, function and weight; to investigate.
Technical aspects such as mechanisms and moving parts; and to experiment with colour or texture techniques, or the suitability of a particular material.eas do not look quite right, or are in need of further development.
Making models

Model making can also help you to test an idea, to see how it looks in three dimensions when translated from a two-dimensional drawing - and sometimes it is necessary to make a model of fashion jewelryin order to draw a design from several angles, before adapting it further. An exploration of several models may be required to work through an idea to resolve it.
Models ...
... are usually made in base metals in order to keep costs down, but quick 3-D sketches can be made from paper, card, modelling clay, or wire armatures. For complex pieces, especially if they are being produced in an expensive mate¬rial such as gold, it is wise to produce a first run in base metal, so that any complications or problems can be identified before you make the final piece.

Why are you making it?
Is the piece a commission, part of a larger
collection of work, for an exhibition or
for yourself?
What materials will you use?
Are you making the piece using precious
metal, base metal, gemstones, natural or
synthetic materials or mixed materials?
What is your budget?
If you are working to commission, you must
not spend too much on materials, or your
working time will not be fully covered.
Your budget can also be determined by the
type of piece you are making and how much
you intend to sell it for.
How much time can you give the project?
This determines how complex the project can
be - plan carefully and decide how much time
you should spend designing and how much
time making.
Planning a final piece of fashion jewelry
The technical notes and models you have made exploring the construction of the piece should give you an order in which techniques will be applied. For example, many techniques cannot be carried out on a piece of work before all sol¬dering has been completed — this includes stone setting and patination processes; some texturing techniques are more easily performed on flat sheet metal.
Pieces of fashion jewelry invariably involve more than one technique; the combination of techniques is an important design consideration because it will have an influence on how the piece looks, and how it functions. Plan the sequence of construc¬tion carefully before starting on your final piece.
A cutting list detailing the materials needed for a piece will allow you to work out the cost of making it — some bullion suppliers' websites will automatically calculate the cost of a par-ticular-sized piece of metal when you type in the dimensions

About the Author:

http://belgium-jewelry.com