Principles of Jewelry Design And Its Application:

The guidelines of design discussed in this article are simply considerations. Concepts may vary between artists or mediums, but these are tested to achieve a sound design. The use of well-established design principles increases the chance that a design will be successful.

To understand the design elements and principles, and how they relate to each other, they are compared to writing (poem, novel, etc). Good literature is made up of words and subject matter which correlate to the elements of design. The words are the basic structure of the work just as the 'elements' are to design. However, sentence structure, style, and word choice can also make a huge difference in literature. The principles of design are like those little details in literature that take the general structure and create a pleasing finished product. Principles of design can also be referred to as 'visual grammar rules' due to this comparison. The design elements and principles combine to create one piece of art.

Principles of Composition

These principles, which may overlap, are used in all visual design fields, including graphic design, industrial design, architecture and fine art. The elements of design are the fundamental building blocks of art. Without these elements, art would not exist. The principles of design describe how the elements of design come together to create a design. Since the principles of design are about combining elements they are difficult to separate. Jewelry Design is the application of basic principles of artistic expression. These principles involve:

1. Composition

2. Movement, Flow, Drapery, and Torque

3. Forms in Relationship to the Body and the Mind, including Functionality and Support

4. Techniques and Materials

The main elements of the Principles of Composition include,

a. Principles of Rhythm

b. Principles of Emphasis, Focal Point, Center

c. Principles of Planar Relationships

d. Principles of Interest

e. Principles of Scale & Statistical Distribution

f.  Principles of Unity

g. Principles of Balance

h. Principles of Dimensionality

i. Principles of Design Hierarchy

j. Principles of Design Movement

k. Principles of Design Contrast

l. Principles of Temporal Extension

m. Principles Finishing

n. Principles of Harmony

o. Principles of Design Variety

The artist applies these Principles of Composition by strategising the elements of the piece. These elements can consists of:

- Constructing and structuring space via the Positioning and/or Ordering of things

- the Volume or Area the piece takes up to accentuate movement

Example: One row of diamonds vs. two rows of diamonds

- Using scale and sizes of the pieces to attract opposites.

- the Colors, Textures and Patterns of individual pieces, and/or sets or groupings of pieces

Example: A ring of all shiny diamonds vs. a ring mixed with shiny and less shiny  beads

- Constructing the Forms and Structures (identifiable sets of pieces, highly integrated)

Example: A ring  made up of 4 rows of stones, each row connected to the next with metald. Each row represents different types of stones by colors.

- the Materials

Examples: Gold, Platinum, Silver, Iron, Bronze, Titanium, Palladium, Gemstone, Plastic, Wood, Bone, Horn, Paper, Clay, Polymer Clay, Pewter, Base Metal, Brass,

- the interplay of Light, Dark, Shadow, Reflection and Refraction - Maximizing context to dramatize effects, The use of light to build contrast and Using negative space to induce hollow areas

Example: Dark/Dark/Transparent/Dark/Dark vs. Transparent/Transparent/Translucent/Transparent/Transparent

- the ring  assembly

Examples: Prongs, Bezels, Bars, Solder, hinges, rivets, joints, connectors, linkables, and the like.

Good designers have a clear vision of all the course of action involved in the making of custom designed jewelry, from its design to its finish. There Are Times When You Could/Should Be Ahead Of The Market.

you’re interested in learning more about creative design.

you want to broaden your skills set for crafting the dimensional object.

you wish to develop the visual impact, appeal and marketability of your jewelry.

you want to make what you enjoy and raise your chances of making a living out of it.Here are all the resources you need in order to develop your own working method for custom jewelry and more.

Learning Jewelry Design By Experience & Practice - Three Approaches

There are three different approaches for learing “Jewelry Design”. Each approach utilizes different assumptions about the process of making jewelry and also about the skills the jewelry designer will be required to have.

The First Approach - The Craft Process

The most typically seen approach is called the Craft Approach. In this approach you have to take a set of specific steps to follow in order to complete the project in hand. You are expected to follow a set of step-by-step instructions in a class or read a pattern from  book and you are not supposed to apply those steps to any other project. You don't have avision of how your end product will look.

Some pupils enjoy learning from this approach as its is not complicated. It's simple and easy easy. There's no pressure on the puils to really create "Art". The only pressure is to finish the project.

The Craft Approach assumes that you are either born with creative talents or you are not. If you are not born then you're not supposed to learn it either. The only thing that matters when using this approach is to complete the task. Jewelry is a craft that anyone can do and it is not a art.

Some p itfalls of this approach are that pupils are not worried about the durability and functionality of the piece, or how, through the use of  materials, the student may enhance this durability and functionality. Appeal and beauty are based on simply completing the project – no matter how it looks or feels.

e. Easy to define an acceptable outcome. Easy to respond to a student who says s/he doesn’t understand the directions for the project. Tell them to go back and re-do the steps, or take another class to practice some additional steps.

The Second Approach - The Art Tradition

The second approach to learning jewelry design is Art Tradition. If you were learning fine crafts at an art school, you would probably be learning from the Art Tradition. The Art Tradition believes that you need to learn a set of rules that you can use to apply to any situation where you are making jewelry. Artistic expression cannot be learned as a set of steps. It is less important that you follow a set of steps. It’s more important to know how to apply art theory to your project at each stage of the process, whatever that process is, and wherever that process takes you. The coherence between the intent of your jewelry and the function it will play is an integral part of the design process. After that you may think abou the actual crafting process and other aesthetic considerations.

The types of rules you are probably most familiar with are those involving color. What colors go with each other? There are also rules involving texture/pattern, shape, balance and harmony, distribution of sizes and colors, interplay of light and shadow, perspective, dimensionality, and so on. With all the information given here, you’ll conceive jewelry looking for beauty, mastery and originality. Develop creating art through knowledge and creativity. Work linking desire and patience with effort.

These art theories detail what defines successful (and unsuccessful) manipulation of design elements within a piece of art. The Art Tradition, however, very narrowly defines what it considers an acceptable medium for art work. "Jewelry" is understood either as a subset of painting or a subset of sculpture, and subjected to those theories only. "Jewelry" is not seen as its own discipline and medium, with its own special rules, theories, techniques and approaches. There are endless possibilities for jewelry making, Da Vinci was a genius at this! You just need to open up your mind to find as many analogies as possible, relating other occupation’s techniques to the jewelry making. Think of it as the manufacturing or construction of an object, in this case, a wearable object.

The Art Tradition approach views jewelry as a subset of either painting or sculpture. There need not be special jewelry design classes, per se, because learning theories from painting or sculpture is sufficient. Achieving "beauty" is paramount. What matters most is how successfully the student has incorporated art theories within the final piece -- as it sits on a pedestal.

Thus you see in galleries and museums, many pieces that are visually stunning, but often not wearable.

What is nice about the Art Tradition, is that the goal is Beauty. The artist is not encumbered by having to follow specific steps or patterns. Nor is the artist encumbered by the structural and functional properties of all the pieces she or he uses -- only their beauty. The artist does not have to compromise Beauty for Functionality.

The Art Tradition assumes: While different pupils have different creative abilities, everyone has some creative ability, and can be influenced in how to apply these creative talents. If you apply the rules correctly at each step of the way, your end result will be a very stunning piece of jewelry. Jewelry as art is really a form of sculpture, and should be judged by the rules of sculpture. The focus is on how you think through the process. There is no concern about following a set of steps. It doesn’t matter if the jewelry sits on an easel or on a person.

Some pitfalls: Not much thought is given about the practicality - durability and functionality of the piece.

The Third Approach - The Art and Design Tradition

This approach began in schools of architecture. Their students were initially taught in the Art Tradition. They designed and built buildings and bridges, without thinking about and dealing with the practicality and the surroundings and context interacted and were mutually interdependent.

Aesthetics were more important than functionality and usability and workability and durability and environmental fit and appropriateness. Bridges undulated in the wind, or had to be closed to small cars for fear of them blowing off in the winds.

"Departments" of Architecture rebelled, and became "Schools" of Architecture. And hence, a new teaching philosophy – Art and Design – was born. Design was merged with Craft was merged with Art. Become an exceptional jewelry designer using the techniques of visual messages. Here you will find all the design strategies you could ever imagine to boost your unique jewelry designs. Master the power of opposites and contrast, increase the allure of your unique jewelry. You will understand what visual communication is all about. How will that happen? Your capacity to build up ideas for your unique jewelry designs will increase substantially because you’ll learn the syntax of seeing and experiencing design.

Work your way up, design your own jewelry with the best design advice. Find here the ultimate ideas and concepts on how to work with three-dimensional forms. You will soon speak the language of three-dimensional design and in no time you’ll be making beautiful jewelry. Design your own jewelry by appreciating the qualities of contrasting shapes and master the relationships between volumes or forms. You’ll get to grips with the use of rectilinear and curvilinear forms in this section. They both share the same basic relationships, proportions, axis and balance.

The focus became learning  design principles and their applications. Some of these design principles are applied in similar ways to all art forms, such as painting and sculpture, no matter what the medium. For other principles, architicture (and in our case, jewelry) creates it’s own challenges, because all architecture (and by extension, jewelry)
- functions in a three-dimensional form or space, particularly sensitive to position, volume and scale
- must stand on its own as an object of art
- but must also exist as an object of art which interacts with people (and a person's body), movement, personality, and quirks of the user (wearer), environment and context
- serves many purposes, some aesthetic, some social and cultural, some psychological

The Art and Design Tradition believes that you teach steps, like in the Craft Approach, and you teach rules, like in the Art Tradition, but that you approach teaching and learning from a developmental perspective. That means, that certain steps and rules should be learned before others, and that continual learning keeps building upon itself. The focus is on the process of construction, so a lot of attention is paid to all the parts, and how they should be chosen, how they should/could and shouldn't/couldn't be used, and how they may or may not be integrated within the whole.

The Art and Design Tradition is very relevant for the education and training of jewelry designers, as well. Here, the Jewelry Artist is seen as a multi-functional professional, similar to an engineer who designs and builds bridges. The jewelry designer must bring a lot of very different kinds of skills and abilities to bear, when constructing a piece of jewelry. The professional has to be able to manage artistic design, functionality, and the interaction of the piece with the individual as well as that person's environment. This approach also believes that “Jewelry as Art” should be appreciated as it’s own discipline – not a part of sculpture or painting. And that Jewelry can only be understood as Art as it is worn.

The Art and Design Tradition assumes 1. Everyone has creative abilities, but for most people, these need to be carefully groomed and attended to. Expressing creativity is not a matter of turning a switch on and off. It’s a process that can be influenced by ideas and situations. The challenge is to teach people to become more intuitive in expressing their creative abilities and ideas. In this case, the definition of “art” is specific to jewelry and it’s design, in anticipation of how it will be worn. Jewelry can only be understood as “art” as it is worn. This means that the wearer’s own body, clothing, hairstyle influences the sense of the piece as art. The context influences this sense. How the jewelry moves when the wearer moves influences this sense. How the wearer feels and thinks about
the piece, when worn, influences this sense.

Some consequences: This approach focuses on design issues. Functionality, wearability, durability, context, movement are all key considerations in selecting parts and interrelating these parts in a design. Very concerned with how you select parts and materials. The beauty of the piece involves it’s construction, it’s lay-out, it’s consistency with rules of art theory, and how it holds up (physically and aesthetically) as it is worn. The focus is on how you organize your construction, piece by piece. The beader needs to bring many talents to bear in order to achieve a successful outcome. Here the beader is similar to an architect or engineer.

PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION

The reason we learn these principles of design is to help us answer the question:

Why do some pieces of jewelry draw viewer's attention, and others do not?

1. Principles of Rhythm in Design

Every design should have a underlying rhythm. It refers to intervals at which related elements occur throughout a composition. This is how the piece leads the viewer through sequences of steps. It is a measure of the degree the piece engages the viewer’s eye. Ryythm is the way your eye moves throughout a piece. Some designs move you throughout in a connected, flowing way much like rhythm in music. The artist might create and achieve a rhythm by varying or repeating colors, shapes, lines, textures, sizes, forms.

The repition of the elements invites the eye to move rapidly or slids smoothly from one area to the next. Rhythms allows artists to achieve a feeling of orderly movement. Abrupt change can also create a lively rhythm. By Keeping a variety the artist can achieve interest and excitement in the piece.

There are many different kind of rhythms of ten defined by the feeling it evokes when looking at the piece:

1. Regular Rhythm: A regular rhythm is created when intervals between the elements, and very often the elements themelves are similar in size and length

2. Flowing Rhythm: A flowing rhythm is created when a sense of movement is achieved and the piece is more organic in nature.

3. Progressive Rhythm: A progressive rhythm is achieved when the piece shows a sequence of forms through a progression of steps.

4. Symphonic Rhythm: A symphonic rhythm is created when a piece has multiple and coordinated rhythms.

When a viewer interacts with a piece of jewelry worn by someone else, the brain and eye perform two cognitive actions right off the bat.

First, the brain/eye try to visually inspect the piece from end to end. The brain/eye want to make a complete circle around the piece. Anything that inhibits, impedes or distracts the brain/eye from making this complete circle, ends up evoking the fear and anxiety response. If this is the case, the viewer begins to label the jewelry boring or ugly, in order to avoid it. This pre-wired "avoidance / fear / anxiety response" protects the individual from things like snakes and spiders.

The more the viewer is motivated to make the complete circle around the piece, the more the piece will be judged as beautiful, satisfying and appropriate. Rhythm is one of the primary principles used here, though the other principles contribute as well.

2. Principles of Emphasis, Focal Point, Center, Pointers

The principle of design emphasis provides the focal point or center view point for the piece. This is a way by which the artist makes the element that is most important stand out in the design. In this approach the artist guides the viewers eye to a specific place, center, or focal point. Emphasis plays a central role in a successful creation by resolving conflicts between design elements and principles and achieves unity in your design. Emphasis on a focal point can be achieved by variety of means like rhythm, repitition, size, intensity or movement. If a composition has all elements and principles of design then one should stand out and be emphasized. Every piece of jewelry that the artist creates should have a feature that draws the viewers eye to it - communicating your idea to viewer clearly with clarity.

Examples:

- Virtue of its size, color or pattern

- Something can be centered and piece demands eye to be focused on it or elements have been repeated

- The color can be varied, say from dark to light, to serve as an “arrow” or “pointer” or "center" or "emphasis" to a section of the piece
- The positioning of the diamond might serve as a pointer
- A sparkling stone might serve as a pointer
- The size of the stones can be varied, such as smallest to largest, to serve as an “arrow” or “pointer”
- Coordinating the placement of Focal Point on jewelry with the pattern in the drapery upon which the piece will rest
- Something can be strategically off-centered.

Utilize the design strategy of focal point to allow you to communicate the message of your piece to the viewer.

The eye of the viewer will focus on the focal point first and then will look at the rest of the composition by making a circle around it and then come to rest at the emphasized point. So design with the intention that the eye of the viewer will try to make the complete circle around the piece, the second thing that happens is that the eye wants to come to rest. The major design principle used to allow the eye to come to rest, is the use of a focal point or pointer.

So, the better designed piece has some way to allow the viewer's eye, first to look at the focal point, second to make a complete circle around the piece, and third, to come to rest. The focal point can stand out clearly in the piece, or a subtle configuration of pieces, forms or themes, or a deliberate manipulation of the viewer's perception and interaction with the piece. So make sure one one element that stands out and not everything in the piece should stand out.

Examples:

- The center stone can be dominant is size but also the contrast of dark muted ruby color against dainty rose color or yellow color gold and soft accent color cascading down around this focal feature. The side diamonds adds elegance and perfectly balances out the piece.

- Velvety deep blue sapphire can draw viewers eye to the large sapphire and then dainty rows of brilliant white diamonds can add movement to the whole ring as viewers eyes would move around the whole piece taking in all the shapes and sizzes of the variety of diamonds used.

A more complex ring  might have more than one pointer or focal point within its design.

3. Principles of Design Planar Relationships

A plane can be perceived as a trace of a line in motion like dragging a piece of chalk across a blackboard sideways (long side down). Wide lines and large points may also create a plane. This is the degree the piece is not disorienting to the viewer, or particularly confusing in terms of what is up and what is down.

People always need to orient themselves to their surroundings, so that they know what is up and what is down. They usually do this by recognizing the horizontal planes of the floor and the ceiling of a room (ground and sky outside), and the vertical planes of the walls of a room (buildings, trees and the like outside).

Jewelry must assist, or at least not get in the way of, this natural orienting process. It accomplishes this in how its “lines” are arranged and organized. If a piece is very 3-dimensional, then how its “planes” are arranged and organized becomes important, as well.

The goal here is to “see” the piece of jewelry, especially when worn, as something that is coherent, organized, and controlled.

Design elements we might use to achieve a satisfactory planar relationship within our piece:
- symmetry
- or, more difficult to achieve, a satisfying asymmetry
- a planar pattern in how each section of the piece relates to the other sections
- how sections of the piece interlock
- how we “draw and interrelate” parallel lines, perpendicular lines and curved lines within the piece

4. Principles of Design Interest

“Interest” means the degree to which the artist makes the ordinary…noteworthy.

Design elements might include:
- selection of materials and mix of materials
- selection of color combinations
- varying the sizes of things
- pushing the envelop on interrelating planar relationships among the sections of the jewelry
- playing with the rhythm
- clever use of a focal point

5. Principles of Design Scale & Statistical Distribution

Statistical distribution is a test for the artist how appealing the numbers and sizes of objects are within the piece and if they form a “pattern”, or not. Too few or more of any one size, weight, shape or color? Too much or too less? This will not result in good statistical distribution. To keep viewers interested in your piece artists can achieve visual balance then consider ways to making it slightly off balance in terms of statistical distribution.

6.  Principles of Unity

According to Alex White, author of The Element of Graphic Design, to achieve visual unity is a main goal of graphic design. When all elements are in agreement, a design is considered unified. No individual part is viewed as more important than the whole design. A good balance between unity and variety must be established to avoid a chaotic or a lifeless design.

Ways to achieve unity

Similarity: Elements that are related should share similar position, size, color, shape, or texture.

Repetition and Rhythm: Recurring position, size, color, and use of a graphic element shows unity. When the repetition has a focal point interruption it is considered rhythm.

Theme with variation: Altering the basic theme achieves unity and helps keep interest.Proximity: Elements that are physically close, are considered related.

7. Principles of Balance

It is a state of equalized tension and equilibrium, which may not always be calm. A unified design is also visually balanced so that no space takes away from the whole. As an important principle of design balance is the even distrbution of the design elements to produce equilibrium. Balance is achievement of optical or visual and pyschological equilibrium in a composition. Balance is a test of how satisfying the placement (symmetrical and asymmetrical) of objects (and their attributes) within a piece is. The attributes to achieve balance around an object in a piece could include such things as the materials used, the colors, textures and patterns, the sizes, weights, shapes and scales.

There are two types of visual balances: symmetrical balance which refers to an even distribution of visual weight around the axis and asymmetrical balance refers to a psychological balance felt.

In a piece the statistical distribution of size, height, weight and number might look to decent but their placement might be not appealing. For example, you might have used white and yellow diamonds in the correct sizes and weights (proportions and hence, good statistical distribution), but their placement within the piece might not be optimal (hence, this is a bad balance).

Balance is arranging elements so that no one element stands out or over powers or seems sronger in size, color, weight than any other element in the design. Balancing can be achieved by: symmetrical balance, assymetrical balance, off-balance and radial balance.

Symmetrical balance can be achieved by first centering and placing elements on each side in very even fashion in terms of size, shape and color.

Asymmetrical balance is achieved by movement and spontaniety in a piece and is informal and active in nature - visual weights are equivalent but not identical. Asymmetrical balance is more interesting than symmetrical balance but difficult to achieve. The design is much more interesting and appears active, attention-getting and inviting to the viewers eye and brain.

Viewers eyes are more comfortable with symmetrical and balanced composition, artists can can achieve that balance through visual contrasts that add up to what, in effect, is artists planned "balanceimbalance" using a combination of visual weight of design elements and negative hollow dark space.

Off-balance designs show motion and actions to the viewer. When artists are trying to create totally unique designs then a off-balance approach can work well.

Radial balance is achieved by an artist in a design when all the elements radiate out from a center focal point in a circular fashion. This design allows easily to create a focal point in the center since all elements lead viewers eye toward the center.

8. Principles of Design Dimensionality

The degree to which, whether the piece is flat or 3-dimensional, the placement of objects (and their attributes) is satisfying, and does not compete or conflict with the dimensionality of the piece as a whole.

Sometimes dimensionality is achieved through the positioning of masses of objects or planes of interconnected pieces.

Othertimes, dimensionality is achieved through color/texture optical effects, such as the use of glossy and matte beads in the same piece.

9. Principles of Design Hierarchy

A good design contains elements that lead the reader through each element in order of its significance. The type and images should be expressed starting from most important to the least.

10. Principles of Design Movement

This principle concerns with the design movement which refers to life and energy in the piece. This causes viewers eye to move throughout the composition and in a way controls the speed of eye movement. There are three types of movement: static visual movement which can be refered as static and the movement of the eye flows smoothly from one area to another of the composition guided by continuations of line or form and gradations of color and form, dynamic visual movement refers action and energy and is characterized by movement of the eye that moves from one area to another area of the composition randomly and is achieved by repition of various and contrasting shapes, color and value, and tactile movement makes use of the moving parts and it creates more enjoyment of wearing the piece by feeling the movement.

Creating visual and tactile movement to your design not only adds interest in the piece but also helps to catch and retain viewers attention.

11. Principles of Design Contrast

This principle is a dynamic and contributes excitement, attracts viewers attention and creating true uniqueness that will have a permanence in viewers. Contrast in design is an accentuation of the differences between elements in a design and is not only achieved by contrasting colors but also with other design elements. Contrasts can be created by size, weight, shape, and color. Contrasting opposite elements energize the surface and create excitement to the viewers eyes - light or dark, curved or straight, big or small, simple or decorated, bright and dull, warm or cool.  

Strong and controlled contrast can bring immediate visual impact on viewers. Artists can add contrast to harmonious design by introducing sudden color burst in a low-intensity color scheme or introduce a bold shape in a variety of shapes in a design. Contrast can be sudden, unexpected change and it is use of varied colors, shapes, textures to heighten the visual impact of a composition.

Color contrast can be achieved easily by using less number of colors in a piece, scale contrast by varying the size of design elements, shape contrast by using a variety of shapes, value contrast by including light to dark, negative to positive and solid to tint.  

12. Principles of Temporal Extension in Design

This principle concerns the degree to which the parts of the piece are integrated into the whole, especially in terms of how the materials relate to their historical use.

The idea of “historical use” refers to one of two situations.

a. As the piece is worn over time. For example, how relevant or successful is the piece if worn only once, versus if worn twice a week? Has the piece been designed and constructed to endure and last as long as it is expected to last?

b. As the piece is judged and understood within a historical or cultural context.

“Historical Use” may narrowly refer to one specific wearer in particular, or more broadly to a group, social or societal expectations.

Other examples:
- white pearls are associated with bridal jewelry
- making a matching set of earrings and necklace for jewelry that typically should be worn as a matching set

13. Physical Finishing

When there is (or should be) movement in a piece, there should be clear evidence that the designer anticipated where the parts came from, and where they are going to. Jewelry is worn by people who move, so the design should be a natural extension to such movements, and the stress they put on the piece.

The piece should move with the body.

It should not put undue stress on any piece, component or section that would result in the jewelry breaking, bending or denting "before its time."

The piece should drape well and feel good when worn -- no stratchy edges such as from exposed cable wire, or crushed crimp beads; no forced and too-stiff "circle" where a joint or hinge might be needed

Components of the piece should not get "stuck" out of place, or move inappropriately.

14. Principles of Design Harmony

In the principles of design harmony the main purpose is create pleasing arrangement of parts. If there is state of agreement between the elements of the design that gives it unity of effect and an aesthetically pleasing whole then the arrangement is pleasing. Harmony stresses on similarties in relationships between different elements of the piece. Artists keep close values in terms of contrasts an provide smooth transitions between elements creating a stunning visual experience. Similarties in colors, lines, shapes and sizes have to be harmonios to create a pleasing arrangement. Playing and inter-play between colors, lines, shapes and sizes with suble variations can create lively pieces. Harmony in terms of visual experience is something that is pleasing to the eye and engages the viewer and creates an inner sense of order, a balance in visual experience.

Harmony and Variety are two closely related results as both involve combing of elements like color, line, shape, texture and value to create interest and guide the eye through the composition. Both harmony and variety represent repition, proximity and simplicity. It is the degree to which each is used that create the contrast between the two.

Harmony is a method of combining elements in a design to combine and elevate their similarties and binds the elements or parts into a whole. Harmony is simple and subtle. Variety creates a interest in the composition and energy by randomly changing an elemment. UNITY will be created when variety, contrast and harmong work together fluidly well.

15. Principles of Design Variety

In the principles of design variety adds interest and helps to make impact and statement to the piece. Artists can create variety that should looks truly unique from the rest. Variety is he quality or state of having different forms or types, the differences which give a design visual and conceptual interest in termms of contrast, emphasis, size variations, shapes, textures, colors, values and so on. Variety is created by changing the elements - repeating a shape but changing the size can give variety and unity at the same time.   harmony the main purpose is create pleasing arrangement of parts. If there is state of agreement between the elements of the design that gives it unity of effect and an aesthetically pleasing whole then the arrangement is pleasing. Harmony stresses on similarties in relationships between different elements of the piece. Artists keep close values in terms of contrasts an provide smooth transitions between elements creating a stunning visual experience. Similarties in colors, lines, shapes and sizes have to be harmonios to create a pleasing arrangement. Playing and inter-play between colors, lines, shapes and sizes with suble variations can create lively pieces. Harmony in terms of visual experience is something that is pleasing to the eye and engages the viewer and creates an inner sense of order, a balance in visual experience.

Harmony and Variety are two closely related results as both involve combing of elements like color, line, shape, texture and value to create interest and guide the eye through the composition. Both harmony and variety represent repition, proximity and simplicity. It is the degree to which each is used that create the contrast between the two.

Harmony is a method of combining elements in a design to combine and elevate their similarties and binds the elements or parts into a whole. Harmony is simple and subtle. Variety creates a interest in the composition and energy by randomly changing an elemment. UNITY will be created when variety, contrast and harmong work together fluidly well.

The designer should achieve the maximal effect with the least effort or excess.

Many jewelry designers, when they like a particular bead, or a particular design, often over-do their pieces. The thinking here is that, if they have a beautiful part, adding many of these parts will make the whole even more beautiful. Often, it results in the finished product that is boring or uninteresting. The finished product loses a type of tension, power and energy.

Good Harmony shows that the designer has a good sense of the relationship of the parts to the whole.

Elements of Design: Form, Shape and Space (Area or Volume)

Design elements are the basic units of a visual piece that make up a painting, drawing, design, etc.These elements include:These basic elements of design form and shape are areas which define objects in space. Form and shape are elements that give your jewelry dimensional sense and feeling. Artists add width and height to create two dimensional form and it can illusion of three dimensional objects. Three dimensional shapes have depth as well as width and height. Form and shape can be organic or geometric. Naturally occurring designs are considered organic forms. Beauty of Nature can be a great source of inspiration in artists design ideas. Geometric forms are those which correspond to regular common shapes such as squares, rectangles, circles, cubes, spheres, cones and so on which are found in architectural designs. Consider the space around an object since it can distract or drw viewers attention especially when you want to highlight a stone or a specific focal point.

The principles of designs are concepts used to organize or arrange the elements of design. This is the way which effects the visual message of a design. A principle is something that is repetedly and dependably done with elements to produce some sort of visual effect in a composition or principle is that it is a way to express a value judgement about a composition.

Use the elements of design to create works of art that will talk to the soul. Use of elements like line, texture, shape and movement give their art a sense of movements that brings the viewer to a different realm of reality and makes you think and ponder.

The eye between two parallel lines will never see them at so great a distance that they meet at a point. All the cases of perspective are expressed by means of five mathematical terms, to wit: point, line, angle, surface and body.

Point: The point is unique of its kind, and this point has neither height nor breadth, nor lenth nor depth, wherefre we conclude that it is indivisible and does not occupy space.

Line: A line is of three kinds, namely straight, curved and bent, and it has neither breadth, height nor depth, consequently it is indivisible except in length; its end are two points. Line is a mark made by a moving point. It can have a great psychological inpact according to its direction, weight and variations in its direction and weight. It is helpful in a visual and verbal ways. It is a symbolic language, as well as it communicates emotions through its character and direction. It incorporates feelings into jewelry. Horizontal lines suggest a sense of rest or repose and vertical lines communicate asense of spirituality as seen in great cathederals. Diagonal lines suggest a feeling of movement or direction. In two dimensional work they are used to indicate depth or illusion. Curved lines send a message of soft, shallow curves suggesting comfort, safety, familiarity and relaxation. The recall the curves of human body, and therefore have a pleasing and sensual quality.

Uses for lines in design

Contour line: A line that defines or bounds an edge, but not always the outside edge, could represent a fold or color change.

Divide space: A line that defines the edge of space can also be created by a gap of negative space. Many uses include to separate columns, rows of type, or to show a change in document type.

Decoration: Lines are used in linear shapes and patterns to decorate many different substrates, and can be used to create shadows representing tonal value, called hatching.

Angle: An angle is the ending of two lines in a point, and they are of three kinds, namely right angles, acute angles and obtuse angles.

Surface: Surface is the name given to that which is the boundary of the bodies, and is without depth, and is such depth that is indivisible as is the line or point, being divided only in the respect of length and breadth. There are many different kinds of surfaces as there are bodies that create them.

Body: Body is that which has height, breadth, length, and depth, and in this attributes it is divisible. These bodies are of infinite and varied forms. The visible bodies are of two kinds only, of which the first is without shape or any distinct or definite extremeties, and these though present are impercetible and consequently their color is difficult to determine. The second kind of visible bodies is that of which the surface defines and distinguishes the shape and is divided into opaque and transparent.

Color: Color is used to create emotion, something the weared will emotionally enjoy. This is a very powerful principle to employ. Create different emotions with different colors. Good color can be used to create drastic contrasts just as hierarchy, size, scale, and dominance.

Types of color (general)

Primary color: The three colors that are equal distant on the color wheel and used to make up all other colors; red, yellow, and blue.

Secondary color: A mixture of two primary colors including green, violet, and orange. Secondary colors are a way to have more vibrant colors.

Tertiary color: Colors formed from a primary and a secondary color like yellow-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.

Perceptual attributes of color

Hue: The redness, blueness, and greenness of a color.

Value (lightness): Tints and shades of colors that are created by adding black to a color for a shade and white for a tint. Creating a tint or shade of a color reduces the saturation.

Saturation: Give a color brightness or dullness.

Ways color can guide the reader

Aids organization: Develop a color strategy and stay consistent with those colors.

Gives emphasis: Create a hierarchy or color that leads the reader to the important information. An example of perceptional emphasis though color is highlighting important text in red.

Provides direction: Using warm and cool colors to relate parts with each other. Warm colors move elements forward and cool colors move them back. Display text using warm colors behind a cool color background will stand out and direct the readers eye.

Shape: A shape is a self contained defined area of geometric or organic form. A positive shape automatically creates a negative shape. A shape is defined as an area that stands out from the space next to or around it due to a defined or implied boundary, or because of differences of value, color, or texture. All objects are composed of shapes and all other 'Elements of Design' are shapes in some way.

General Categories of Shapes

Mechanical Shapes (Geometric Shapes): These are the shapes that can be drawn using a ruler or compass. Mechanical shapes, wether simple or complex, produce a feeling of control or order.

Organic Shapes: Freehand drawn shapes that are complex and normally found in nature. Organic shapes produce a natural feel.

Texture (visual arts): Meaning the way a surface feels or is perceived to feel. Texture can be added to attract or repel interest to an element, depending on the pleasantness of the texture.

Types of texture

Tactile texture: The actual three-dimension feel of a surface that can be touched. Painter can use impasto to build peaks and create texture.

Visual texture: The illusion of the surfaces peaks and valleys, like the tree pictured. Any texture shown in a photo is a visual texture, meaning the paper is smooth no matter how rough the image perceives it to be.

Most textures have a natural feel but still seem to repeat a motif in some way. Regularly repeating a motif will result in a texture appearing as a pattern.

Space: In design, space is concerned with the area the design will take place on. For a two-dimensional design space concerns creating the illusion of a third dimension on a flat surface.

Major Methods of Controlling the Illusion of Space

Overlap: Where objects appear to be on top of each other. This illusion makes the top element look closer to the observer. There is no way to determine the depth of the space, only the order of closeness.

Shading: Adding gradation marks to make an object of a two-dimensional surface seem three-dimensional.

Five Kinds of Shading Light: Together these shadows and highlights give an object a three-dimensional look.

HighlightTransitional Light

Core of the Shadow

Reflected Light

Cast Shadow

Linear Perspective: A concept relating to how an object seems smaller the farther away it gets.

Atmospheric Perspective: Based on how air acts as a filter to change the appearance of distance objects.

Form

Form is any three dimensional object. Form can be measured, from top to bottom (height), side to side (width), and from back to front (depth). Form is also defined by light and dark. There are two types of form, geometric (man-made) and natural (organic form). Form may be created by the combining of two or more shapes. It may be enhanced by tone, texture and color. It can be illustrated or constructed.

Value: Value is the lightness or darklness of a color. Value is also called Tone.

Direction: All lines have direction - horizontal, vertical or oblique.

Size: Size is simply the relationship of the area occupied by one shape to that of another.

Patterns: Repeating a shape more than three times in a regular design makes a pattern. Patterns are enjoyable and makes design more organized.

Conceptual Elements: Point, Line, Plane and Volume. They are the invisible building blocks of all your design efforts. They are the structure of the building and indicate a notion, an expression, not the actual element itself and are born out of a point.

Visual Elements: Shape, Size, Color and Texture. When conceptual elements are noticed they become visual elements. When you depict them, these elements acquire a shape, a size, a color and a surface. Visual elements are the prominent features that are evident to the viewer. They are used to define the message and intent of the jewelry design.

Relational Elements: Direction, Position, Soace, and Gravity. The relationship between the visual elements, your composition, should be in tune with the conceptual elements. The composition of visual elements in the composition will naturally illustrate the message.

Arranging Lines and Figures in Space: Figures and shapes can be arranged together in various fashions. Centralized forms have the visual dominance of a regular and centrally located shape and have geometric orders that structure them. Linear forms arise from proportional variations in shape size or from the disposition of figure along an axis. A linear form may be fragmented or curved. Radial forms are composed of linear elements radiating from the center. Grouped forms do not require a geometric layout. Recicular forms are an assembly of parallel lines separated in a regular pattern that intersect with each other.

Three-Dimensional Designs

This involves skill to achieve volume ant to experience concavity and convexity that will attract all attention. The most common form of three-dimensional work is an object that can be viewed from every angle, and in full round. A three-dimensional form can have multiple two-dimensional figures when seen from different angles. Therefore, figures make up one of the elements of form. For a piece of jewelry to hold a viewer's attention, it must change continually as it is moved around and at the same time maintain an overall sense of continuity and wholeness.

Other Considerations

1. Physical Function: Jewelry must withstand the forces that usage places on the piece. Design strategies must anticipate whether the piece would be worn daily or occasionally; was expected to last a year, more than a year, a lifetime; was to be worn in situations where there was little movement/activity by the wearer or a lot of movement/activity.

The designer does not want the piece to pose any kind of problem of manipulation. The Design and Construction should be conditioned by anatomy and situation.

Physical Function is understood in terms of movement, Flow, Drapery, Flexibility, Rigidity, Volume, Weight, and Torque. It is understood in terms of proportions and sizes and coherency among the parts. It is understood in terms of the relationship of the piece to the purpose it is worn, or what it is worn with. It is understood in terms of how the piece is secured from loss.

You don't want to end up with a top-heavy brooch, or a bracelet that is too stiff around the wrist. You don't want a bracelet or necklace to shift position on the body.

Wide necklaces must be tapered conically toward the neck to lie flat.

2. Psycho-Social Function: Jewelry has many uses, including meeting the individual's needs for self-esteem, self-actualization, sex and sexuality, a sense of oneness and uniqueness, a sense of being a part of a larger group or community, a sense of survival and protection, a re-affirmation of values and perspectives, a connection to a higher power or spirituality, fantasy, personal use-goals.

3. Forms: It is important for the jewelry designer to think in terms of "parts", "forms", and the "piece as a whole". Forms are inter-related objects. For example, they might be sections of beads that seem to be thematically inter-related.

Design-control over forms enables the designer to create a "whole" that is more than the sum of its "parts".

4. Techniques and Materials: The choice of materials, particularly clasps and stringing materials, set the tone and chances of success for the piece.

These choices involve such things as:
- Type of material(s)
- Thickness and other physical parameters of the parts, such as whether they have been stamped, fabricated or cast; interaction with sunlight, ultraviolet light, heat and cold; how the pieces have been finished off
- Cost of materials
- Durability of materials
- Compatibility of different types of materials
- Structural integrity and integration of materials, particularly in multi-media art jewelry or related pieces

Each form should contribute to the whole.

You may use the dominant, subdominant and subordinate concept to structurally organize your jewelry designs. Design your own jewelry using the concept to give the design structure an order, but you don’t have to take it literally.

You can also use the diagonal axis to give your jewelry designs extra interest. A dynamic proportion between forms will appear as soon as you start using curvilinear forms with the same dominant, subdominant and subordinate concept but in a diagonal visual tension.

Use the diagonal axis to create movement and three-dimensional qualities. The three curvilinear forms should be arranged in a dynamic relationship with a good proportion between the diagonal axes to give the design appropriate visual tension. Remember that the diagonal axes also become directional forces, so make your design to suit your intentions.

What do you want the viewer to see? You can control how the design will be perceived.

Just like with the rectilinear forms, the composition of curvilinear forms should look structural. That is, it has to appear self-supporting, it must look like a structure and a unified design.

Design your own jewelry having in mind the dominant, subdominant and subordinate concept explained here. You can also design your own jewelry, following this concept, with metal sheet achieving wonderful designs by means of planes.

Take this further by changing your own position as a viewer.

Stand up and see the composition from above. Take two steps back from your work and look at it with a bit of distance, look at it from all sides and from the bottom.

If you get used to looking at your work in different angles besides the way you view it from the bench, the design can speak to you tons!

In another section you can also see how concavity and convexity lead your designs into the world of organic forms.

We usually analyze and express volume starting from the outside and then getting inside the mass.

If you think of it the other way round, you’ll perceive form in a much better way.

Convexity is perceived as a positive volume that pushes into a negative space. Concavity is the expression of negative space pushing into positive volume. They both complement each other and structure one another.

Exploring the negative space between positive forms will help you see the whole character, position and tension of your design.

You can also group two or three masses and add them to make a new abstract volume, like grouping little masses of clay together into a coherent whole.

The dominant, subdominant and subordinate concept we saw before comes into play here again. Work with the axis of your design, in terms of structuring three-dimensionally the mass, volume and space.

Look at your sculptural design from all possible angles.

Study how the viewers’ eyes are drawn around, over and under your design.

The negative space should flow around the volume, at first, keep concavities subtle.

Practice to mentally “see” the structuring elements of your design, those inside the outer surface, like an X-ray of your volumetric creation.

That means to look for the directional axis, or lines that structure the whole mass. Examine the surfaces that protrude and move to see if they are consistent with the axis and the planes that build up the volume.

Explore these relationships while you turn the design around.

At Sparkle N Dazzle Co., it's our goal to help you recognize quality in diamonds and jewelry, so you make the right choice. We believe that no jewelry can be comprehended without light and shade; light and shade are caused by light. In our jewelry designs we strive very hard on to work on the interplay of light and shade - we believe on the principles that place is most shaded on which the greatest number of shaded rays coverage; that place will be most luminous from which the greatest number of luminous rays are reflected. We work on the principles that light is the expeller of darkness and shadow is the suppression of light and primary light is that which is the cause of the lighting of the shaded parts of the jewelry. And the derived lights are those parts of the jewelry body which is illuminated by the primary light. Primary shadow is that side of the jewelry body on which the light does not fall. Derived shadow is simply the striking of shaded rays. Shaded or luminous percussion is that which impedes and cuts above itself the concourse of shaded and luminous rays. The shadow in diaphanous and spherical bodies is darker at the top than in the hollow, and darker amid the darkness of the derived shadow of the eye of the ball.

The shape of a body cannot be accurately perceived when its extremities are bounded by something of the same color as itself, and the eye is between the part in shadow and that in light. No separated can reproduce the true form of the jewelry of whih it is the shadow, unless the center of the light is equidistant from the extremeties of this body. The boundaries of the images of any color which penetrate through a narrow hole into a dark place will always of a more powerful color than its center. And the colors are more intense and more deeply defined at their edges than any other part. If you look at the sun or other luminous object and then shut your eyes, you will see it again in the same form within your eye for a long space of time; this is a sign that the images enter within it. When the intersection of two columns of shadow produces their derived shadows by means of the two luminous ones, it must follow that four derived shadows are produced, and these shadows are composite, and they intersect at four places; and of these intersections there are that form simple shadow. Shadow is the withholding of the light - shadows are of supreme importance in perspective, seeing that without them opaque and solid bodies will be indistinct.

Of the shadows-where they ought to be dark; where the shadows ought to be of a middle degree, and the lights where they ought to be clear. Where they are darker. Where there ought to be glimmers and reflections, that is lights thrown back in one place, and leaping up again in another. As the jewelry objects reced from the eye are perceved poorly and seem to lose clearness of outline, and in the far distance appear blue. The light in our jewelry is brightest which has the greatest angle. The shadow is darkest which is produced at an acute angle. The edges of stones window which are illuminated by two different lights of equal radiance will not through the light of equal quantity into the room. Among jewelry equal in size and distance that which shines the more brightly seems to the eye nearer and larger. A light in the form of cross thrown on to a shaded body of spherical roundness will produce its shadow in the figure of a cross. The first of the lights with which o[que objects are illuminated is called perpendicular, the second is universal and third is the composite. How among shadows some are indistinguishable in gradation and form; and this is proved the fifth which says - spherical surfaces have as many different degrees of light and shadow as their are varieties of brightness and darkness reflected from the objects around them.

We believe to make the perspective of the colors so that it is not at variance with the size of any object, that is, that the colors lose part of their perspective with the size of the jewelry object, that is, that the colors lose part of their nature in proportion as the bodies at different distances suffer loss of their natural quantity. Of colors of equal whiteness that will seem most dazzling which is on the darkest background, and black will seem most intense when it is against a background of greater whiteness. Red also will seem most vivid vivid when against a yellow background, and so in like manner with all the colors when set against those which present the sharpest contrasts. The more white a thing is the more it will be tinged with the color of illuminated or luminous object. But in the distance that object will show itself most blue which is darkest in color. Every object that has no color in itself is tinged either entirely or in part by the color of the thing that it is reflected in it. And if the object which is in part tinged is white, the portion of it that is illuminated by red will appear red will appear red , and so with every color whether it be light or dark. Note how spirit collects in itself all the colors and scents of the flowers; and if you wish to make azure, put cornflowers and then wild poppies.

The variation in the colors of objects at a great distance can only be discerned in those portions which are smitten by the solor rays. A dark object will appear more blue when it has a larger amount of luminous atmosphere interposed between it and the eye, as may be seen in the color of the sky. Colors seen in shadow will reveal more or less of their natural beauty in proportion as they are in fainter or deeper shadow. But if colors happen to be in a luminous space they will show themselves of greater beauty in proportion as the luminosity is more intense. No black or white is transparent. And in the color of the air that is interposed between the eye and this body, this is to say in the color of the transparent medium interposed between the object and the eye. The colors of rainbow are not created by the sun, because in many ways these colors are produced without the sun, as happens when you hold up a glass of water close to the eye, for in the glass are tiny bubbles and these bubbles although are not in the sunlight will produce on one side colors of rainbow. Even the eye does not have share in the creation of the colors of rainbow. The eye in the experiment would seem to have some share in the creation of the colors of the rainbow, because the bubbles in the glass do not display these colors except through the medium of the eye.

All the pictures and images on our website are photographed with perspective in mind and it is a rational demonstration whereby experience confirms how all things transmit their images to the eye by pyramidal lines. The eye between two parallel lines will never see them at so great a distance that they meet in a point. All the cases of perspective are expressed by the means of five mathematical-terms: point, line, angle surface and body. A line is of three kinds, namely straight, curved and bent. An angle is the ending of two lines in a point and they are of three kinds, namely right angles, acute angles and obtuse angles. All things transmit their image to the eye by means of pyramids; the nearer to the eye these are intersected the smaller the image of their cause will apperar. Perspective is of such a nature that it makes what is flat appear inrelief, and what is in relief flat. Speak first of the movement and weight with percussion are the four accidental powers in which all the works of mortals have their being and their end. These are the miracles-forms already lost mingled together in so short a space, it can recreate and reconstitute by its dilation. The eye has one central line and all the things that come up to the eye along this line are seen distinctively. Round about this line are an infinite number of other lines that adhere to the central line and have less of strength in proportion.