Capture the functional aspects of custom made jewelry

Ever made a choker that was way too short?

Did you change a ring size several times after swearing it was a 5 1/2?

Ever loosen a thread of your scarf with a pointy earring?

Overcome common design mistakes. Be practical. Save time, repairs and explanations.

From a pragmatic point of view, function in jewelry must be considered in relation to anthropometric adaptations of jewelry forms to meet the demands of wearability.

Custom made jewelry must meet your client’s preferences and also be comfortable to wear.

Comfort, fit and security are vital aspects to have in mind when designing custom made jewelry.

Avoid the average design pitfalls, be three steps ahead.

Here you’ll find all the resources on functionality and wearability of jewelry design.

You’ll learn to simultaneously design having in mind purpose, design concept, functionality, materials and crafting process.

Much has been said about jewelry being an art or a craft.

Apart from wanting to reach artistic expression through jewelry making, a jeweler should always keep in mind that his craft is meant to be worn and should be designed to be wearable.

Custom made jewelry that sells should fit the wearer and not the other way round.

These are the basic aspects to take into account, at least from my experience:

• Jewelry style or form,
• Seasons and fashion,
• Special occasions,
• Clasps,
• Client’s age and occupation,
• Anthropometry.

Always examine your client’s hand and measure her finger with the ring-size set, spinning the ring in and out of the finger to make sure there’s a comfortable fit. The design should be proportionate to the size of the client’s hand and overall height.

Weight and comfort are probably the two most important factors to consider when designing earrings. Regardless of the size, a jeweler will avoid excessive weight.

To merge these factors into your designs, think about the type of ear back you should use. There are french wires, kidney wires, screw types, spring-clip types, among others.

When designing your earrings, you can consider your client’s neck length, their hairstyle, their age (suppose she suffers from arthritis, don’t make her sweat) and their lifestyle. Needless to say, they should never fall off.

You can also consider seasonal fashion.

Long earrings and large hoops are great for summer but can be annoying in winter when they keep on getting tangled in your scarf.

For open, slip-on bracelets you should work-harden the metal for stiffness, because you need a certain amount of spring to guarantee durability.

The closed type of bracelet and the link type should avoid pointy or rough edges, to prevent getting tangled up in jumpers or long sleeves.

Limitations on the design of necklaces are about comfort and the security of the fastener. As with bracelets and earring, all the corners, edges and surfaces should be smooth.

Every time you can, involve the fastener into the design of your jewelry.

Device your own design, don’t just rely on ready-made clasps.

For pendants, have in mind the relation between the weight of the pendant and the diameter of the chord or chain.

Rigorously and patiently work until you achieve a smooth surface at the back of your pendants, there’s nothing more annoying than scratching a blouse.

Take into consideration your client’s occupation or lifestyle

Busy moms with small children may need extra strength in their necklaces and earrings for example.

Make sure your jewelry can stand a baby’s tug.

A nasty experience happened to me with my first collection.

A friend tried on a necklace while carrying her baby, at the first pull all the jasper beads came crashing to the floor...

... I felt like an idiot!

I learned my lesson for sure.

When designing brooches, you should think primarily about weight and security. It must be sufficiently easy to put on, but the pin should be securely tucked away to avoid accidents.

Design your brooches (this also goes for pendants) considering that the ping tong must be placed above the center of gravity of the pin or else the tip of the brooch will tip forward and expose only its upper edge. If this happens, it’s a sure sign of careless design.

Custom made jewelry is sometimes commissioned for a highly emotional event or a special social occasion.

In any of these occasions the jewelry has the chance to become a “conversation piece”. You then have the opportunity to employ your full range of design resources and be center stage.

Many people collect big and flashy jewelry to wear on special occasions, while they may prefer modest size jewelry for everyday wear.

Now let’s talk about anthropometry, want to know the average lengths of necklaces, bracelets and how to size rings?

For your convenience, here´s a site that contains a full range of average jewelry measurements that I have found very useful. They have guides for ring sizes, necklace and chain sizes and bracelet sizes for both men and women, click here.

Considering functional and wearable factors when you design your custom made jewelry, is an integral part of the design process.

By blending all this practical information with your intent and design ideas you can easily plan the manufacturing process.

To increase your profits, carefully device your design in technical and to scale drawings.

Plan ahead according to the materials, tools and techniques you’ll use to create the jewelry.

Learn handy tips to kick-start fundamental processes and practical procedures for your custom made jewelry.

Back to Design Process

References used in this section: Morton (1970)