Gain an understanding of jewelry design theory and acquire a working knowledge of jewelry artistry.
Offer your customers a more personalized service and purchase jewelry lines with a keener eye for design and appeal.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
You'll learn the principles of quality jewelry design. Develop the skills needed to create and illustrate designs for a variety of jewelry in full color and fine detail. Learn how to design for beauty, problem-free manufacturing, long wear, and comfort. You'll practice drawing techniques that will help you communicate your design ideas clearly and appealingly to jewelers and clients. You'll learn how to design jewelry from a variety of inspirational sources and present your finished watercolor renderings professionally. By the time you complete this course, you'll be able to illustrate rings in five different views and you'll also have a portfolio of your own work to show prospective employers and clients.

Discover how to keep your design ideas flowing!

Weeks 1–3
You acquire the fundamental skills you'll need to render jewelry metal and gems.
You'll begin with graphite pencil, then you'll start to illustrate with colored pencils and paint.
 • Shade faceted stones, cabochons, and pearls and illustrate textures on metal
 • Apply bodycolor, highlighting, and shading to f lat and curved metal forms
 • Paint faceted stones, cabochons, pearls, and phenomenal stones
 • Paint white and yellow metal and learn how to apply bodycolor, highlighting, and
    shading to illustrate flat, domed, and flat curved forms
 • Learn painting techniques for round and fancy-shaped melée

Weeks 4–9
You apply the fundamental skills you learned in the first three weeks. You'll learn the elements and principles of design—the use of line, direction, shape, texture, mass, space, and color. You'll also learn about jewelry design history, including the major styles. Then you'll design jewelry using one of the historical periods as the theme.
 • Paint pavé on flat, curved, and domed surfaces, and as interlocking and boxed
    patterns
 • Illustrate symmetrical and asymmetrical motifs
 • Learn to enlarge and reduce a motif proportionately, as well as to distort a motif
 • Render rings in elliptical view and 2-point perspective
 • Complete design projects including a pendant, jewelry for a pearl competition, a
    bridal set, and a piece of jewelry using symbolism
 • Present your individual designs in an on-campus exhibition prior to graduation

All course materials are included: The GIA design kit includes artist's pencils, professional quality watercolor paints, mechanical pencil, ruler, eraser, pens, stencils, paper etc.

You will be awarded the GIA Jewelry Design Certificate.