A gem of a career

The entry of international brands in the jewellery market has led to more competition. Undoubtedly, it has also given a new lease of life to jewellery designing as a career for young designers.

Dazzling diamonds, rich rubies, bright sapphires, kundan, meenakari and delicate filigree work in different hues and designs, from artificial to silver, gold to platinum — jewellery has enamoured mankind since time immemorial. Never a prerogative of women, men too have not been able to withstand the lure of jewellery. In fact, it will not be wrong to say that jewellery has always been a vital part of the Indian psyche. As a result, it’s associated with all the happy occasions in our lives: births, engagements, weddings, and anniversaries...

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Now, the entry of new and international brands in the jewellery market has led to more competition for better designs and specialised businesses. Undoubtedly, it has also given a new lease of life to jewellery designing as a career for young designers. Looking at the burgeoning number of students who opt for this field, various universities and institutes have started to offer courses in jewellery designing.

The course
It may look easy but jewellery designing is not only about creating ornaments; one also needs to know about metallurgy and gemmology, emerging trends, planning and sometimes, even marketing the creations. According to Archana Surana, Director of Arch Gemology and Jewellery Institute, Jaipur, “To be a complete jewellery designer, one needs to have balance, rhythm and harmony in design as well as know how the design will vary from metal to metal.” A thorough knowledge of how different metals behave along with information on various gems and semi-precious stones is also needed. The design goes through various stages from the moment it is conceived —- it’s plenty of hard work, gruelling hours spent on sketches drawn and re-drawn on paper till the design reaches perfection and then gets moulded into metal.

To be a good jewellery designer, one needs to learn constantly. Though one may not want to take risks, it is necessary to experiment and re-invent designs -? from the traditionally chunky to the contemporary sleek. Surana adds, “For instance, presently we’re trying leather with gemstones, (so) the material (read metal) varies according to the latest in vogue.”

Qualities
These would include a knack for coming up with exclusive and intricate designs that not only look great but are also wearable, an open mind that can visualise designs from anything and everything. Of course, if you add an eye for imaginative patterns as well as an inquiring mind and the skills to understand the latest trends and client’s needs, then you have the potential to be a good designer. Though some designers may have inherited their talent, professional training does help.

As Arpana Singh, a student at Arch, puts it, “In designing, a professional course definitely helps, for (then) there are teachers available who tell you all the intricacies in design, which on your own, you would not be able to understand.” Her classmates Chandar Sharma and Meghna Sethi second her views. “One has to be abreast of what’s happening around the world,” says Sethi, adding that she finds it more creative and exciting than other professions. Singh adds, “If you belong to a family that’s in the profession (of jewellers), then it is 80 per cent ability and 20 per cent family support but I come from a non-jewellers family, so here it is my ability that I must project 100 per cent.”

Starting point
Start by working under a well-known designer, to learn the tricks of the trade. You must also have a good rapport with clients, as in this profession, publicity by word-of-mouth is an important aspect. If your clients are happy, they will keep coming back for more along with their friends.

You could also work with private design studios, jewellery exporters, jewellery houses, as a fashion jewellery designer etc.

So, if you have the creativity, good promotional skills and an eye for beauty, then you have a gem of a career ahead of you!