A Day in the Life of a Jewelry Designer
A jewelry designer may work on multiple projects during the course of a day. He or she may have to deal spontaneously with requests from customers, as well as attend pre-arranged appointments. A jewelry designer’s workday can be as diverse as customers’ tastes.
A customer may purchase a ring or bring in rings that need enlargement or reduction. In some cases, the rings must be cut off the customer’s fingers. The jewelry designer will size the ring with metal finger gauges. To make the ring smaller, the designer cuts out a small piece of the ring, reshapes it, and solders the pieces together. If the ring has a pattern, the designer must cut it so the pattern is continuous. The designer then polishes and buffs the seam so it is invisible. Making a ring larger is a little more complicated. Thick rings can be made larger by stretching. However, a thin ring must have a bridge inserted. The designer may need to mix metals to match the karat content of the ring. The bridge is soldered in place, polished, and buffed.
Meanwhile, another customer may have custom-ordered a piece. The designer will spend time working on computer-assisted design (CAD) software to create the design model, often in 3D color detail if the CAD supports this application. This permits the designer and customer to view the ring as it will appear in its finished form.
After the designer receives approval of the model, a mold of the ring is created from sculpting wax. The wax mold is placed in a flask and covered with wet plaster. When the plaster has dried (a minimum of two hours), the flask is placed in a hot stove or kiln to melt the wax. The wax will leech out of the plaster leaving a hollow space in the shape of the wax ring mold.
The plaster is placed in special machinery that uses centrifugal force to compel molten metal into the hollow. Once cooled, the plaster is chipped away and the ring is revealed. Details or a pattern is carved into the ring with jeweller tools. The last step is the addition of gems. The ring is then finished with polishing and buffing.
The jewelry designer might have a request for a handcrafted chain. The type of link determines the methods used by the designer to construct the chain. Popular links are snake, box, Figaro, diamond-cut, and curb link chain. Handcrafted chains are labor-intensive. Links must be individually crafted and soldered together.
Inevitably, a certain amount of the day will be spent with customer service. Not every customer represents a sale; however, the jewelry designer must give each customer individual attention. This can be time-consuming, but may pay off with a sale later in time.
Not all of the day is always devoted to design work. The jewelry designer might have to attend to business matters as well. Quotes for customers may need to be drawn up. The jewelry designer may canvas suppliers for gemstones, quantify the weight of metal required, estimate labor costs, and write a detailed estimate for presentation to the client.
In addition, the designer may be responsible to ensure sufficient materials are on hand. He or she may follow up with suppliers to order waxes, molds, and findings.
Jewelry design can be affected by seasonal trends. The designer may spend some time researching upcoming trends and costing out supplies. The designer might even be inspired to draft out some rough sketches for possible pieces.
At the end of the day, jewelry and materials must be stored according to insurance policies. This may require removal of all jewelry from cases for secured storage.
