Jewelry Designer: A Career in Precious Metals and Gems

Do you dream of working with pretty, sparkly things all day? Then a career as a jewelry designer might be right for you!

Humans have been making jewelry for many thousands of years, and the idea of jewelry design as an art form has been around since the time of the Ancient Egyptians. Over millennia, we’ve developed and perfected many different types of jewelry making techniques, from the gem-setting work of the fine jeweler to the resin, wire-wrapped, and beaded work of the DIY jewelry enthusiast.

Whatever your interest, skill set, and style, if you’re interested in how to be a jewelry designer, then it helps to know what sort of path you might be able to take to make it happen.

The internet has opened up a ton of doors for those with a passion for gemology and design, making it easier than ever for amateur jewelry designers to find their following. Meanwhile, a traditional jewelry design career path is still an option, with or without an art degree.

What Is a Jewelry Designer?

Any creative professional who makes and executes plans for original jewelry pieces, including rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and pendants is a jewelry designer. A few unique designations exist within this general description.

Fine jewelers, for example, are jewelry designers who work with precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, etc.) and gemstones (sapphires, rubies, diamonds, and so on).

Fashion jewelers create lower-quality pieces for a wider audience, often adopting the look of fine jewelry but with materials such as plastic and rhinestones.

Freelance jewelry designers create limited, often handcrafted collections or works with brands and customers on custom pieces.

How to be a jewelry designer depends in part on the type of jewelry design that you want to pursue. Think about what you’re interested in, such as gemology or wire wrapping, and that will provide you with some useful guidance on the next steps you should take.

Jewelry Designer Job Description

What does a jewelry designer do as part of their day-to-day job? While there are some distinctions based on the specific industry they work in, a standard job description for a jewelry designer includes all or some of these key tasks:

• Sketching jewelry designs by hand or with digital design software
• Monitoring seasonal trends and consumer style preferences
• Selecting, sourcing, and evaluating materials
• Prototyping new pieces and assessing them for quality, comfort, and durability
• Reshaping and repairing existing pieces

As for jewelry creation itself, some designers—especially a small-scale fine jeweler or a freelance designer—do craft their pieces by hand. Other designers rely on manufacturers to actually produce the pieces that they sketch and prototype.

How to Become a Jewelry Designer

An art degree, design degree, or jewelry design degree are all useful stepping stones in becoming a jewelry designer, but they’re not the only way to do it. As is true of many (if not most) artistic careers, plenty of jewelry designers take non-traditional paths to success, and many are self-taught in their skills. You’ll need creativity and hard work either way, but it’s your call whether you pursue formal education or try to forge your own way forward.

Jewelry Designer Education

An associate or bachelor’s degree in jewelry design, art, gemology, or another related field is a popular jumping-off point for aspiring jewelry designers. Various skills that are helpful to jewelry designers include:

• Gemology
• Art and fashion history
• Jewelry casting
• Metal working and engraving
• Wax carving
• Wire wrapping
• Jewelry appraising
• Jewelry repair
• Graphic design
• Retail psychology

Again, a specialized jewelry design degree isn’t always necessary. But there are some advantages to going this route. For starters, you’ll gain comprehensive knowledge related to both the creation of jewelry and the jewelry design industry—including how to use jewelry design software. You’ll also have access to experts and mentors who can help guide you as a beginner and who can possibly connect you with relevant opportunities.

One way to figure out if a degree is worthwhile for achieving your goals as a jewelry designer would be to look at the requirements for the types of jobs you might like to do and the companies you might like to work with. That should give you a good idea of whether an art or similar degree will make you a more competitive candidate.

Gaining Jewelry Design Experience

If you want to dive right in without getting a degree, then your goal should be to seek alternate ways to gain industry knowledge and valuable experience. Fortunately, you can find plenty of online courses, resources, and guides devoted to jewelry design. You can also sign up for workshops and one-off classes that touch on specific topics and techniques that interest you.

Equally valuable is on-the-job experience, such as working or interning for a jeweler, a jewelry designer, or in a jewelry repair shop. Other jobs that can provide you with good experience include positions in jewelry manufacturing and marketing. These types of experiences will allow you to learn many of the ins and outs of the jewelry design industry while you focus on developing your design skills through online and in-person courses and workshops.

Networking in the Jewelry Industry

Building relationships with established jewelry designers is always a good thing. It may even lead to mentorship or apprenticeship.

There are several ways to go about building your network, probably the most accessible being to start cultivating a social media presence related to jewelry design and engaging in online forums and communities on the topic. You can also attend trade shows, craft fairs, and conferences, where you’re likely to meet jewelry designers who are excited to talk about their work.

You never know where opportunity will come from. If you’re pursuing a degree, strengthen relationships with your teachers, and don’t be afraid to ask for referrals or extra support.

Sell Your Creations

How to Price Handmade Items for Profit

Take the Class

How Much Does a Jewelry Designer Make?

The average jewelry designer salary in the U.S. is approximately $55,000 per year. The factors that impact this salary include a designer’s location, skill level, and experience, as well as their popularity with businesses and/or consumers.

Gaining as much experience and knowledge as possible is important for reaching the higher end of your potential salary as a jewelry designer. Other things that can help increase your pay include becoming proficient with design software programs and/or branching off into additional but related career paths like jewelry sales, styling, appraising, and consulting.

Types of Jewelry Designer Jobs

As a jewelry designer, you can work for a jewelry store, jewelry manufacturer, or jewelry repair shop. You can also go out on your own as a freelancer. Each of these types of jobs comes with its own set of skills and expectations, which are useful to know about in advance if you’re not quite sure yet where you want to end up.

Fine Jewelers

Some designers use their artistic talents to create original and custom pieces for fine jewelry stores. These types of designers usually work directly with customers to bring their visions to life and must be comfortable following customer preferences and meeting deadlines. In addition to original and custom designs, jewelry designers who work with fine jewelers also may have a hand in remounting antique stones into new pieces and providing skilled hand engraving services.

Retail Manufacturing

Jewelry designers with an interest in fashion jewelry can choose to work with retail manufacturers to create large collections for brands. They must have an in-depth understanding of the mass jewelry production process and their fingers on the pulse of current and upcoming trends. Designing for retail manufacturers probably won’t mean working with precious gems and metals, but it does have its advantages, such as the ability to design trendy pieces that are more affordable for the average consumer.

Jewelry Repair

A jewelry repair technician doesn’t design new pieces of jewelry from scratch, but they do help refresh and reimagine existing pieces. Their job consists of basic repair tasks like polishing, resizing, and remounting, as well as restoring vintage pieces. Some may also offer custom redesigns, plus appraisals of previous work.

Freelance Jewelry Designer

If your dream is to go into business for yourself as a self-employed jewelry designer, then you’re in luck. Thanks to the popularity of social media and e-commerce, anyone can design, market, and sell their own rings, bracelets, and other jewelry pieces—assuming they have the right tools, of course. A freelance jewelry designer can also create pieces for brands, stores, or individual customers on a contract basis.

As a freelancer, you’ll have complete control over the projects that you take on and how much you work. You’ll also get the most freedom of expression for your personal style. Just make sure that you have a plan for how to market and grow your business, and don’t forget that you’ll be responsible for handling your own finances and taxes.

Get Inspired by Famous Jewelry Designers

Every creative field has their artistic masters. These jewelry designers of the past and present have raised the bejeweled bar for all that come after them, and are a great source of inspiration as you develop your own style as a designer.

Jeanne Toussaint

Hired by Louis-François Cartier himself to serve as creative director of Cartier in the early half of the 1900s, Toussaint is responsible for the luxury Parisian brand’s iconic panther symbol, which made its first famous appearance in a brooch for the Duchess of Windsor in 1948.

Elsa Peretti

An Italian jewelry designer who created some of Tiffany & Co’s most celebrated collections. Her work has been exhibited in the British Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts in both Boston and Houston.

Mikimoto Kōkichi

If you’re a fan of pearls, you should be a fan of Kōkichi, founder of the eponymous Japanese luxury pearl company. He was the first person to invent cultured pearls (as opposed to natural pearls) and remains the most revered name in pearl jewelry design.   

Harry Winston

This American designer was nicknamed the “king of diamonds” for his expertise in diamond sourcing and diamond jewelry design. His first jewelry store opened in New York in 1932, and has grown to nearly 40 locations around the globe.

David Yurman

Once a sculptor, Yurman parlayed his artistic skills into jewelry design, and the industry hasn’t been the same since. He’s known for several staple pieces, including gold chain link necklaces and his gold and silver cable bracelet.

Pursue a Gem of a Career

Even the world’s best jewelry designers had to start somewhere. Develop your skills, gain all the knowledge you can, and discover your path to starting your own career in jewelry design. 

Start Your Jewelry Design Career

Business Behind-the-Scenes: Growing Your Creative Passion

Take the Class