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Have you ever wondered why sometimes you look at a piece of jewelry and instantly don’t like it or you love it?
Besides having your own personal tastes, there is more going on than you think!
Warren Feld, the Director at Jewelry Design Camp, states, “When a viewer interacts with a piece of jewelry worn by someone else, the brain and eye perform two cognitive actions right off the bat. First, the brain/eye try to visually inspect the piece from end to end. The brain/eye wants to make a complete circle around the piece. Anything that inhibits, impedes, or distracts the brain/eye from making this complete circle ends up evoking the fear and anxiety response. If this is the case, the viewer labels the jewelry boring or ugly.”
Where does your eye go while looking at this bear pendant with a glass cabochon in its center? How does it make you feel? Do you feel confused?
Therefore, working with design principles and elements is very important while designing jewelry. In fact, this is true with all art, including graphics, industrial design, fine art, and architecture.
Besides having your own personal tastes, there is more going on than you think!
Warren Feld, the Director at Jewelry Design Camp, states, “When a viewer interacts with a piece of jewelry worn by someone else, the brain and eye perform two cognitive actions right off the bat. First, the brain/eye try to visually inspect the piece from end to end. The brain/eye wants to make a complete circle around the piece. Anything that inhibits, impedes, or distracts the brain/eye from making this complete circle ends up evoking the fear and anxiety response. If this is the case, the viewer labels the jewelry boring or ugly.”
Where does your eye go while looking at this bear pendant with a glass cabochon in its center? How does it make you feel? Do you feel confused?
Therefore, working with design principles and elements is very important while designing jewelry. In fact, this is true with all art, including graphics, industrial design, fine art, and architecture.
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What Are Principles and Elements?
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Principles are rules organizing individual elements into an aesthetic design concept.
Principles of Design Include
- Balance – The distribution of elements emphasizing a focal point Balance refers to the distribution of the visual weights of materials, colors, texture and space in jewelry designs.
- Rhythm – A progression of how the eye moves throughout the piece.
- Movement – How the elements relate and lead the viewer’s eye or attention or sometimes in jewelry how the piece moves or drapes.
- Contrast – Using elements that conflict with one another in different directions (horizontal and vertical lines) or extremely light and dark values.
- Harmony – The pleasurable arrangement of elements.
- Variety – The assortment of elements that give the design interest.
- Unity – The level of quality with the combined elements.
- Color – Color creates emotions and moods.
- Texture –Texture is the texture you can actually feel and tonal texture, as seen in a finished stone.
- Line – There are three types of lines.
- Linear mark - Drawn or engraved mark.
- Boundary line - Implied by the contrast between the two shapes and relies on the shapes for its subsistence.
- Implied lines – Implied by the direction of smaller lines in the piece.
- Scale – The scale of shapes creates activity and relationships of power between them. Equal size shapes create confusion, the eye jumps from one to the other not knowing where to rest. The eye is drawn to the larger dominant shape when shapes are slightly different sizes. Large shapes overpowering small shapes create tension. The larger sized shape appears to threaten the smaller sized shape.
- Space – The area between and around objects.
- Shape – Areas defined by edges within the piece. A single shape cannot exist without generating another (negative) shape.
- Tone – Gradation can add interest and movement to a shape. A gradation from dark to light will cause the eye to move along a shape.
- Direction – Direction offers three options, horizontal, vertical, or oblique.
How Do Principles and Elements Work Together?
Let us look at how these principles and elements work together by contemplating this photograph and then later using the photograph as inspiration for jewelry design.
While observing this photograph make a mental note of where your eyes travel.
What is the first thing you see? The large head and yellow hair?
What is the next thing? The arm and purple sleeve or the hand?
What is next?
While observing this photograph make a mental note of where your eyes travel.
What is the first thing you see? The large head and yellow hair?
What is the next thing? The arm and purple sleeve or the hand?
What is next?
Your eye notices the woman’s large head and then travels down the arm to the hand. It rests there for a moment because the hand is nearly as large as the woman’s head. Then the eye travels up to the ruler (to the top of the photo) and back to the head. Subconsciously your eye quickly traveled around the whole picture settling back on the face, completing the subconscious circle.
If the brain had not completed the circle, the mind would have judged the photo as confusing, or boring. In this case, though, the brain studies more details in the photo, while again circling through the photo again. This all happens in just a few seconds!
This photo uses these elements
- Shape – Includes the head, arm, and ruler.
- Scale – Includes the head, glasses, and hand.
- Line – Includes the arm, hand with fingers, the ruler, and the distant lines in the background.
- Color – Complimentary colors from the color wheel, purple, and yellow.
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THE POWER OF COLOR AND THE COLOR WHEEL
Colors are the first thing the view sees in art. There are different ways of combining the colors on the color wheel in a design. Each way can affect an emotional response in the viewer or direct the viewer’s eye. In jewelry, stones, patinas, and enamel are used for adding color.
Behavior studies show that colors attract attention and causes behavioral responses. |
Emotional Influences with Color
RED
Emotion, Attention, Courage, Aggression
ORANGE
Fun, Optimistic, Adventurous, Energy
YELLOW
Happiness, Positive, Cheerful, Warmth
LIGHT GREEN
Growth, Kindness, Nature, Healing
DARK GREEN
Serenity, Prosperity, Stability, Safety
SKY BLUE
Calming, Serene, Peace, Confidence
ROYAL BLUE
Loyalty, Honesty, Responsibility, Integrity
VIOLET
Relaxation, Spirituality, Mystic, Vision
PURPLE
Luxury, Royalty, Ambition, Dignity
PINK
Love, Compassion, Sophistication, Sweet
BROWN
Rugged, Simple, Dependable, Stable
BLACK
Power, Unknown, Control, Elegance
Emotion, Attention, Courage, Aggression
ORANGE
Fun, Optimistic, Adventurous, Energy
YELLOW
Happiness, Positive, Cheerful, Warmth
LIGHT GREEN
Growth, Kindness, Nature, Healing
DARK GREEN
Serenity, Prosperity, Stability, Safety
SKY BLUE
Calming, Serene, Peace, Confidence
ROYAL BLUE
Loyalty, Honesty, Responsibility, Integrity
VIOLET
Relaxation, Spirituality, Mystic, Vision
PURPLE
Luxury, Royalty, Ambition, Dignity
PINK
Love, Compassion, Sophistication, Sweet
BROWN
Rugged, Simple, Dependable, Stable
BLACK
Power, Unknown, Control, Elegance
USING THE COLOR WHEEL IN DESIGN
Artists use the color wheel to create harmonious color combinations based on the geometric relationships represented on the color wheel.
Primary colors are the root colors that you can combine in some prescribed amounts to arrive at any other color. In the ink or paint medium (using printer uses subtractive color) the primary colors are red, yellow, and blue.
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Secondary colors on the color wheel are orange, green, and purple. They are created by mixing the primary colors on each side of the secondary colors. They can also be Triad colors.
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Complementary colors are contrasting. They are directly opposite each other on the color wheel. Using complementary colors make the colors stand out more intensely.
Analogous colors are any colors directly beside a given color. If you start with orange and you want its two analogous colors, you select red and yellow. A color scheme that uses analogous colors provides harmony and blending of the colors, similar to what might be found in nature.
Triad colors are any three colors that are equidistant on the color wheel. When triad colors are used in a color scheme, they present tension to the viewer, because all three colors contrast.
Tertiary Colors: Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green & yellow-green. These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color. That's why the hue is a two-word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.
Split complementary colors are made up of three colors by selecting a color, finding its complementary color on the other side of the color wheel, then using colors on each side of that complementary color.
For more information about using color consult to guides on color theory.
Jewelry Design Inspiration From a Photo
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So, what does this photo have to do with jewelry? You can use a well thought out photo or any quality art as inspiration while learning how to use design principles and elements. By using this technique, you will quickly start creating beautifully designed esthetic jewelry.
Here are some jewelry designs I created using this photo as inspiration. |
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Design elements & the golden rectangle
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Earlier, I showed how you can use a photo as inspiration for designing jewelry. Now let’s look at this jewelry piece. It uses design elements, principles, and the “Golden Rectangle.”
The Golden Rectangle is a shape frequently found in art and architecture for over 2,400 years. It has a gratifying shape that seems satisfying to the human eye. Its ratio of height to width is 1.618. The ancient Greeks used it in their architecture and Leonardo da Vinci also incorporated the golden ratio in his paintings. Visually it the golden rectangle looks like this. |
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This is a 5 x 8 rectangle. Adding 5 and 8 together equals 13 so the next golden rectangle size is 8 x 13.
Examples sizes are 2 X 1, 3 X 2, 5 X 3, 8 X 5, 13 x 8, 21 X 13 and on and on. The sum of the two numbers (a+b) creates the square portion of the next larger rectangle and the (a) alone creates the next (b) portion.
It even exists in nature!
It even exists in nature!
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Humans are drawn to golden rectangles. We find them pleasing. Here are some examples of the golden rectangle in our lives.
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The shape doesn’t have to be a complete rectangle, it only should suggest the Phi Ratio. Here are some jewelry examples.
By Janet Alexander
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By Janet Alexander
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By Janet Alexander
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Designing jewelry with the Phi ratio gives you a subliminal advantage of pleasing customers. Keep in mind it doesn’t have to be a rectangle, it just needs to be the same ratio.
You will find that your jewelry will attract buyers and galleries by using design principles, elements, and the Golden Rectangle. Now, go create some outstanding jewelry designs!
You will find that your jewelry will attract buyers and galleries by using design principles, elements, and the Golden Rectangle. Now, go create some outstanding jewelry designs!
About Janet Alexander
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Bio: Janet is an accomplished metal artist and a Finalist Winner of the Saul Bell Jewelry Design Award. Additionally, she won Award of Merritt at the 2004 Craft Houston show and her work shown in museums across Texas.
Her tutorials and jewelry are published in Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine (March 2018 issue),Metal Clay in Color, American Craft Magazine, Metal clay Artist Magazine, and in New Directions: Powder Metallurgy in a Sheet Metal World. |
© 2022 Janet Alexander Designs. All rights reserved. This site and all jewelry designs, artwork, and information are protected under copyright law. Reproduction in whole or part are prohibited.
