Jewellery design

Jewellery design is the art or profession of conceptualising, designing, and fabricating jewellery. It is defined as follows: At least 7,000 years ago, the first known human communities in Mesopotamia and Egypt used this style of embellishment, making it one of civilization's earliest forms of ornamentation. Throughout history, the art has taken on many different forms, ranging from the basic beading of antiquity to the intricate metallurgy and gem cutting that is renowned today.

An article of jewellery is created after design concepts have been rendered and detailed technical drawings have been generated by a jewellery designer, a professional who has been trained in the architectural and functional knowledge of materials, fabrication techniques, composition and wearability, as well as current market trends and consumer preferences.

Traditional hand-drawing and drafting techniques are still used in the creation of jewellery, especially during the conceptualization stage of the process. However, there is a movement from hand-drawn designs to computer-aided design systems. The traditional hand-illustrated jewel is typically translated directly into wax or metal by a skilled craftsman, whereas a computer-aided design (CAD) model is typically used as the basis for a CNC cut or 3D printed "wax" pattern that will be used in the rubber moulding or lost wax casting processes, respectively.

As soon as the conceptual/ideation phase is completed, the design is rendered and built using the appropriate materials to ensure adequate adaption to the object's intended purpose. When it comes to ancient jewellery design, 24K gold was utilised as a source material since it was more readily available than silver as a source material. Prior to the first century AD, several cultures used beads as ornaments in their jewellery designs. When gemstones were discovered and gem cutting became more widely accessible, the art of jewellery embellishment and design underwent a significant transformation. Theophilus Presbyter (c. 1070–1125), who practised and refined numerous applied arts and was a well-known goldsmith, is credited with creating the world's first recorded gemstone cut. Later, during the 14th century, mediaeval lapidary technology progressed to include cabochons and cameos, which are now considered to be modern.