Jewelers of America

If you have a passion for style and fashion as well as skills in drawing, painting, or graphic design, a career in jewelry design could be a great fit for you.

Designers may work with independent jewelers, retail stores, and private clients to create one-of-a-kind jewelry. They may also work for well-known, large-scale manufacturers, working with existing concepts/models to create line expansions of the company’s collections. Some designers go on to start businesses, selling designer jewelry under their own names.

It is a unique and challenging occupation and may be of interest to creatives.

Key Skills

• Artistic and creative
• Have an eye for design and understanding of its principles
• Detail oriented
• Comfortable working with Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programs, like Matrix and Rhino.
• Comfortable meeting new people and can present themselves and their work in a positive light
• Interest in things with interesting aesthetics including art, gems, or vintage clothing
• Interest in international fashion and celebrity style trends
• Time management and organizational skills to meet deadlines are equally important parts of a successful design career
• Effective communication skills to convey design ideas and work with clients and vendors
• Understanding of fashion and jewelry trends to ensure your designs remain relevant and appealing to customers

Possible Job Titles in this Pathway

• Jewelry Designer
• Assistant or Associate Designer
• Product Design & Development
• Technical Drawing Design
• CAD/CAM Jewelry Design & Prototyping
• Hand Rendering

Salary Expectations

Data is from Jewelers of America’s Jewelry Industry Salary Study conducted April-June 2023 and includes data from 2022. Compensation varies based on experience, specific job responsibilities, company size and location, among other distinctions. Given these variables within a career pathway, data is presented as such: The 25th Percentile indicates 25% of the data fall below this percentile; the Median (50th Percentile) represents the middle number where 50% of answers are lower and 50% are higher; the 75th Percentile indicates 75% of the data fall below this percentile.

Experience & Training

• Previous experience in sales, customer service, or fashion merchandising, especially in jewelry, accessories, art, or interior design.
• Education in art or design and formal training in jewelry design and CAD/CAM; bench experience is helpful.
• Gemology courses will introduce you to gems and their unique characteristics. Classes in business, marketing, and entrepreneurship are invaluable for running your own business.
• As a designer starting out, getting a job that allows you to learn from more experienced designers and to work directly with customers will develop your own skills.

Related Education or Certification

• Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
• FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology)
• Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

On the Job

In the field of jewelry design, professionals use creative thinking and brainstorming to create sketches, 3-D images and product prototypes of assorted styles and types of jewelry. Most designers bring a love of style as well as artistic or engineering ability to their work. Some hands-on experience making jewelry helps a designer understand how jewelry works: how it is put together, how the stones are set, the clasps attached and so on. Good hand-eye coordination, computer skills, and drafting ability are important, as are an understanding of color and some gemological training. Communication skills are also critical, particularly for designers working directly with retail customers. Time management and basic business skills will come in handy, as will experience supervising the work of others. Increasingly, designers need to get involved in marketing and social media, so the ability to photograph and write about your work will be helpful.

Turning inspiration into jewelry is the greatest challenge a designer faces. When they are successful, they see their unique style transformed into jewelry that expresses peoples’ deepest feelings – and there is nothing more satisfying than that.

Growing in the Industry

A designer’s career path can take many directions. Jewelry designers can start with a retailer or manufacturer, and then start their own companies. Others will move into management or supervise the work of a design studio. Some designers are also jewelers and sell their work through galleries, craft fairs, or websites like Etsy, or open their own stores.