Design Process | Jewelry Designer Blog

May 14, 2011

Lavish Silver Chain Necklace

Filed under: How to Make Necklaces — Tags: design process, Inspiration, jewelers supplies, jewelry design — juanita @ 10:09 am

I’ve been wanting to make a necklace that is fun & bold – a statement necklace that will use up some sterling silver chain scraps I have lying around on my desk. But every time I sit down at my desk I feel STUCK. Why can’t I put a jump ring there? Why doesn’t this silver charm have two more holes? Why can’t I make the perfect necklace that I envisioned? Nothing seems to lay the way I expected it to! (I am sure you have felt this before).

This necklace is much better than the one I had planned

When I start to feel like my jewelry designs aren’t working, I look at my inspiration boards. Right now mine is bursting with pictures of chunky rings, talisman charms, and geometric and colorful ethnic patterns. Then I look at my jewelry supplies and pull a few special things out that have been waiting patiently to be turned into a wearable necklace – a new silver charm, some sterling silver chain pieces, and some tiny silver spacers. I turn off my left brain (the one that planned that necklace that won’t come together) and rely on my right brain for a minute. Wire a bead to some chain, connect the chain to a charm. Hold it up . . . add another wire wrapped bead. As I work, I let go of the struggle and find myself enjoying the creative process!

How do you get unstuck when you have a hard time getting in touch with your creativity?

Here’s one of my inspiration boards:

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April 1, 2011

Silver Pendants are Gifts From the Sea

Filed under: Inspiration — Tags: design process, Inspiration — nina @ 8:57 am

In my search for jewelry design inspiration for new Silver Pendants, I return again and again to the sea. There is something about the sound of the surf, the water soaked colors and the moist air that have a primal appeal. At the beach, especially in low light, it is easy to bypass the thinking mind and slip into a meditative state. The boundaries that usually keep fantasy in check begin to blur and it is easy to imagine a mermaid slipping out of the water for a breath of fresh air. On a recent visit to Half Moon Bay, I discovered a sea cave, played peek-a-boo with a small sea lion and put a face on a fanciful Kelp Goddess. I am not sure what new jewelry designs will come from the trip but my mind is full of algae textures and the gorgeous shimmer of wet stones.

Sea Cave

Kelp Spirit

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February 18, 2011

Inspiration = Creativity = Beautiful Silver Charm Designs!

Filed under: Inspiration,Jewelry Design Ideas — Tags: design process, Inspiration, silver charms — juanita @ 11:21 am

A good playlist and a decent set of speakers are all I need to delve into the world of silver charms and beads. Structurally, music perplexes me. Emotionally, it opens my heart and allows me to feel things I didn’t even know I could feel. Creatively, it inspires me in a way nothing else can.

We’ve all had musical experiences. Imagine yourself driving on a long stretch of highway, listening to a song that just seems to fit. In that moment, everything is perfectly aligned. Your tires are on the road, your hands are on the wheel and music fills your thoughts. As if nothing else matters, it consumes your entire being.

Beautiful Charms, Music and HWY 101 = These Earrings

That same musical experience happens to me nearly every time I sit down to create a new jewelry design. I become one with a spool of silver wire and the music emanating out of the speakers. Music finds it’s way into my designs from the beginning stages of a design. Whether it be sketching or selecting the best silver charms and jewelry findings, I’m sure to be bopping along to my top inspirational tunes.

The notes take life in the evolution of my designs. Lost in a world of great music and beautiful silver components, I become inspired deep from within. It’s an indescribable feeling. And the results are incredible!

What inspires you to create?

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January 31, 2011

Studio Contest: Win $100 Shopping Spree for Jewelry Findings

Filed under: FUN Contests and Giveaways — Tags: design process, FUN Contests and Giveaways, Inspiration — juanita @ 8:15 am

Where do you turn jewelry findings into fantastic jewelry designs? I love to imagine all the different jewelry designers out there scouting for the perfect beads and silver charms, then diving into their studio excited to make dreamy jewelry, and not coming up for air for many days! I seriously find nothing more inspiring than getting a peek into other designers’ studios. So whether your creative space is a converted closet, a corner of your bedroom, or your garage, we’d love to see them.

If you generously give us a glimpse into your world by sending us photos of your creative workspace, we’ll post them all on a blog to share, and then everyone will vote on their favorite. The one with the most votes will win a $100 Shopping Spree Nina Designs. Plus, voters will be entered into a drawing with a chance to win prizes too.

Contest Guidelines:
1 – Photos should be of your own creative work spaces.
2 – Send no more than 3 photos (JPEG format preferred) to juanita@ninadesigns.com
3 – Please write a short sentence or two about your space & why you love it so.
4 – Deadline to enter your photos: Sun, Feb. 20, 2011.
5 – One entry per person for the studio contest.
6 – One vote per person for the drawing.

Studio photos will be posted in our blog on Mon. Feb. 21, 2011. Voting will be open for a week, from Feb. 21st through the 28th, and both winners will be announced in our blog on March. 2nd. The studio with the most votes wins a $100 Nina Designs Gift Certificate, so remember to rally all your friends and family to VOTE for your photos. Remind them by voting they could win fabulous prizes too!

This is our second time running this contest. To see the results of the first run, click here.

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January 26, 2011

My Jewelry Supplies Shopping List for Tucson 2011

Filed under: On The Road — Tags: design process, Inspiration, jewelry design, tradeshows — Laura @ 8:12 am

Working at Nina Designs gives me access to the best in jewelry supplies right at my fingertips. I am a lucky lady! And now that I’m heading to Tucson for the first time next week, I’ve been starting to get my shopping list and budget together. I’m pretty much in search of large recycled glass beads, river stone beads, and interesting fossils – things I cannot find at Nina Designs.

My special mission is to find a pair of turquoise “daggers” like Clara, our trade show guru, found a few months ago. I’ve been ogling them ever since and would like to design a pair of earrings with these powerful pieces dangling gracefully from our delicate Gold Vermeil Teardrop Link. For a hint of gold I’ll add a single Gold Vermeil Hill Tribe Spacer Bead above the dagger. These earrings have been dancing in my head for a few weeks now, so I just had to sketch them out onto paper! The only thing I’m missing is the turquoise daggers and from what I hear, if I look for it at Tucson, I’m sure to find it. Now I just need to draft my budget!

What’s on your Tucson shopping list?

Sketch of my Turquoise Dagger Earrings

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December 10, 2010

Designing Silver Pendants: The Plum Blossom Branch

Filed under: New Products — Tags: design process, jewelry design, silver pendants — leah @ 8:00 am

We just received samples of our new Silver Pendant Plum Blossom Branch collection and I am thrilled with it. We introduced a simple branch silver pendant last year, and ever since, I’ve been imagining it sprinkled with tiny plum blossoms.

Plum Blossom Branch Collection - stock available in early February

We use a lot of tracing paper when working on new designs for jewelry findings. It’s helpful to trace the parts of the sketch that work, and then add or change the drawing until the elements come together harmoniously. You can see the development below. On the far left is the first sketch. I then substituted leaves for flowers to see how it would look. We decided that flowers look better than both leaves and flowers. Next we played with the length: would it be more appealing if it were a little longer? No…stick with the original size.

As jewelry designers ourselves, we appreciate components that provide multiple design options. To this end, we adjusted the tip of the pendant so it has an opening. Now it’s possible to add a dangle to the end or hang the pendant horizontally. Finally, we designed a small cluster of flowers to match (deciding that five flowers was more appealing than three) and a sweet single blossom charm. Now we have three coordinating Plum Blossom Branch elements around which you can design a whole jewelry collection! These will be available in early February. Do you sketch jewelry designs before you make them? What is your design process like?

Sketches of the Evolution of the Plum Blossom Branch Pendant

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November 15, 2010

Sterling Silver Pendant Bails Demystified

Filed under: Tips and Techniques — Tags: design process, jewelry how-to's, pendant — juanita @ 8:30 am

Sterling silver pendant bails offer jewelry designers an elegant way to hang pendants from a silver chain or a necklace. You can find over 40 different gold vermeil and silver pendant bails for sale at Nina Designs. In addition to your traditional pendant bails, we’ve designed a number of pinch pendant bails, tube pendant bails, and removable pendant bails. Traditional pendant bails and tube pendant bails are made to slide over your chain, silk cord, leather cord, or wire wrapped gemstones while you are composing your necklace. Once they are placed where you want it, there it stays.

Removable pendant bails offer maximum versatility. If you have a favorite pendant you like to wear often, this is a good choice for you. On a day you’re wearing your favorite jeans and a t-shirt, you can hang your pendant from chain. That evening on your way to the opera, you can easily remove your pendant from the chain and hang it on black silk ribbon worn as a choker. We offer a good variety of removable pendant bails, some quite fancy & embellished with marcasite, others understated & minimal.

One we get a lot of questions about is the simple s-shaped removable pendant bail pictured below. It causes some confusion and took some explaining for me to get it too. It is designed to use with front-drilled pendants, like front-drilled gemstones and artisan pendants made of resin, clay, glass, or shell. But as you can see from our design, you can use it in many ways. The thing to remember is that it’s made for use with any pendants whose holes or rings are front facing.

For comparison purposes, I’d like to introduce a unique silver charm holder that looks almost like this removable pendant bail. The main difference is that it’s made for use with silver charms whose ring faces to the side. They both offer designers a minimal looks that doesn’t interfere with your overall design, but is effective, simple, and secure. Try them today and see for yourself.

Removable Pendant featuring pendant with front-facing hole.

Same Pendant, simply switched to a more dramatic cord.

Removable Pendant Bail - for pendants with sideways facing holes.

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September 13, 2010

Silver Pendants Pose Design Challenge

Filed under: Inspiration — Tags: design process, Inspiration — nina @ 8:00 am

Silver Pendants are a wonderful way to express many aspects of nature like plants and animals but the fundamental elements: earth, water, fire and air are both the most inspiring and the most difficult to capture. I have always been fascinated by water: rain, rivers, lakes, and the ocean have a mystical beauty and a healing effect on the spirit. One of my favorite activities is to lie still by the ocean or river and fall asleep listening to the sound of the water. As a designer, I have long pondered the question of how to capture the breath, the light and the flow of water. Despite many attempts, I am not yet satisfied with the results but will keep trying! What is your favorite element?

Water Plus Light = Magic

My Favorite Soundtrack

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August 30, 2010

Share photos of your “studio” & you might win a $50 Gift Certificate to spend on jewelry findings!

Filed under: FUN Contests and Giveaways — Tags: design process, FUN Contests and Giveaways, Inspiration — juanita @ 10:21 am

Markels in front of The Diving Cat

Everyday at work we send out many boxes of jewelry findings all over the world. I get so excited just imagining all the different ways and in all the different spaces we all create jewelry. Imagine sharing that beauty with others who create jewelry and think of how we can inspire each other. Whether your “studio” is a small corner of your living room, a rolling table in front of your t.v., a converted hall closet, or a space outside your home, we’d like you to open your studio to our Virtual Studio Tour.

Real Life Tour of the Diving Cat Studio and Gallery

When Clara and I were recently in Philly at the Beadfest Show we met Markels Roberts, a longtime customer and proprietor of The Diving Cat and she invited to us to spend an evening touring her studio. Markels is an inspiring woman and has enjoyed a long career in jewelry and the arts. She is a glass artist, jewelry designer, sculptor, teacher, and gallery owner. Whew! Her drive as a business owner and artist are impressive.

(psst . . . keep reading for more details).
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August 23, 2010

Silver Charms Inspired by Nature

Filed under: Inspiration,New Products — Tags: design process, Inspiration — nina @ 9:58 am

My favorite silver charms are all inspired by nature. I am drawn to organic shapes. They make me feel good. I especially like to capture a sense of movement in our charm designs. Recreating an animal or a plant in a solid form like silver poses a challenge. How do you represent the intangible qualities that breathe life into a bird or a leaf? There are so many subtle details, it is impossible to capture them all. When we design, we try to hone in on the most distinctive elements of our subject in an effort to capture the essence of the form. In some cases, we make several versions, to explore different facets of the same object. In the case of feathers, we spent years trying to decide how to capture both their light airy quality and the amazing detail and texture of their silky strands. In the end, we settled on one silver pendant to highlight texture and one that is light and airy. What natural design elements do you find hardest to translate into jewelry?