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Online jewelry design tools

by Cyndi Lavin

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Help, help! I know nothing about formal design theory! What do balance, unity, line, color, movement, and contrast have to do with making jewelry?

Don’t despair. If you don’t have time or funds for a college-level course on design, check out some of the best the web has to offer:

Informational Articles on Design:

Formal Visual Analysis
A good introductory article by Jeremy Glatstein on the elements and principals of composition.

Art, Design, and Visual Thinking
An entire online design course by Charlotte Jirousek.

Common Questions on Design
By Sara Sanford, written for Lapidary Journal.


50 Ways to Become a Better Designer
Tips supplied by various artists.

The Color Wheel and Itten’s Color Theory

Best Books on Design

Jewelry Design Tools:

Virtual Beadboard
A beading project design tool.

Swarovski Crystal Design Board
Especially good for calculating the numbers.

Intelligirl Jewelry Maker
Designed specifically for kids, but may still be useful for simple designs.

Interactive Beadwork Designer
For loomwork, especially Native American patterns.

Color Tools
One of my previous posts.


Gallery of Design Ideas
By Fire Mountain Gems for when you need some inspiration.

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Posted in Basics - Getting Started, Creativity, Designing, Jewelry Biz Tips, Online Tools & Toys on March 16th, 2007

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3 Responses to “Online jewelry design tools”

  1. Bobbi Chukran Says:
    March 16th, 2007 at 9:17 am

    Hi Cyndi, I have both of those books you recommend there, and they are awesome! I especially like the Leland book.

    Great bunch of links….looks like fun!

    bobbi c.

  2. Cyndi Lavin Says:
    March 16th, 2007 at 9:47 am

    I really like them both, and they’re set up so differently from each other that I didn’t feel like everything was just being repeated :-)

  3. Bead Arts » Blog Archive » Do you want to design for yourself? Says:
    July 11th, 2007 at 8:02 am

    […] and needs to come out in another form. There are many different ways to enter into designing. A basic understanding of the elements and principles of design will do any artist a world of good when it comes to creating a pleasing piece, whatever the media, […]

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