What Makes a Collection, Part 1
Nova Bronstein Sunday, July 17, 2011 at 11:56AM Most jewelry designers have no difficulty with recognizing what a "collection" of jewelry is, but making one --- a strong one at that--- is something else entirely. Figuring out what precisely goes into making a strong collection can be one of the most difficult things for a jewelry designer to do. At least until they have some ground rules!!
Alexis Bittar's "Elements" Collection Photo: Alexis Bittar
The jewelry of Alexis Bittar, by way of example, makes discussion of this subject a breeze as he --yes, a guy, and a striking one at that!-- is a master of the diverse, compelling and cohesive collection. The jewelry featured here is from his "Elements" Collection, which focuses on just that, using elements or components in multiple pieces as a means of creating a wide range of silhouettes or looks-- one of the keys element to a successful collection.
Photo: Alexis BittarSo getting back to those building blocks... The initial understanding of a collection is that it usually consists of an assortment of different types of jewelry and this is exactly right, but the difficult part is figuring out how to compose your collection to get the most bang for the buck while maintaining a cohesive look. Alexis does this brillantly, weaving together many different threads into one beautiful and complex whole.
So here are the building blocks:
#1: Define your Story -- For most designers this means creating a storyboard, a collection of reference images which, spliced together, encapsulates the flavors or design notes that make up that collection. Doing this gives a collection a foundation, helping to unite it. Now, sometimes the customer gets to see or know what these references are, but usually they don't. A strong storyboard will be complex enough that more than one theme can be pulled out of it. And a good collection uses its storyboard to help with connecting up these themes. This "story" should create a foundation that brings the work together.
Photo: Alexis Bittar
Now, I'm sure that this "Elements" image is not really a complete storyboard, but rather more of a pared down collage that is just a snippet of the "whole story" behind Alexis's Elements collection. But it does a fantastic job of distilling down a bigger story of an ocean and beachy meets bohemian theme which goes into complex and rich colors from teals, kelp greens and turquoise into a range of neutral pearl colors and browns. This simplified image pulls together many visual references for the groupings.
Photo: Alexis BittaWhen making your story board, work towards creating a layered collage image composed of the different aspects you want to reference. It should have a number of different directions, motifs or elements which feed into the foundation for your jewelry silhouettes. So, here, Alexis has used the many pearl tones as one theme within his "story" while the many greens and blues are another theme, and then he has created pieces which branch into each theme making it possible for a customer to wear pieces from either theme together. You don't have to create as many different directions as Alexis has here, but it's easy to see both the unity in the groupings and the distinctness in each silhouette from one another.
#2: Explore and Experiment -- To come up with your best and strongest pieces, you are going to have to give yourself permission to "make without judgement", meaning allowing yourself to play with new techniques, approaches, combinations of materials, etc. in new ways. For this experimentation to be most fruitful it's necessary to suspend judgement.
Photo: Alexis Bittar
Photo: Alexis BittarIf you get frustrated and stop working with something as soon as you start having difficulty then you likely won't make the discoveries that often lead to some of your best work! I can't tell you how many times a "failed" project led me in new and exciting directions. So, keep going, even if it seems that something isn't immediately working out. Instead of stopping, try setting a frustrating piece aside. Come back to it when you've got fresh eyes and you may be pleasantly surprised by the result!
Check back for "What Makes a Collection, Part 2", which will go over the next two steps in making a refined and cohesive collection!
Interested in making some of your own smashing jewelry? As a jewelry design instructor at the Sheffield School in New York, I encourage you to take the matter of making into your own hands! Check out the newly launched Jewelry Design Course offered at the Sheffield School. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any other school in the world.
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