Forms And Surfaces

After getting to know about the elements of design, the very next step is to understand the various metal forms and surfaces. An understanding of this subject will give your conceptualization an interesting edge.

I have an exercise for my readers to do… Take a few pieces of jewelry available with you and try to observe these pieces. While making an observation try and look for the following things-       

• Is your piece of jewelry absolutely flat?
• If yes, then how appealing it is to you? 
• Look for a piece that has a little bit of a dome or a curved effect. Or something that has a combination of flat and dome.
• Try and judge what seems to be more captivating.

Through this exercise what I intend to convey is that, while designing jewelry we need to use different forms to increase the appeal quotient of an ornament. A piece of jewelry that uses a couple of forms will definitely be more alluring than a flat piece of jewelry. One also has to understand that there is a lot of jewelry made with a flat form, depending on the kind of product being dealt with. For example wedding bands are usually fashioned in a flat form. And a lot depends on the demand of one’s clients.

FLAT SURFACE USED FOR WEDDING BANDS

There are different kinds of forms and surfaces that we can work with. To make it easily understandable I have tried to broadly divide them in the following categories-

I have illustrated the following forms. For a clear understanding it is very essential to know how light falls on these forms and surfaces. In all my illustrations I am assuming the light source to be top left, which is marked with an arrow. The dark shades indicate the areas where lesser light is falling on the object and vice versa. This will always help you in rendering which in return will make your design communicate well with the viewer and the craftsmen.

1.FLAT :A flat surface can be defined as an even or smooth plane with no depth, curve or tilt.

FLAT SURFACE

 2.DOME/CURVE: A curved object usually has a bent or a raised, smooth surface.

CURVED SURFACE

3.KNIFE- EDGE: This surface is marked by a very sharp and fine edge, like that of a wedge on which the

 plank of a see saw balances or oscillates.

KNIFE-EDGE SURFACE

4. SPHERE: .Sphere is perfectly round, three dimensional representation of a circle

SPHERE

5.    CONCAVE: This can be defined as a curved surface, like the interior of a hollow sphere.

CONCAVE SURFACE

6.CONE:  it is a three dimensional shape that has a round base and one vertex. It tapers evenly from the base to the vertex.

CONICAL SURFACE

Another aspect which I would like to touch upon here is that do not restrain your -self from using these forms in combination. Forms can produce remarkable results and can take your design to a new high.

USE OF FORMS TO CREATE JEWELRY
(CURVED SURFACE AND SPHERES)

There is a tip I would like to share with you. Whenever you are trying to develop a form or a complicated design, use a clay model (play dough) to make it. Shape the clay with your hands to give it the desired form. 

Also when you give a model like this to your craftsmen it is very easy for them to understand your design and for them to replicate it.

  You can develop your own interesting and unique forms and work with them. So, let your imaginative side take over and make best use of these forms.