Young people who love art don't have to choose between following their dreams and finding a career. There are so many other creative careers out there beyond the typical ones we often hear about like graphic designer, animator, comic book artist, or illustrator.
This post is the fourth in a series of Wacom articles exploring a variety of Creative Careers. If you're a young, artistic person thinking about your future and want to check out all of our Creative Careers content, click here! If you're an art or CTE teacher or professor, scroll to the bottom for some special Creative Careers resources from Wacom.
One lesser-known creative career that can be extremely rewarding is Jewelry Design. In the below video, jewelry designer Quincy Vadan discusses his work, how he pursued the career, what it entails, the Wacom tools he uses, and why it's so rewarding.
Quincy Vadan is the artist-owner of Vadan Jewelry. "Vadan Jewelry exists," he says, "to reclaim the power of wearable art by fusing the elegance of classical art with the rawness of ritual. It’s spiritual regalia."
Quincy’s jewelry results from his 20 years of training. As the above video details, he started with formal training in classical art, then taught himself 3D design – before then teaching himself jewelry design. Each piece starts out as a design that Quincy sketches with graphite and pen/ink on fine Japanese paper, and is then digitally sculpted by Quincy using Zbrush software on a Wacom Cintiq Pro pen display. He 3D prints a mold of the design in wax with his in-home 3D printer, then brings it downtown in Los Angeles to be cast. Each piece is then hand-finished by Quincy. This small batch production process uses technology where it makes sense, while largely retaining the traditional labor-intensive practices of making fine, collection worthy art.
The video above showcases his story and career. Want to learn more about jewelry design as a career? Keep reading. We also created a "day in the life" video with Quincy that goes through the entire process – watch that below as well.
What does a jewelry designer do?
Jewelry designers design and create patterns and prototypes for rings, necklaces, bracelets, and other fashion accessories. This typically involves 2D sketching, digital 3D modeling, sculpting in clay or other materials, 3D printing, casting, finishing, polishing, and can also include sales, marketing, and distribution.
Where do jewelry designers work?
Some designers work in a larger jewelry design studio. Others open small independent shops, as a storefront or online, to sell directly to consumers. Others might work primarily in jewelry repair shops or manufacturing facilities while they design on the side.
Who might enjoy this career?
Creatives who want to make physical objects that will be worn by customers and desire to contribute to other people's personal style and expression.
What skills are needed for jewelry design?
- Fashion-forward style sense, finger on the pulse of trends
- Meticulous attention to detail
- Interest in hands-on metalworking and/or fabrication process
What kind of education is necessary?
Some designers have degrees in jewelry design, while others have a more general art background. Many jewelry designers get their start through internships or apprenticeships, and a college degree is not always necessary.
What tools do jewelry designers use?
- Traditional art tools (pencils, paint, clay) for design/modeling
- 3D sculpting software (ZBrush, MatrixGold) and creative pen displays such as Wacom Cintiq Pro
- 3D printing technology and software for prototyping
- Casting, fabrication, and finishing materials (metalworking machinery, etc.)
What is the salary range for jewelry designers?
Average of $40-50,000 USD per year, but with wide variety – independent designers with high-end clients can make $100,000+ USD.
Are you an art and/or CTE educator?
We've created a poster version of this Creative Career profile, in case you'd like to give your students easy access to this information! It even feature a QR code that links directly to the video above. Click here to access the poster download.
Also, check out Wacom's Creative Careers page for dozens of articles and resources about career paths for creative young people! It features interviews from professionals, editorials about art school, Creative Education webinars, resources to help with applying for classroom grants, and much more. If you're interested, click here.
About the artist
Quincy Vadan is the artist-owner of Vadan Jewelry. Vadan Jewelry exists to reclaim the power of wearable art by fusing the elegance of classical art with the rawness of ritual. It’s spiritual regalia. Quincy’s jewelry results from his 20 years of training, formally in classical art and autodidactically in 3D design.
Follow Quincy's work on Artstation, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Also, check out this three-part series of 'Behind the Tablet' articles we produced with Quincy in 2020: What kind of artist are you?, Take your art to the highest level with the right tools, and Resurrecting art apprenticeships.
