A hands-on reference guide for those looking for a practical approach to designing their own jewellery and exploring new design concepts. This book is a practical 'how-to' resource for intermediate and professional jewellery makers, as well as those attending jewellery-making courses and who have taken up jewellery making as a hobby. It contains expert guidance on design and the design process, and includes more than 30 inspiring step-by-step project briefs and themes for readers to use as a base for developing their own ideas. The book includes examples of jewellery pieces by contemporary designers, sourced by the author, as well as the author's own illustrations. Following the introduction, the book includes an overview of the design process and the fundamentals of jewellery design, followed by practical guidance on making space, making time and managing your expectations. Also included are chapters on: * Practical considerations: everything you need to know in order to design functional jewellery, such as how thick to make an ear wire and how long a necklace should be. It also include information on surface treatments and finishes, allergies and toxic materials. * Design methods and techniques including sketching, and making paper or clay models.

* Design project briefs: the projects will be structured into 4 categories - ideas led by typical beginner's jewellery-making techniques; material-led projects (experimenting with a range of materials and letting the designs emerge through the process); themed briefs (e.g. movement, animal symbolism, the seasons, family, labyrinth, fantasy); and open briefs for more experienced designer-makers. * Q&A interviews with contemporary designers.