Hand drawing on jewelry has always been an art with temperature.
High jewelry gouache hand-painting is a more accurate depiction of jewelry styles on the basis of the three-dimensional characteristics of the three-dimensional space of the object under the illumination of light in Western painting method.
1909-1911 Cartier garland style design hand-painted
In the oil portraits of many royal families and nobles in early Europe, we can see the styles of jewelry they wore and the fashion trends of the time. At that time, jewelers wore many hats, knew how to design, knew gemstones, understood craftsmanship, and could make jewelry by hand independently. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, many of the world's jewelry brands, including Mellerio, Cartier, Chaumet, Van Cleef & Arples, were established to create bespoke jewellery for royalty and aristocrats. In the early days, jewellers were still wearing many hats, and due to the large demand for customization, jewelry design manuscripts appeared. In the archives of many brands, we can see yellowed kraft manuscripts, and the white gouache paint accumulated on them is still very three-dimensional.
Tools and rules for gouache hand-painting in fine jewelry
At the beginning of the 19th century, there were no systematic requirements for the use of tools, and the paper was available in kraft paper, translucent sulphuric acid paper, or gray and black cardboard. Some sulfuric acid paper has oxidized and yellowed after the baptism of time. There are also drawings drawn on transparent plastic cards, with the exception of black and white gouache paint, where the other gray areas are replaced with white space.
Gouache is a mineral pigment whose texture can be superimposed, giving a three-dimensional effect and not discoloration due to oxidation.
1950s Dael & Grau jewellery gouache drawing
In a set of four decorated sports style pendant hand-drawings from the 20s, we can see the contrast of the white diamonds against the black cardboard background, and even the thickness of the white gouache stack. In fact, for a long time in history, white jewelry (platinum and diamonds) was very popular, and black cardboard was used because it better reflected the beauty of white diamonds.
There are also some high-end jewelry gouache drawings that have two views, three views, or a lot of numbers and words, which are used to explain the data, craftsmanship and practices of the stone used in the jewelry, etc., so the jewelry hand-drawn manuscript is also an engineering drawing, so that everyone involved in the production of this jewelry can be clear.
Today's High Jewellery hand-drawn drawings are more like a work of art, painted by the artist on a one-to-one basis after the completion of the real High Jewellery creation. The reason why a piece of fine jewelry is valuable is precisely because all the processes involved in this jewelry come from pure handwork, including hand-painted manuscripts.
Hand-drawn design of Cartier's Egyptian-style handbag from the 1920s
A 1931 manuscript of Cartier's most precious colored diamond necklace designed for the Maharaja of Nawanagar
Jewelry gouache hand-painting techniques and rules
Gouache hand-painted jewelry has been passed down as a characteristic of fine jewelry, and it has been continuously improved. In the contemporary jewelry industry, the role of hand-painted jewelry in fine jewelry customization is becoming more and more obvious. Due to the progress of science and technology and the improvement of tools, the hand-drawn drawings of gouache for jewelry are becoming more and more realistic, and the requirements for tools are becoming more and more rigorous and standardized.
Since gray does not cast colored gemstones or diamonds, most brands choose to use gray cardboard in modern jewelry hand-painting. In terms of gouache pigments, France has always strictly used the same mineral gouache brand.
The high jewellery is painted in a one-to-one ratio, and in the same piece, the light source comes from the upper left, which is a consensus reached in a century-old tradition.
2016 "Luminous Jewelry" High Jewelry hand-painted manuscript
2022 "Luminescence Jewelry" High Jewelry Hand-painted Draft
The meaning of high jewelry gouache hand painting
Hand-painted fine jewellery gouache renderings are more than just a professional skill, they are part of the brand's culture. In France, a major luxury industry, hand-drawn renderings of jewelry are regarded as the most high-end part of fine jewelry, because it is not only a test of the designer's pen, but also an expression of the brand's design language, as well as a kind of respect for the design itself and a professional attitude towards customers.
Can iPad board drawing replace jewelry hand drawing?
A lot of people seem to have this question. Actually, I think it's a bit like when the camera came out, and many artists were worried about losing their jobs. In fact, the painter's personal taste and personal interpretation of the painting work cannot be replaced by the camera, an industrial product.
Learning Xi iPad board drawing is actually using Apple Pencil instead of pencil, iPad tablet instead of paper, but the medium is different, the premise of learning Xi board drawing is to understand the basic knowledge of hand drawing, understand the principle of light and shadow and perspective.
iPad board drawing mainly uses the power of drawing software to liberate productivity, so that designers can quickly draw renderings with various brushes when using design inspiration. And jewelry hand-drawing has always been an art with temperature.
From left to right, Cartier High Jewellery gouache drawings from 1913, 1914, 1922 and 1922
张莹(Claire ZHANG)
Graduated from the world's top jewelry school, the French Jewelry Union Institute (HEJ), an independent designer of fine jewelry who has lived in France for ten years, the author of the best-selling book "Jewelry Design - Professional Course of Hand-painted Expression Techniques", a distinguished lecturer at the Van Cleef & Arpels School of Jewelry Studies, and the founder of the Ying ZHANG Joaillerie brand.
Written / Photo courtesy: Zhang Ying