Gouache: from paper to the studio

What is gouache used for in jewelry?

The gouache is a drawing technique allowing to create a first representation of the jewel in volumes and colors, made by gouache with extreme precision.

This drawing provides a complete visualization of the jewel before its manufacture, and will serve as a technical guide to the artisans involved in the creation of the jewel: model makers, setters, jewelers and gemologists, in order to anticipate potential technical challenges that could intervene in each stage of the production process. In ccomparison, Gouache is to jewelry what a pattern is to haute couture: a guide. It allows the main information to be transmitted: color of the gold and stones, size, setting, volume, etc. in several views: from the front, from above, from 3/4 and from the side, in order tohave an understanding of the jewel in its smallest details.

It can also be used as a communication medium for major jewelry houses, and helps to highlight the fidelity between the initial design and the final result.

Please note that gouache is always done on a scale of 1 in order to have an unbiased reading, in real dimensions, and painted on dark paper: which is most commonly gray, but can also be black, brown or beige;The choice of support ultimately depends on the color of the stones mounted on the ring.

Gouache artist's equipment

As the name suggests, the gouache artist uses of the gouache painting, chosen for its unique qualities: just like watercolor, it is worked with water while having a covering and opaque rendering comparable to acrylic but with a finer and lighter finish on paper. 

This type of paint also has very good conservation over time, as long as it is not exposed to water.

To apply gouache, the gouache artist generally uses a very fine brush, to be adapted according to the part painted: flat surfaces, edges or facets. 

The stages of gouache in jewelry

The creation of gouache is a long-term work that can last several hours or even several days of work depending on the complexity of the piece. Given that gouache serves as a link between the designer and the jewelers, it must be as realistic as possible, which is why it is important to follow its different steps precisely:

1 - The outline of the gouache must be fine and precise, delimiting the areas to be painted. This must no longer be visible when the gouache is completed. Generally, the transfer of the future jewel is done with tracing paper, going over line after line.

2 - Then, prepare the main color of the metal and stones with a thick brush on a palette, working it with water to obtain a smooth paste, neither too diluted nor too little. 

3 - Then, once the right color is obtained, you must apply the gouache by making neat flat areas of paint on the surface, while respecting the contours.

4 - Finally, to highlight the volumes, we add shadows, by mixing the main color with other darker shades. We then proceed by gradients according to the surfaces, so it is often necessary to make different mixtures of shadows.

5 - Finally, we mark the reflections of the polishing and cutting of the stones using a fine brush and white gouache: the white is only used to evoke the polish of the metal and not the light, which is why it is never mixed with yellow as is the case for the shadows.

From an essential step in the era of entirely manual manufacturing, gouache can be replaced by computer tools such as 3D. Gouache remains a step for the most major jewelry houses for unique pieces and exceptional collections and is also a step appreciated by some creative jewelers. In addition to the technical step, the gouache is part of the experience shared with the future wearer of the jewel, it provides a testimony to the manufacturing that can even be collected in the same way as the jewel.