Should earrings be perfectly mirrored? Can you deviate one way? Both yes and no are right when it comes to designing jewelry! Sometimes, symmetrical designs can give a sense of tranquility and calm to the wearer, while other times, asymmetrical pieces can give a sense of liveliness and dynamism. And it can be tricky to make sure that the asymmetry is intentional and not a mistake.
The easiest way to have symmetrical design is to have mirrored earrings, a pendant with beads centered around it, or a bracelet with a symmetrical design that can wrap all the way around your wrist, like this Beaded Bracelet Design with a Center Bead. It’s easier for our eyes to take in an equal, balanced design because the eye knows where to look. It’s easier to feel comfortable with your jewelry when you have beads or two gemstone accents that sit equally to the left and right of a pendant, or when you have a row of beads where you have a repeating pattern of bead sizes. A symmetrical design can be great if your gemstone accents are bright and eye-catching or have texture because it gives a sense of structure so that the design doesn’t become overwhelming or chaotic.
Asymmetry gives your piece a sense of movement by not having a visual weight centered in your design. It’s created by not having a repeating size of beads in your chain; you can also use it to add movement to a necklace, where one side might have a few more beads than the other. Your bracelet might have only one side with a cluster of beads, rather than the cluster being repeated on both sides of the chain. An earring design might use the same color of metal or have the same motif, but the length of the chain might differ on one side. It’s important to have at least some similarity in the design if you’re choosing to have asymmetry or it can look like it’s a mistake.
In order to understand whether you might have a sense of balance or not, consider that you’re looking for balance of visual weight, not necessarily the same size. For instance, a lighter colored bead, even if smaller, might be equal to a darker, more saturated stone in visual weight. A thinner curving wire, even if it’s longer, might be equal in visual weight to a round charm. Consider visual texture too, a faceted bead is going to stand out more than a smooth bead, even if they’re equal in size.
Play around in a quick bracelet design by starting with your chain layout and placing your larger focal bead slightly off center, to the left. Next, on the right, add a couple smaller beads. Alternatively, add a small curving piece of wire. Be sure that all your metal accents are the same color for some sort of common ground between your elements before redrawing your bead layout so that your bead is right in the center. Looking at both designs, decide for yourself if the off center placement looks like it has intentional weight or if it looks like it just doesn’t have enough.
Earrings can have two separate designs, but you should try to have one common rule, so for instance your earring design can use the same color palette, same length of jump rings, same length of chains, or same motif as the other earring. Without this, asymmetry can look like a mistake or a random decision. When your earring design has one shared feature, your viewer will understand that one side is intentionally more interesting than the other. As a beginner, this can give you a little freedom but still allows you to keep control over the overall design.
When looking over your sketch, consider turning your paper upside down or squinting. That will give you a sense of whether one side is weighing more on the eye. A balanced jewelry design doesn’t necessarily mean that both sides are the same. In fact, you can tell that a piece has balance when you can take your eye and look through the beads, jump rings, chains, and focal points and have it feel comfortable as it lands on one of your focal beads or other design accent.