Balance

DESIGN ELEMENT 6: BALANCE

Symmetrical designs are equal and well-balanced designs that are comfortable to the eye. Imagine an invisible line running through the middle of a piece. If both sides are equal, then the piece is symmetrical. The Weiss Maltese cross pin shown in Figure 85 is a strongly symmetrical design. Picture this piece folded in half. One side of the design is identical to the other. Both sides are equal in terms of visual weight so the design is well-balanced.

Figure 85: 1960s era Weiss Maltese cross, well-balanced pin.

Asymmetrical designs, when folded in half, have two unequal sides. The Monet pin shown in Figure 86 is a strongly asymmetrical design. When folded in half the sides are not equal. The visual weight on the right side, with the addition of the silver piece, is greater than the visual weight of the left side. If it were not on its original display card, it might be challenging to determine which way to wear this pin. This is a modernist design, so the asymmetry in this pin is intentional and part of the design motif. The designer did not attempt to equalize the visual weight on both sides of the piece.

Figure 86: Part of Monet’s 1985 *All That Jazz* collection, this 2 ¾” X 1” Art Deco style pin is an asymmetrical design. Vega, Alice. *Monet The Master Jewelers,* Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 2011 p.273.

Perfect symmetry is not a requirement for a design to appear symmetrical to the “eye”. Consider the Bogoff flower basket pin shown in Figure 87. By the strict definition of symmetry, this lovely basket is asymmetrical because the two sides are not identical. However, it is a beautiful piece that the “eye” loves. This is because the designer, through the careful placement of the curved lines and the selection of similarly sized stones, balances and equalizes the visual weight on both sides of the basket.

In addition, the “eye” accepts some asymmetry in familiar objects. It does not expect a basket to be perfectly symmetrical. This acceptance is true in many figural costume jewelry designs.

Figure 87: The 1960s Bogoff 2” basket pin is an example of an asymmetrical design that is so well balanced it looks symmetrical to the jewelry “eye”. The visual weight is the same on both sides.

Generally, an asymmetrical design requires help from the designer to be successful. The “eye” prefers symmetry, so for an asymmetrical design to be comfortable to the “eye” the designer must compensate for the asymmetry in the design with balancing elements.

Some symmetrical designs include asymmetrical elements placed in a symmetrical way. For example, the symmetrical Monet necklace in Figure 88 (part of the same design group as the asymmetrical pin shown in Figure 86) is comprised of three shapes grouped together to form one asymmetrical element. The resulting element is then connected to additional identical elements to form the necklace.

A repeating pattern link necklace is a necklace composed of identical components linked together. Even when the components are asymmetrical, due to the symmetry of the repeating pattern design, the jewelry “eye” perceives the necklace as a symmetrical design. To the jewelry “eye” this necklace comprised of asymmetrical elements, is symmetrical.

Figure 88: 1985 Monet 19” collar necklace from the *All That Jazz* group is a fully symmetrical design composed of asymmetrical components. [Vega p. 273.]

Sometimes a designer breaks the plane of a symmetrical design to create interesting asymmetry. For example, the BSK pin shown in Figure 89 begins as a symmetrical gold tone flower comprised of three identical gold petals. The designer breaks this symmetry by inserting an eye-catching, rhinestone stamen in the middle of the design and curving it in a way that breaks the symmetry of the original flower. The stamen is the point of central focus in this design. To help mediate the heavy visual weight of this asymmetrical element, and add balance to the design, the designer then adds a rhinestone element peeking out of the top.

Figure 89: Signed BSK this 2” 1960s era floral pin is a symmetrical design made asymmetrical by the addition of the rhinestone studded stamen.

The two DeLizza and Elster pins shown in Figure 90 are both symmetrical designs and illustrate how a touch of asymmetry changes the “look” of a symmetrical design. The design of the first pin achieves strong balance with the uninterrupted, regular placement of stones in a circular pattern. The second pin is also a symmetrical circular shape, but the perfect symmetry is interrupted by the scattering of asymmetrical stones of varying shapes and sizes inside the circle. The “eye” loves the strong symmetry of the first pin and tolerates the asymmetrical center of the second. It is a matter of taste which design is preferred.

Figure 90: Left: First produced in 1962 this 2 ¾” pin by DeLizza and Elster is a completely symmetrical design. Found in different colors, collectors refer to this as the Sunburst pin. [Pitman, p.211] Right: Measuring 3” in diameter this 1960s DeLizza and Elster pin is a symmetrical pin with an asymmetrical arrangement of center stones. [ Verified as by DeLizza and Elster at the website *isitjulianajewelry.com*]

Figure 91 shows two asymmetrical pins. The Art pin on the left is boldly asymmetrical with the visual weight of the design skewed to the right. The design of this pin is an unconventional depiction of a floral. Oval shapes, curving lines, and complementary colors are used to define the piece rather than more conventional petals and leaves. The Jomaz floral pin is also an asymmetrical design with the visual weight skewed to the right side; however, it is more comfortable for the “eye” than the Art pin. The design of the Jomaz pin balances the heavy visual weight of the branches by curving them in a way that leads the eye to the turquoise vase. The color turquoise has a high visual weight that balances the branches.

Figure 91: Left: This usual modernist ART 3 ¼” floral pin is an asymmetrical design. The design does not compensate for the heavier visual weight on the right. Right: Also asymmetrical, this 2 ½” Jomaz design is well-balanced due to the way the curling leaves direct the eye to the turquoise stone.

In addition, the “eye” accepts more asymmetry in recognizable figural designs. The Jomaz pin is a stylized floral with identifiable leaves the “eye” finds familiar.

Interestingly, in the hands of a skilled designer, some jewelry designs can be both symmetrical and asymmetrical depending on how the jewelry is worn. The Kenneth J. Lane for Avon leopard necklace shown in Figure 92 is symmetrical if the clasp is worn to the back but asymmetrical if the clasp is worn to the side.

Figure 92: Kenneth J. Lane made beautifully designed jewelry for Avon including this 17 ½” 2002 eight strand black glass bead necklace with panther clasp, 2 ¼” panther pin, and 1 ¼” panther clip earrings. This attractive necklace is symmetrical when the clasp is worn to the back and asymmetrical when the clasp is worn to the side, However, the asymmetry is mitigated by the heavy visual weight of the eight strands of black beads, so it remains a balanced design regardless of how it is worn.

Conclusion

Section One defined each of the six basic design traits with individual examples. They build on each other in complexity. Shape is the easiest to identify, followed by line. Color is more difficult, so it was divided into six sections. Contrast followed color because it is often accomplished with color. Visual weight is achieved through a combination of shape, line, color, and contrast. Symmetry and asymmetry are easy to identify; however, creating a well-balanced design requires an understanding of all the other elements.

Section Two provides practice “seeing” these elements and how they work together in collectible vintage designs. This is a complex, difficult task. However, Section Two is designed to be fun and designed to reinforce the concepts from Section One.

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