Ask a trained designer for a ring and you will usually get two drawings, not one: the top view, showing length and width, and a side view drawn directly below it, showing width and height. The pairing is not a stylistic choice — the two views are constructed from shared guidelines so that every important detail lines up perfectly between them. Converting top to side is one of the first real skills of jewellery design drawing, and it follows a procedure.
The guidelines do the work
The side view uses exactly the same guidelines as the top view, extended downward: 90-degree guidelines projected 4 to 5 cm below the top view, with the finger-hole guidelines extended down alongside them. Because both views sit on the same vertical construction lines, a stone positioned at the top of the ring in plan stays perfectly aligned in elevation — and the finger hole, which never changes from one view to another, anchors the whole construction.
The procedure, in order
First, draw the finger hole: a circle centred exactly on the 90-degree guideline of the side view, fitted within the finger-hole lines. Second, the shank — always the first part of the ring to consider in side view. Look carefully at the top view, determine the shank's shape (flat, half-round or knife-edge, as covered in drawing rings to scale), and transfer the metal's thickness from the drawing. Third, work out the major forms of the top: understand the shape of the ring's upper structure and bring its relevant parts down to their intended heights. The order matters — follow it and, as the training materials put it, with the right guidelines you can hardly go wrong.
The toolkit is small and specific
The professional checklist for side-view work is short: a mechanical pencil with 2H lead, a triangle template with millimetre ruler, an extra template for aligning lines, an erasing shield with eraser, and white paper. Hard lead and templates are what keep construction lines faint, straight and accurate — the drawing equivalent of clean file work at the bench.
Practice under the clock
Training closes with a timed worksheet: a sheet of top-view designs to convert, from which the learner selects three favourites, prepares side-view guidelines for all three, and completes the conversions before time expires — then keeps going with more designs if minutes remain. The repetition is the point: side view “can be easy”, the guide insists, once the procedure is automatic. That fluency is exactly what a designer needs at the counter, sketching live variations on tracing paper while the customer watches — the full workflow taught in the technical drawing and counter-sketching course, and the doorway into drawing gemstone settings.
Frequently asked questions
Why do jewellers draw top and side views?
The top view shows the object's length and width, and the side view, drawn directly below it, shows width and height. The pairing is constructed from shared guidelines so every important detail lines up perfectly between the two views.
How do you convert a top view into a side view?
Project the 90-degree guidelines 4 to 5 cm below the top view with the finger-hole guidelines extended down; draw the finger hole centred exactly on the side view's guideline; draw the shank first, transferring its shape and thickness from the top view; then work out the major forms of the top and bring their parts down to their intended heights.
What drawing tools do jewellery designers use?
A short, specific checklist: a mechanical pencil with 2H lead, a triangle template with millimetre ruler, an extra template for aligning lines, an erasing shield with eraser, and white paper.
Keep exploring: Types of Jewellery: A Working Guide for Designers · How Jewellery Designers Draw Rings to Scale
Explore further: find your Artisan Archetype in JDMIS’s visual quiz, or get an AI-guided course consultation.
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