Technical skill in jewelry design is important, but style will give it meaning. Style makes you recognizable. It is what differentiates projects and gives them a creative personality. It takes time to develop a good style.
In the beginning, everyone copies what they like (what they see on Pinterest or in magazines), and it is normal to copy the first steps. Style is what you end up with, when you realize how similar your choices actually are (what shapes you tend to draw, what proportions work best on your work, what elements “feel” better to you). The idea is that you are able to analyze the elements that make something appealing to you and use this information to recreate this appeal in a slightly different way, instead of just copying a similar design.
As your practice develops, focus on consistency. Style is not about making the most creative, diverse, and complicated designs you can find. Style is making your designs consistent with a recognizable idea. This may be very simple: soft curves vs. straight lines, geometric design vs. nature inspired, simple or minimal compositions. As you are working more and more, you make a variety of decisions, and the more you design, the more the decisions you make on instinct begin to form a style.
Another very important part of developing a style is learning how to simplify. Beginners often add too many details to their design (often believing this will make them look more “professional”). However, strong design often results from a clear design idea. When you remove the details that do not help support the idea of the piece, you are left with something much more powerful. This is where you begin to see your actual style and personality reflected in your sketches, in all the details you are choosing NOT to add.
As you are designing, your drawings start to feel like they belong together. Even though each piece may be quite different, there is a general feeling they all share. This is your design language developing; it may show in the way you use space, the way you place your stone, or the way you balance structure and decoration. This design language will become recognizable.
Design style does not appear one day, and then it is your design style forever. Design style will change over time, as you gain experience, learn new skills, and grow more confident. However, the designers who have succeeded the best are not the ones who have locked themselves into a certain idea and stayed with it forever. Rather, they are the ones who have understood their style better, and changed as their experience grows. You need to be consistent with your choices, and keep practicing. Your design style will become stronger and clearer the more you continue to work on it.