The modernist design principle form follows function, attributed to architect Louis Sullivan in the late 19th century, has long dominated the discourse around object-making. This idea; namely, that the shape of an object should be primarily determined by its intended use; has shaped everything from architecture to product design. However, when it comes to objects of adornment such as jewelry, the functionalist paradigm reveals its limitations.

Jewelry is rarely governed by function alone. While aspects such as wearability and durability are not irrelevant, they do not exhaust the reasons why jewelry is designed, made, or worn. As theorist Marcia Pointon argues, jewelry is “a vehicle for the expression of identity and status, but also for the performance of memory, desire, and affect.”¹ Its function is not primarily utilitarian, but symbolic and emotional.

In this sense, the design of jewelry is often driven by what could be called affective function. This encompasses the capacity of an object to carry, evoke, or mediate emotional meaning. Jewelry frequently commemorates intimate moments, marks transitions, or becomes part of a personal ritual. Its form, therefore, cannot be explained purely in relation to mechanical or ergonomic necessity.

Philosopher Glenn Adamson notes that craft objects, of which jewelry is a prominent example, are “small acts of meaning,”² often operating in a register that exceeds the purely visual or tactile. In other words, their form is informed not just by how they work or look, but by what they signify and how they make us feel. In this context, form follows emotion becomes not a rejection of function, but a redefinition of what function means.

This perspective does not disregard craftsmanship or technical considerations; rather, it integrates them into a broader understanding of design as a communicative and affective act. The weight of a ring, the surface texture of a pendant, or the combination of materials; all can function as silent carriers of narrative or feeling, whether consciously intended or not.

In contemporary jewelry practice, especially within independent and studio-based contexts, emotional resonance often takes precedence over traditional luxury cues or material value. This does not mean that quality is sacrificed; instead, quality is re-evaluated in terms of experiential depth, conceptual clarity, and emotional truth.

As the field of design continues to shift from problem-solving to meaning-making, the phrase form follows emotion may offer a more accurate framework for understanding the objects that accompany us not only in daily life, but also in memory, identity, and expression.

¹ Marcia Pointon, Brilliant Effects: A Cultural History of Gem Stones and Jewellery (Yale University Press, 2009).
² Glenn Adamson, The Invention of Craft (Bloomsbury Academic, 2013).