Man is a social being and, as such, makes use of various means to express and communicate his ideas. He uses objects to make his existence easier, inclusively in support of his social relations. Within the ample universe of objects created by humanity, we point out personal ornaments - jewels, to which sometimes different usages and meanings are attributed. In this paper we provide an overview of these objects in present-day Brazilian society. Our aim is to place the designer within the Brazilian gem and jewelry industry and describe his relation with the productive sector and the opportunities for specialization.