COVER STORY: Designing the future with JewelBeetle

by

Editor’s Note

This article highlights JewelBeetle’s confidence in empowering designers. Based on extensive industry experience, the team believes their CAD tools can streamline the design process and help users succeed.

JewelBeetle
Confidence in Empowering Designers

Based on his and his team’s extensive industry experience, he is confident that JewelBeetle can provide the necessary tools for people to become successful CAD operators and use the program to streamline their design and fulfillment processes.

“I remember the day when myself and the other developers at JewelBeetle decided to make a new programme for jewellery design,”

says Kent West, co-founder and product manager of JewelBeetle.
JewelBeetle provides software for jewellery designers, a field West has dedicated most of his career to. Having previously worked together, West felt that he and his now co-founders—Ben Haycraft, Jason Stevenson, and Mike Muller—had more to offer the industry and could make a significant impact.

“I reached out to them all on the same day and asked if they wanted to create a programme that would empower jewellery designers with the tools they needed to efficiently and quickly produce CAD models. Everybody was ready to give it a go.”
The Origin of the Name

The name of both the company and its software is JewelBeetle. West explains that deciding on this name took longer than the initial decision to dive headfirst into software development.
He elaborates that the JewelBeetle program leverages the power of the Rhinoceros modeling software.

“Many other plugins that are made for Rhino are based on animal and insect names – Bongo, Penguin, Kangaroo, Grasshopper, and more, and we thought it would be a good idea to do the same.”
“I am a closet bug enthusiast and in my office that myself and Ben shared at the time I had my bug collections on the walls.”
“Jewel beetles are the most colourful and metallic insects in nature and they seemed like a good fit to represent what our software would produce – some of the most colourful and reflective jewellery. Ben brought up JewelBeetle and it stuck.”
None
A Startup’s Journey

Founded in November 2022, JewelBeetle is a relatively young company. West acknowledges that JewelBeetle is in direct competition with many other software packages that have a head start of several years.

“We have had to work twice as hard to get JewelBeetle to the level that we could call it version 1 and be able to compete with those other programmes,”

he says.
The team officially launched version 1.0 of JewelBeetle on January 25 this year and debuted it at the AGTA show in Tucson the following month.
As a startup without financial backing, West and the team worked on JewelBeetle during evenings and weekends while maintaining their day jobs. Consequently, the timeline for debuting JewelBeetle became much longer than originally intended.

“…but in the end, it really gave us the focus needed to create the tools we knew we would need in version 1.0,”

West enthuses.

“We released a Beta version and immediately started getting feedback from our beta users to improve the programme.”

During the beta phase, the team began adding functions that were not in the initial specifications for version 1.0. Beyond the founders’ expertise from working in the jewellery software industry, West emphasizes that JewelBeetle’s users are the best resource for functionality ideas and feedback.

“The suggestions we got from our users, and the ideas we discovered while developing the software were also added to version 1.0, and immediately began making the software more capable, as well as adding value to what we were already bringing to the market,”

he says.

JewelBeetle
“Software is never done. There are always new tools, builders, and functions to be created.”
The Evolution of CAD in Jewellery

When asked to describe the 3D design process and its user-friendliness for jewellery designers, West reveals how conversations have shifted since he first showcased 3D CAD software at trade shows like AGTA Gemfair Tucson and JCK Las Vegas in 2001.

“The conversation then was: ‘what is jewellery CAD software and what can it do for my business?'”

West says.

“I would have to spend quite a bit of time with jewellers describing what CAD software was, how to convert the CAD model to a physical part via 3D printing or milling wax and also how to integrate these new technologies into their business model and work flows.”

Reflecting on the recent JCK show, West notes that the team spoke with many jewellers new to using CAD software but who recognized it as an essential tool.

“We have spent our careers creating tools to design jewellery and we are really excited to be able to bring JewelBeetle to market because it is 100% our programme,”

West continues.

“Over the years, I have seen one trend that has not changed in regards to using 3D CAD software to create jewellery: custom design. Especially for the independent jeweller. I have repeatedly heard from jewellers that using CAD software to create designs for their customers has been a way to keep them in business and separate themselves from their competition.”
JewelBeetle’s Toolset

JewelBeetle equips companies—whether manufacturers, wholesalers, multi-store chains, or independent jewellers—with the tools needed to create jewellery. Designs can originate from a pencil sketch, inspirational images, or just an idea. The software provides tools to translate these inspirations into a 3D model, with designs often centered around the gems and diamonds that define them.

JewelBeetle

The company offers tools to load various stone cuts, including emerald cuts and tapered baguettes, as well as a custom gem builder for special cuts and gems with deep pavilions. These tools are combined with powerful functions for setting gems, such as a head builder, bezel tools, or prongs to place gems on a model’s surface, making it easy to adjust their positions within a design.

Full article: View original |
⏰ Published on: July 16, 2025