How negative space shapes emotion, form, and meaning in jewelry design

Author Reena Ahluwalia is a jewelry designer, artist, and a pioneering voice across the diamond, jewelry, and fine art realms. A Hall of Fame honoree. This expert article by Reena Ahluwalia, appeared in the Business of Jewellery Magazine’s Opinion Column (BOJ), exploring how to employ negative space in design and art.

‘Ethereal Rhapsody’, a Tahitian Pearl Trophy winning body ornament by jewelry designer Reena Ahluwalia. In collaboration with Baggins Pearls USA and Chodhari, Japan. Photo: John Parrish, courtesy Reena Ahluwalia.

“We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.”
~ Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

In design, as in life, it’s the space around the form that gives it meaning. Think about a pause in music that makes the next note hit harder. Or the silence between words in a powerful speech. The margin that frames a photograph, the quiet moment in a film that says more than dialogue ever could. It’s the break in a pattern that makes us notice the pattern. It's the absence that makes presence feel intentional.

This is my reflection on how designing the invisible often reveals more. Let's dive right in!

So, what is Negative Space?

The negative space can be defined as the area around, between, or within the main elements of a composition. While it may appear as a void or empty space, it is, in fact, an intentional and active design tool. It shapes meaning, guides perception, provides visual breathing room, directs the viewer’s eye, establishes hierarchy, and often carries emotional or psychological weight.

In the hands of fluent designers, negative space is a powerful design element.

The Art of Negative Space – The Context

Negative space is a powerful element, used across design, art, philosophy, psychology, and literature - not just to create contrast, but to evoke emotion, provoke thought, and give form to the invisible. It bridges the seen and unseen, the tangible and intangible.

Japanese ink painting, Sumi-e by Sesshu Toyo. 1495

In art, sometimes what isn’t painted can be just as expressive as what is. Japanese ink painting (Sumi-e) by Zen monk and painter Sesshu Toyo exemplifies this beautifully. His landscapes use emptiness in the background to emphasize simplicity and spiritual depth. Just as Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, reminds us that negative space is active - it’s part of the nature of things, reflecting rhythms and life’s impermanence.

In parallel, the Japanese concept of ma, meaning “space in between,” plays a central role in haiku poetry. Have you ever noticed, how that pause, that silence, that gap between thoughts is charged with meaning? The brevity of haiku, often just 17 syllables, forces the poet to leave things unsaid, inviting the reader to step in and complete the moment.

In visual perception, Rubin’s vase flips our understanding of figure and ground, turning absence into faces through contrast and contour. In the same vein, ‘Pedernal – From the Ranch #1’ evokes quiet reverence as American painter, Georgia O’Keeffe, uses the sky’s negative space to frame the mountain and reflect her deep emotional bond with the land. Likewise, Matisse’s “Icarus” uses negative space to amplify drama and emotion, surrounding the figure with emptiness that heightens tension.

FedEx logo with arrow form within negative space

Gestalt psychology shows us that the brain doesn’t just see isolated parts, it instinctively perceives patterns and wholes, turning fragments into meaning. Consider the FedEx logo, the arrow hidden in the negative space between the “E” and “x” isn’t drawn, yet our brain sees it instantly. That’s Gestalt in action.

Philosophies that embrace imperfection, transience, and emptiness - like Wabi-sabi in Japan, Shunyata - concept of emptiness or void in Indian philosophical Buddhist tradition, Daoist simplicity and Wu Wei in China, and Dreamtime in Indigenous Australian culture - all echo the spirit of negative space. These aren’t just design principles; they’re embedded in our cultural worldviews. In Dreamtime, for instance, dot paintings use empty space to suggest spiritual presence and connection to natural forces. Across these traditions, we are invited to slow down, notice the cracks, and find meaning in the quiet spaces between things.

In Bharatanatyam, the classical Indian dance form, deliberate pauses act like negative space - highlighting transitions, allowing the dancer to hold a pose and let emotion settle. These moments reflect principles from the Natyashastra, where stillness (sthayi) is as expressive as motion.

Another striking example is John Cage’s 4'33", a modernist composition where performers remain silent, making ambient sounds the “music” itself. It reframes silence as presence.

In much the same way, in architecture, Santiago Calatrava uses voids and open space to make absence a sculptural force - shaping how we move, feel, and perceive form. Parallelly, in literature, Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” turns silence into subtext, proving that what’s left unsaid can speak louder than words.

*Author, jewelry designer and artist,* *Reena Ahluwalia*

How I Design with Negative Space, Intentionally

As you can tell, I have got a soft spot for negative space. Here are a few of my jewelry creations where space does the talking. Still, I would like to share a bit of context behind them, for you.

My inspiration for ‘Ethereal Rhapsody’ Tahitian pearls and diamonds necklace came from the Pleiades star clusters also known as Seven Sisters in Greek mythology. The interplay of light, shadow and colour became imperative for me to accentuate the neckpiece's rhythmic, interconnected shapes, which serves to contrast them against the negative space that is always visible within and around the piece. It was a constant negotiation of form, movement, and space, something which I hoped will be evident when viewing this piece from different viewing angles.

Details: ‘Ethereal Rhapsody’, a Tahitian Pearl Trophy winning body ornament by jewelry designer Reena Ahluwalia. In collaboration with Baggins Pearls and Chodhari, Japan. Photo: John Parrish, courtesy Reena Ahluwalia.

The ‘Glacier’ Canadian diamonds ring was born from my awe of Canada’s vast, untouched landscapes. I used negative space to echo that stillness, letting the emptiness hold presence, openness, vessel for diverse thoughts and ideas.

*'Glacier' Canadian diamonds ring by jewelry designer Reena Ahluwalia for Mayur Davé Gems Inc.*

In the ‘Cosmic’ Tahitian pearls and diamonds pendant, what you see is an intentional void - a cosmic evolution, a gesture of growth and expansion. The negative space invites the mind to complete the form, offering an emotional resolution of sorts. This piece holds the feeling of becoming, of something intimate and vast unfolding within. What’s left out is where the story settles.

*‘Cosmic’ Tahitian pearls, black and colourless diamonds pendant by jewelry designer Reena Ahluwalia.*

Though I have shared a glimpse behind my thoughts, I invite you to interpret these jewels through the lens of negative space. What do you see? What shifts when you consider what’s been intentionally left out? Without negative space, would the message still resonate, or would it lose its breath, its rhythm, its soul? The decisions I make as a jewelry designer, every contour, every pause, if you see it closely, is autobiographical here. If you look closely, you will find me there - in the silence between the contours, in the spaces I chose not to fill.

Negative Space – Tips to Design the Invisible

In design, what we leave out is as important as what we include.

We need to view negative space as active, not passive. But herein lies the challenge. We need to understand compositional fundamentals and trust the power of restraint. Here are some tips to design with negative space:

Let it breathe: Don’t overcrowd. Be economical. Space adds elegance and clarity. A delicate gap between stones, a clean cut-out in metal, or a minimal setting can make the piece feel more refined and intentional. Think of it like haiku, what’s left unsaid adds meaning.
Use absence to create focus: Use gaps to highlight focal points and shape perception. A well-placed void can guide the eye, highlight a focal gem or message, or suggest a shape without drawing it. Just like in Gestalt psychology, the brain fills in what’s missing. Make silence the statement.
Add tension: Emptiness around bold forms creates visual hierarchy, drama and emotion. For example, in jewelry design, this might mean a bold silhouette surrounded by open metalwork or airy filigree or diamond pave.
Channel philosophical depth: Embed philosophies like wabi-sabi, ma and shunyata. Less can mean more. Imperfections within voids? Sometimes it’s the perfect choice. A jewelry piece doesn’t need to be loud to be powerful.
Think spatially, not just ornamentally: Like dance, pauses and space create flow and presence. Jewelry interacts with the body. Negative space can frame or show the skin, echo movement, let light move in, or create rhythm, just like pauses in Bharatanatyam dance. Don’t over-polish. A raw edge, an intentional void, or a subtle asymmetrical space can make a piece feel more human, more engaging emotionally.
Invite the viewer in: Leave room for interpretation. A design that’s not overly literal allows the wearer to project their own meaning. Go beyond the obvious.

A well-employed negative space often reveals more than technical skill, it shows a refined design mind attuned to emotion, rhythm, and restraint. It’s the mark of someone who understands that beauty isn’t just built from form, but from the tension between presence and absence.

So, in the end, what does negative space really offer us?

Not just emptiness, but possibility. Sometimes, what’s left unsaid, unseen, or untouched becomes the most powerful part of the story. In jewelry, in art, in life - what we leave out is just as important as what we put in. Stop overthinking. Trust the gaps. Let your work breathe. That’s where the soul sneaks in.

Mastering the use of negative space takes time, intention, and deep dives - it’s a designer’s flex built on restraint and insight.

For designers, negative space is a quiet superpower.
Wield it with care.

Reena Ahluwalia Blog