Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers

Summary

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers typically work at a jeweler’s bench.

Quick Facts: Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers
2010 Median Pay	$35,170 per year $16.91 per hour
Entry-Level Education	High school diploma or equivalent
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Long-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2010	39,200
Job Outlook, 2010-20	-5% (Decline moderately)
Employment Change, 2010-20	-2,000

What Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Do

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers design, manufacture, and sell jewelry. They also adjust, repair, and appraise gems and jewelry.

Work Environment

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers spend a lot of their time at a workbench, using different tools and chemicals. Almost half are self-employed, and many work from home and sell their products at trade and craft shows on weekends. Others are employed in jewelry stores, repair shops, and manufacturing plants.

How to Become a Jeweler or Precious Stone and Metal Worker

Many jewelers and precious stone and metal workers learn their skills through apprenticeships and on-the-job training, but a growing number attend trade schools.

Pay

The median annual wage of jewelers and precious stone and metal workers was $35,170 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of jewelers and precious stone and metal workers is expected to decline 5 percent from 2010 to 2020. Moderate competition is expected for skilled positions, and strong competition is expected for lower skilled manufacturing jobs.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of jewelers and precious stone and metal workers with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about jewelers and precious stone and metal workers by contacting these additional resources.

What Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Do About this section

Jeweler’s torches are used to resize and repair jewelry.

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers design, manufacture, and sell jewelry. They also adjust, repair, and appraise gems and jewelry.

Duties

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers typically do the following:

• Examine and grade diamonds and other gems
• Create jewelry from gold, silver, and precious gemstones
• Shape metal to hold the gems when making individual pieces
• Make a model with carved wax (a mold) or with computers, and then make (cast) pieces with the model
• Solder pieces together and insert stones
• Smooth joints and rough spots and polish smoothed areas
• Inspect finished products to ensure proper gem spacing and metal shine
• Repair jewelry by replacing broken clasps, enlarging or reducing ring sizes, resetting stones, or soldering pieces together

New technology is helping to produce high-quality jewelry at a reduced cost and in less time. For example, lasers are often used for cutting and improving the quality of stones, for intricate engraving or design work, and for inscribing personal messages or identification on jewelry. Jewelers also use lasers to weld metals together with no seams or blemishes, improving the quality and appearance of jewelry.

Some manufacturing firms use computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) to make product design easier and to automate some steps. With CAD, jewelers can create a model of a piece of jewelry on the computer and then see the effect of changing different aspects—the design, the stone, the setting—before cutting a stone or taking other costly steps. With CAM, they then create a mold of the piece, which makes producing many copies easy.

Individual jewelers also use CAD software to design custom jewelry. They let the customer review the design on the computer and see the effect of changes so the customer is satisfied before committing to the expense of a customized piece of jewelry.

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers usually specialize:

Precious metal workers expertly manipulate gold, silver, and other metals.

Gemologists analyze, describe, and certify the quality and characteristics of gem stones. After using microscopes, computerized tools, and other grading instruments to examine gem stones or finished pieces of jewelry, they write reports certifying that the items are of a particular quality.

Jewelry appraisers carefully examine jewelry to determine its value and then write appraisal documents. They determine value by researching the jewelry market and by using reference books, auction catalogs, price lists, and the Internet. They may work for jewelry stores, appraisal firms, auction houses, pawnbrokers, or insurance companies. Many gemologists also become appraisers.

Bench jewelers usually work for jewelry retailers, doing tasks from simple jewelry cleaning and repair to making molds and pieces from scratch.

Work Environment About this section

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers use various tools and chemicals.

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers held about 39,200 jobs in 2010. Almost half were
self-employed, and many work from home and sell their products at trade and craft shows on weekends.

Most wage and salary workers in this occupation are employed in jewelry stores, repair shops, and manufacturing plants.

The industries that employed the most workers in 2010 were:

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers spend much of their time at a workbench, using different tools and chemicals. Computers are also becoming an increasingly important tool in the jewelry industry as computer-aided design (CAD) can save workers time and resources. Many tools, such as jeweler’s torches and lasers, must be handled carefully to avoid injury. Sharp or pointed tools also may pose hazards.

In repair shops, jewelers usually work alone with little supervision. In retail stores, they may talk with customers about repairs, do custom design work, and even do some selling. Because many of their materials are valuable, jewelers must follow security procedures, including making use of burglar alarms and, in larger jewelry stores, working in the presence of security guards.

Work Schedules

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers have varied work schedules. Self-employed workers often decide their own hours; many work weekends, showing and selling their products at trade and craft shows. Retail store workers might also work nonstandard hours because they must be available when consumers are not working, such as on holidays and weekends.

How to Become a Jeweler or Precious Stone and Metal Worker About this section

Jewelers and precious stone workers examine diamonds and gems.

Jewelers have traditionally learned their trade through long-term on-the-job training. This method is still common, particularly in jewelry manufacturing, but a growing number of workers now learn their skills at trade schools.           

Education

Many trade schools offer training for jewelers. Course topics can include introduction to gems and metals, resizing, repair, and computer-aided design (CAD). Programs vary from 6 months to 1 year, and many teach students how to design, cast, set, and polish jewelry and gems, as well as how to use and care for a jeweler’s tools and equipment. Graduates of these programs may be more attractive to employers because they require less on-the-job training.

Some students earn a bachelor’s degree in fine arts or a master’s degree in jewelry design.

Work Experience

Some workers gain their skills through related work experience. This may include previous experience as a sales person in retail jewelry stores.

Training

In jewelry manufacturing plants, workers develop their skills through informal apprenticeships and on-the-job training. The apprenticeship or training lasts up to 1 year, depending on the difficulty of the specialty. Training usually focuses on casting, setting stones, making models, or engraving.

Advancement

Advancement opportunities are limited and depend on an individual's skill and initiative. In manufacturing, some jewelers advance to supervisory jobs, such as master jeweler or head jeweler. Jewelers who work in jewelry stores or repair shops may become managers; some open their own business.

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers who want to open their own store should first establish themselves and build a reputation for their work within the jewelry trade. After they get sufficient sales, they can acquire the necessary inventory for a store from a jewelry wholesaler. Also, because the jewelry business is highly competitive, jewelers who plan to open their own store should have sales experience and knowledge of marketing and business management.

Important Qualities

Artistic ability. Jewelers must have the ability to create designs that are unique and beautiful.

Detail oriented. Creating designs requires concentration and patience. Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers must be detail oriented to stay focused on their tasks.

Fashion sense. Jewelry designers must know what is stylish and attractive because that is what people are likely to buy.

Finger dexterity. Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers must precisely move their fingers in order to grasp, manipulate, and assemble very small objects.

Interpersonal skills. Whether selling products in stores or at craft shows, jewelers and precious stone and metal workers interact with customers.

Visualization skills. Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers must imagine how something might look after its shape is altered or when its parts are rearranged.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage for jewelers and precious stone and metal workers was $35,170 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $19,460, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $61,380.

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers have varied work schedules. Self-employed workers often decide their own hours; many work weekends, showing and selling their products at trade and craft shows. Retail store workers might also work nonstandard hours because they must be available when consumers are not working, such as on holidays and weekends. Jewelers who work in retail stores may earn a commission for jewelry sold.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of jewelers and precious stone and metal workers is expected to decline 5 percent from 2010 to 2020. Low-skilled workers will likely face limited opportunities because most jewelry manufacturing is now done outside of the country.

Traditional jewelry stores may continue to lose some of their customers to nontraditional sellers, such as department stores, but they will still maintain a large customer base. In addition, new jewelry sold by nontraditional retailers should create some demand for skilled jewelers who can size, clean, and repair jewelry.

Job Prospects

Despite declining employment, job opportunities should be available for bench jewelers who are skilled at design or repair. New jewelers will be needed to replace those who retire or who leave the occupation for other reasons. As master jewelers retire, shops lose expertise and knowledge that is difficult and costly to replace. Job opportunities in jewelry stores and repair shops should be best for those who have graduated from a training program and have related work experience.

Strong competition is expected for lower skilled manufacturing jobs that are susceptible to automation. Jewelry designers who wish to create their own jewelry lines should expect intense competition. Although demand for customized and boutique jewelry is strong, it is difficult for independent designers to establish themselves. Experience with computer-aided design (CAD) makes creating custom pieces of jewelry easier.

During economic downturns, demand for jewelry products and for jewelers usually decreases. However, demand for repair workers should remain strong even during economic slowdowns because maintaining and repairing jewelry is cheaper than buying new jewelry.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about jewelers and gemologists, including job opportunities and training programs, visit

Gemological Institute of America

Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America