Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers

ManufacturingO*NET 51-9071.00United States

Design, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewelry, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $45,840
Projected change: −3.4%
Typical education: High school diploma or less
Employment: 37.45K jobs

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

Showing United States

State

County

Loading available locations…

Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What jewelers and precious stone and metal workers do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Clean and polish metal items and jewelry pieces, using jewelers' tools, polishing wheels, and chemical baths.
Smooth soldered joints and rough spots, using hand files and emery paper, and polish smoothed areas with polishing wheels or buffing wire.
Create jewelry from materials such as gold, silver, platinum, and precious or semiprecious stones.
Cut and file pieces of jewelry such as rings, brooches, bracelets, and lockets.
Make repairs, such as enlarging or reducing ring sizes, soldering pieces of jewelry together, and replacing broken clasps and mountings.
Examine assembled or finished products to ensure conformance to specifications, using magnifying glasses or precision measuring instruments.
Position stones and metal pieces, and set, mount, and secure items in place, using setting and hand tools.
Compute costs of labor and materials to determine production costs of products and articles.
Grade stones based on their color, perfection, and quality of cut.
Select and acquire metals and gems for designs.
Shape and straighten damaged or twisted articles by hand or using pliers.
Create new jewelry designs and modify existing designs, using computers as necessary.
Plate articles such as jewelry pieces and watch dials, using silver, gold, nickel, or other metals.
Record the weights and processing times of finished pieces.
Construct preliminary models of wax, metal, clay, or plaster, and form sample castings in molds.
Soften metal to be used in designs by heating it with a gas torch and shape it, using hammers and dies.
Write or modify design specifications such as the metal contents and weights of items.
Pierce and cut open designs in ornamentation, using hand drills and scroll saws.
Research and analyze reference materials, and consult with interested parties to develop new products or modify existing designs.
Mark, engrave, or emboss designs on metal pieces such as castings, wire, or jewelry, following specifications.
Pour molten metal alloys or other materials into molds to cast models of jewelry.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $24,020
25th percentile: $30,633
50th percentile: $45,840
75th percentile: $67,141
90th percentile: $95,050

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $45,840 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

−3.4%projected to decline

202537,451 jobs

2035 projected36,185 jobs

1,266 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less: 27%
Certificate: 21.4%
Some college: 19.5%
Associate degree: 16.5%
Bachelor's degree: 15.7%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Soldering
Merchandising
Jewelry Design
Workflow Management
Laser Beam Welding
Casting
Adobe Illustrator
New Product Development
Fabrication
Adobe Photoshop
Inventory Management
Jewellery Making
Marketing
Manual Dexterity
Hand Tools
Selling Techniques
Machinery
Collections
Computer-Aided Design
Rhinoceros 3D

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Bench Jewelers576 postings
02Jewelry Designers142 postings
03Jewelers86 postings
04Jewelry Managers73 postings
05Apprentice Jewelers62 postings
06Master Jewelers39 postings
07Jewelry Makers38 postings
08Jewelry Buyers35 postings
09Fine Jewelry Managers32 postings
10Implementation Managers30 postings
11Goldsmiths27 postings
12Body Piercers26 postings
13Mech Designers25 postings
14Alterations Associates23 postings
15Jewelry Specialists21 postings
16Designers19 postings
17Showroom Associates17 postings
18Product Specialists16 postings
19Polishers13 postings
20Digital Designers12 postings

Top employers

01Signet Jewelers66 postings
02Tiffany42 postings
03Central Arizona College35 postings
04Goodwill30 postings
05On Location30 postings
06Helzberg Diamonds27 postings
0724 Seven Talent Ca25 postings
08Mejuri25 postings
09Nike25 postings
10David Webb & Co Llp24 postings
11Saks Fifth Avenue24 postings
12Traxnyc20 postings
13The RealReal18 postings
14Jewelry Television17 postings
15Barneys New York16 postings
16Berry Jewelry16 postings
17Lele Sadoughi16 postings
18Xomox Jewelry16 postings
19Diamonds Direct15 postings
20Shane Co.15 postings

Keep looking

Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders

Median pay: $46,467
Employment outlook: +0.5%

Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers

Median pay: $65,331
Employment outlook: −7.4%

Appraisers and Assessors of Real Estate

Median pay: $68,507
Employment outlook: −2.3%

Appraisers of Personal and Business Property

Median pay: $68,507
Employment outlook: −2.3%