CFChooseField
Production

Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers

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

Visual summary of pay, outlook, skills, interests, and preparation for Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers
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Median pay

$49,140
Median annual pay for Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024
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10-year growth

-5.5%
Projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024–2034 projections
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Annual openings

4,000
Projected annual openings, including growth and replacement demand.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024–2034 projections
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Employment

35,100
Estimated U.S. employment for Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers in 2024.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024
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Jobs added or lost

-1,900
Projected numeric employment change from 2024 to 2034.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024–2034 projections
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Entry preparation

High school diploma or equivalent
Typical additional preparation: Long-term on-the-job training.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024 profile
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O*NET occupation profile

What the work involves

Strongest O*NET signals first.

Essential skills

  1. 1Active Listening
  2. 2Critical Thinking
  3. 3Speaking
  4. 4Monitoring
  5. 5Reading Comprehension
  6. 6Writing

Knowledge areas

  1. 1Customer and Personal Service
  2. 2Design
  3. 3Production and Processing
  4. 4Sales and Marketing
  5. 5Administration and Management
  6. 6Mechanical

Abilities

  1. 1Near Vision
  2. 2Finger Dexterity
  3. 3Arm-Hand Steadiness
  4. 4Oral Comprehension
  5. 5Category Flexibility
  6. 6Oral Expression

Career interests

  1. 1Realistic
  2. 2Artistic
  3. 3Conventional
  4. 4Investigative
  5. 5Enterprising
  6. 6Social

Work styles

  1. 1Attention to Detail
  2. 2Dependability
  3. 3Cautiousness
  4. 4Integrity
  5. 5Innovation
  6. 6Achievement Orientation

Work activities

  1. 1Thinking Creatively
  2. 2Controlling Machines and Processes
  3. 3Getting Information
  4. 4Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  5. 5Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
  6. 6Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials

Work context

  1. 1Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
  2. 2Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
  3. 3Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
  4. 4Freedom to Make Decisions
  5. 5Time Pressure
  6. 6Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals

Representative tasks

  • 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.
  • Examine assembled or finished products to ensure conformance to specifications, using magnifying glasses or precision measuring instruments.
  • Make repairs, such as enlarging or reducing ring sizes, soldering pieces of jewelry together, and replacing broken clasps and mountings.
  • Compute costs of labor and materials to determine production costs of products and articles.
  • Position stones and metal pieces, and set, mount, and secure items in place, using setting and hand tools.

Software and tools

Adobe Illustrator · hot technologyAdobe Photoshop · hot technologyIntuit QuickBooks · hot technologyMicrosoft Excel · hot technologyMicrosoft Outlook · hot technologyMicrosoft Word · hot technologyComputer assisted jewelry design CAD softwareCustomer information databasesInventory tracking softwareJewelry store point of sale POS softwareMetal designing softwareRetail management software

Sources

BLS provides national pay, employment, and projections. O*NET provides skills, interests, preparation, tasks, work context, and tools.

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