Guidance.help

Gem and Diamond Workers

In the Gem and Diamond Workers occupation, workers fabricate, finish, or evaluate the quality of gems and diamonds used in jewelry or industrial tools. O*NET rates it as medium preparation, which usually means one or two years of vocational training, an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree. It leans on quality control analysis, monitoring, and critical thinking. Expect to assign polish, symmetry, and clarity grades to stones, according to established grading systems. Its interest code is RCI. Realistic leads at 5.5 out of 7, so expect hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world, with Conventional next at 4.1. If you want hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world, keep it on your list. If you need helping, teaching or caring for people, it may feel thin.

What they do

Fabricate, finish, or evaluate the quality of gems and diamonds used in jewelry or industrial tools.

Main tasks

  • Assign polish, symmetry, and clarity grades to stones, according to established grading systems.
  • Identify and document stones' clarity characteristics, using plot diagrams.
  • Estimate wholesale and retail value of gems, following pricing guides, market fluctuations, and other relevant economic factors.
  • Examine gems during processing to ensure accuracy of angles and positions of cuts or bores, using magnifying glasses, loupes, or shadowgraphs.
  • Examine diamonds or gems to ascertain the shape, cut, and width of cut stones, or to select the cuts that will result in the biggest, best quality stones.
  • Examine gem surfaces and internal structures, using polariscopes, refractometers, microscopes, and other optical instruments, to differentiate between stones, to identify rare specimens, or to detect flaws, defects, or peculiarities affecting gem values.

Skills

  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Monitoring
  • Critical Thinking
  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
  • You like clear rules and getting the details right.
  • You are willing to put in a year or two of focused training.
  • You are comfortable relying on quality control analysis and monitoring.

May not suit you if

  • You would rather stay away from physical, hands-on tasks.
  • You want helping people to be at the center of your work. Social rates 1.2 out of 7 here.
  • You need to start within a few months, with no training period.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code RCI takes the three highest, and Realistic comes first here.

Preparation

Medium preparation. Expect vocational school, an apprenticeship, related experience or an associate’s degree, usually one or two years in total.

Also called

  • Diamond Cutter
  • Diamond Grader
  • Diamond Picker
  • Diamond Polisher
  • Diamond Setter

Related careers

Is this your direction?

See how your interests line up with RCI and 906 other careers.

Take the career test

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.