Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers
Under the title Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers, workers design, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewelry, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems. A regular part of the work is to clean and polish metal items and jewelry pieces, using jewelers' tools, polishing wheels, and chemical baths. Interest ratings put Realistic on top at 6.6 out of 7 and Artistic second, so the code is RAC and the day leans toward hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world. Plan on one or two years of vocational training, an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree; O*NET labels this medium preparation. Strength in active listening, speaking, and critical thinking helps most here. 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
Design, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewelry, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems.
Main 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.
Skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Coordination
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
- You want room to make something in your own way.
- You are willing to put in a year or two of focused training.
- You are comfortable relying on active listening and speaking.
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 1.0 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 RAC 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.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Appraiser
- Artisan Jeweler
- Bench Jeweler
- Caster
- Gemologist
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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.