Careers · Explore one path
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers
Design, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewelry, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems.
Other titles employers use
Appraiser · Artisan Jeweler · Bench Jeweler · Caster · Gemologist · Goldsmith · Jeweler · Polisher
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical, creative and organizing work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Creative
- Making, designing, writing, or performing without one set answer
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
Subjects to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- Design
- Production and Processing
- Sales and Marketing
- Administration and Management
Useful strengths
- Near Vision
- Finger Dexterity
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.3 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 2.1 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.7 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 4.4 | Handling tools, instruments or materials |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A certificate or some college 41%
- High school or less 27%
- A two-year degree 16%
- A four-year degree 9%
- A master's degree 7%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Accounting software
- Spreadsheet software
- Electronic mail software
- Word processing software
- Computer aided design CAD software
- Customer relationship management CRM software
- Inventory management software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 5,300
- Job openings each year
- 710
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 1.9%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 5,300 | 710 | 1.9% |
| Texas | 4,650 | 630 | 6.4% |
| New York | 4,450 | 0 | −5.1% |
| Florida | 3,480 | 480 | 8.8% |
| Missouri | 3,130 | 420 | — |
| Illinois | 1,910 | 250 | −3.5% |
| Utah | 1,620 | 230 | 15.7% |
| Ohio | 1,520 | 210 | 6.3% |
| Pennsylvania | 1,220 | 160 | −2.4% |
| North Carolina | 1,120 | 150 | 6.7% |
| Arizona | 1,090 | 150 | 11.2% |
| Louisiana | 1,060 | 140 | −5.4% |
| Virginia | 850 | 120 | 1.2% |
| Colorado | 690 | 90 | 11.3% |
| Indiana | 680 | 90 | −1.4% |
| Tennessee | 680 | 90 | 3.0% |
| Georgia | 610 | 80 | 7.0% |
| Oregon | 610 | 80 | 3.4% |
| Minnesota | 600 | 80 | −1.6% |
| New Mexico | 600 | 80 | 1.7% |
| Alabama | 590 | 80 | 1.7% |
| Washington | 580 | 80 | — |
| Wisconsin | 540 | 70 | −1.8% |
| Maryland | 510 | 70 | 4.1% |
| Vermont | 480 | 70 | 2.1% |
| Connecticut | 450 | 60 | 4.7% |
| South Carolina | 360 | 50 | 16.1% |
| Massachusetts | 280 | 40 | −3.4% |
| Arkansas | 250 | 30 | — |
| Kansas | 250 | 30 | — |
| Iowa | 210 | 30 | −4.5% |
| Montana | 210 | 30 | — |
| Nevada | 200 | 30 | 17.6% |
| Kentucky | 190 | 30 | −5.0% |
| Maine | 160 | 20 | −5.9% |
| New Hampshire | 160 | 20 | — |
| Oklahoma | 150 | 20 | — |
| Mississippi | 140 | 20 | −12.5% |
| South Dakota | 140 | 20 | −6.7% |
| Puerto Rico | 130 | 20 | 18.2% |
| North Dakota | 100 | 10 | — |
| Idaho | 90 | 10 | 12.5% |
| Nebraska | 80 | 10 | 14.3% |
| Wyoming | 60 | 10 | — |
| Alaska | 30 | 0 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Degrees each year
- 581
- Admit rate
- 76%
- Annual cost after aid
- $47,000
California State University-Long Beach
- Degrees each year
- 456
- Admit rate
- 47%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
California State University-Fullerton
- Degrees each year
- 433
- Admit rate
- 87%
- Annual cost after aid
- $6,000
California State University-Northridge
- Degrees each year
- 324
- Admit rate
- 93%
- Annual cost after aid
- $8,000
University of North Texas
- Degrees each year
- 256
- Admit rate
- 72%
- Annual cost after aid
- $14,000
San Diego State University
- Degrees each year
- 254
- Admit rate
- 34%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
San Jose State University
- Degrees each year
- 207
- Admit rate
- 80%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
- Degrees each year
- 194
- Admit rate
- 90%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000