Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers
Jewellers and precious stone and metal workers design, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewellery, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems.
Jeweler's job description includes the responsibilities of polishing materials, workpieces of finished products, smoothening metal surfaces or edges, aligning parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly, designing jewellery or decorative objects and cleaning workpieces or finished products.
Jewellers metal and precious stone workers typically need a high school diploma to enter the occupation, and they learn the skills of the trade through on-the-job training. Moreover, many trade schools offer relevant courses for workers who seek additional qualifications.
Manufacturing jewellers devise and assemble pieces in a manufacturing setting and generally work on one aspect of the manufacturing process. While most metal gemstone jewellers are self-employed, others might work in retail stores, jewellery repair shops, or jewellery manufacturing plants.
The jewel salary Is generally good when they sell custom-made jewellery pieces. Others may be able to make handsome money simply by selling a design to be mass-produced.
To succeed as a great manufacturing jeweller, one should have specific abilities and skills of an eye for detail, hand-arm steadiness and control, finger dexterity, 3D visualization and interpersonal skills, artistic ability and knowledge of popular jewellery styles and a strong sense of integrity and honesty.
Qualifications
Every career requires an element of study and academic qualification, and there can be several study routes and pathways you can take. In following any academic pathway you will study subjects that contribute to the specialised knowledge required to achieve your career goals. These qualifications provide a future employer with the evidence that you have the desired knowledge, understanding and experience of their industry, so it’s important to consider the various types of qualifications available to you and to understand how they can boost your career and create opportunities for you.
- NSQF Level 3 Manual Jewellery Design
- NSQF Level 2 Foundation Course for Jewellery
- ITI Course Computer Aided Design
Tasks
- Position stones and metal pieces, and set, mount, and secure items in place, using setting and hand tools.
- 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.
- Make repairs, such as enlarging or reducing ring sizes, soldering pieces of jewelry together, and replacing broken clasps and mountings.
- Clean and polish metal items and jewelry pieces, using jewelers' tools, polishing wheels, and chemical baths.
- Cut and file pieces of jewelry such as rings, brooches, bracelets, and lockets.
- Select and acquire metals and gems for designs.
- Compute costs of labor and materials in order to determine production costs of products and articles.
- Examine assembled or finished products to ensure conformance to specifications, using magnifying glasses or precision measuring instruments.
- Pierce and cut open designs in ornamentation, using hand drills and scroll saws.
Progression Routes
READY FOR MORE?
Subscribe to our Premium package and you'll unlock a wealth of extra information about your favourite careers and gain access our library of immersive 360° VR careers experience.
As a Premium user you'll find out more about the day-to-day demands of any career, what you could earn and, importantly, receive expert advice on study routes, preparation expenses, and where & what to study to fulfil your potential.