Jeweler or Precious Stone and Metal Worker

Summary of What they do:

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

What Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Do

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers design, construct, adjust, repair, appraise and sell jewelry.

Duties

Jeweler’s torches are used to resize and repair jewelry.

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers typically do the following:

• Design and create jewelry from precious metals and stones
• Examine and grade diamonds and other gems
• Clean and polish jewelry using polishing wheels and chemical baths
• Repair jewelry by replacing broken clasps, altering ring sizes, or resetting stones
• Smooth joints and rough spots and polish smoothed areas
• Compute the costs of labor and material for new pieces and repairs
• Model new pieces with carved wax or computer-aided design, and then cast them in metal
• Shape metal to hold the gems in pieces of jewelry
• Solder pieces together and insert stones

Technology is helping to produce high-quality jewelry at a reduced cost and in less time than traditional methods allow. For example, lasers are often used for cutting and improving the quality of stones, for intricate engraving or design work, and for inscribing personal messages on jewelry. Jewelers also use lasers to weld metals together without seams or blemishes, improving the quality and appearance of jewelry.

Some manufacturing firms use computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) to make product design easier and to automate some steps. With CAD, jewelers can create a model of a piece of jewelry on a computer and then view the effect of changing different aspects—for example, the design, the stone, or the setting—before cutting a stone or taking other costly steps. With CAM, they can then create a mold of the piece, which makes producing many copies easy.

Some jewelers also use CAD software to design custom jewelry. They let the customer review the design on a computer and see the effect of changes, so that the customer is satisfied before committing to the expense of a customized piece of jewelry.

The following are examples of types of jewelers and precious stone and metal workers:

Bench jewelers, also known as metalsmiths, silversmiths, goldsmiths, and platinumsmiths, are the most common type of jewelers. They possess a wide array of skills. They usually do tasks ranging from simple jewelry cleaning and repair to making molds and pieces from scratch. Some specialize in particular tasks such as repairs, hand engraving, stringing, wax carving/model making, enameling, stone cutting, soldering, stone setting, and hand building.

Gemologists analyze, describe, and certify the quality and characteristics of gemstones. After using microscopes, computerized tools, and other grading instruments to examine gemstones or finished pieces of jewelry, they write reports certifying that the items are of a particular quality. Most gemologists have completed the Graduate Gemologist program through the Gemological Institute of America.

Jewelry appraisers carefully examine jewelry to determine its value and then write appraisal documents. They determine value by researching the jewelry market and by using reference books, auction catalogs, price lists, and the Internet. They may work for jewelry stores, appraisal firms, auction houses, pawnbrokers, or insurance companies. Many gemologists also become appraisers.

Jewelry designers create design concepts and manage the prototype and model-making process.

Production jewelers fabricate and assemble pieces in a manufacturing setting and typically work on one aspect of the manufacturing process.

Important Qualities

Artistic ability. Jewelers must have the ability to create designs that are unique and beautiful.

Detail oriented. Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers must pay attention to large and small details on the pieces they make.

Dexterity. Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers must precisely move their fingers and tools in order to grasp, manipulate, and assemble very small objects.

Fashion sense. Jewelry designers must know what is stylish and attractive and presently in demand by consumers.

Interpersonal skills. Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers interact with customers, whether they sell products in stores or at craft shows.

Near vision. Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers need the ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Visualization skills. Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers must imagine how something might look after its shape is altered or when its parts are rearranged.

Tasks On The Job

1. Anneal precious metal objects such as coffeepots, tea sets, and trays in gas ovens for prescribed times to soften metal for reworking.
2. Buy and sell jewelry, or serve as agents between buyers and sellers.
3. Clean and polish metal items and jewelry pieces, using jewelers' tools, polishing wheels, and chemical baths.
4. Compute costs of labor and materials to determine production costs of products and articles.
5. Construct preliminary models of wax, metal, clay, or plaster, and form sample castings in molds.
6. Create jewelry from materials such as gold, silver, platinum, and precious or semiprecious stones.
7. Create new jewelry designs and modify existing designs, using computers as necessary.
8. Cut and file pieces of jewelry such as rings, brooches, bracelets, and lockets.
9. Cut designs in molds or other materials to be used as models in the fabrication of metal and jewelry products.
10. Design and fabricate molds, models, and machine accessories, and modify hand tools used to cast metal and jewelry pieces.
11. Determine appraised values of diamonds and other gemstones based on price guides, market fluctuations, and stone grades and rarity.
12. Examine assembled or finished products to ensure conformance to specifications, using magnifying glasses or precision measuring instruments.
13. Grade stones based on their color, perfection, and quality of cut.
14. Lay out designs on metal stock, and cut along markings to fabricate pieces used to cast metal molds.
15. Make repairs, such as enlarging or reducing ring sizes, soldering pieces of jewelry together, and replacing broken clasps and mountings.
16. Mark, engrave, or emboss designs on metal pieces such as castings, wire, or jewelry, following specifications.
17. Pierce and cut open designs in ornamentation, using hand drills and scroll saws.
18. Plate articles such as jewelry pieces and watch dials, using silver, gold, nickel, or other metals.
19. Position stones and metal pieces, and set, mount, and secure items in place, using setting and hand tools.
20. Pour molten metal alloys or other materials into molds to cast models of jewelry.
21. Record the weights and processing times of finished pieces.
22. Research and analyze reference materials, and consult with interested parties to develop new products or modify existing designs.
23. Rotate molds to distribute alloys and to prevent formation of air pockets.
24. Rout out locations where parts are to be joined to items, using routing machines.
25. Select and acquire metals and gems for designs.
26. Shape and straighten damaged or twisted articles by hand or using pliers.
27. Smooth soldered joints and rough spots, using hand files and emery paper, and polish smoothed areas with polishing wheels or buffing wire.
28. Soften metal to be used in designs by heating it with a gas torch and shape it, using hammers and dies.
29. Weigh, mix, and melt metal alloys or materials needed for jewelry models.
30. Write or modify design specifications such as the metal contents and weights of items.