Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers
Design, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewelry, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems.
Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers design, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewelry, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems. The role reports a median annual salary of $49,140 in the US and is projected to decline by 6% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a High school diploma or equivalent, and shows low AI exposure (0.39 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, Coordination.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £29,340 a year for Other skilled trades n.e.c. (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 5449). ONS rates this estimate acceptable: it rests on a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Craft and related trades workers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 7. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Customer and Personal Service
- Design
- Production and Processing
- Sales and Marketing
- Administration and Management
- Mechanical
- Administrative
- Engineering and Technology
What you'd actually do
- 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.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers do?
Design, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewelry, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems.
How much does Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers earn?
The median annual salary for Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers in the US is $49,140.
What is the job outlook for Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers?
The role is projected to decline by 6% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 35,100 workers.
How do I become jewelers and precious stone and metal workers?
The typical entry education is a High school diploma or equivalent. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, Coordination, Social Perceptiveness. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers?
Our AI-durability model gives Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers a score of 0.39 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.