For thousands of years, people have worn and admired jewelry made from precious metals and stones, such as gold and diamonds. Jewelers use such materials to make, repair, and adjust rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other jewelry using a variety of tools and materials. They use drills, pliers, jeweler's soldering torches, saws, jeweler's lathes, and a variety of other handtools to mold and shape metal and to set gemstones. Jewelers also may use chemicals and polishing compounds, such as flux for soldering and tripoli and rouge for finishing.
Jewelers may specialize in one or more areas of the jewelry field buying, design, gem cutting, repair, sales, or appraisal. In small retail or repair shops, jewelers may be involved in all aspects of the work. Regardless of the type of establishment or work setting, however, jewelers' work requires a high degree of skill and attention to detail. Those working in retail stores and repair shops generally spend much of their time repairing or adjusting jewelry. Typical work includes enlarging or reducing rings, resetting stones, and replacing broken clasps and mountings. Some jewelers also design or make their own jewelry. Following their own designs or those created by designers or customers, they begin by shaping the metal or by carving wax to make a model for casting the metal. The individual parts are then soldered together, and the jeweler may mount a diamond or other gem or may engrave a design into the metal.
Other jewelers in retail stores are primarily involved in sales; many of them are certified gemologists, who appraise the quality and value of diamonds, other gemstones, and gem materials. Jewelers who own or manage stores or shops hire and train employees; order, market, and sell merchandise; and perform other managerial duties.
In manufacturing, jewelers usually specialize in a single operation. Some jewelers may make models or tools for the jewelry that is to be produced. Others do finishing work, such as setting stones or engraving. A growing number of jewelers use lasers for cutting and improving the quality of stones.
Technology has not yet greatly affected the jewelry industry. However, some manufacturing firms use CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and manufacturing) to facilitate product design and automate mold and model making. Use of such systems should increase in the future as they become more affordable for smaller companies. In retail stores, computers are used mainly for inventory control; some jewelers use computers to design and create customized pieces according to their customers' wishes. With the aid of computers, customers can choose from basic styles, and mix and match cuts, shanks, sizes, and stones to create their own pieces.
Jewelers need a steady hand for precision work.
Jewelers usually do most of their work seated in comfortable surroundings, and the trade involves few physical hazards. While the work is not physically strenuous, there is a lot of work with detail and intricate designs which may be tiring to some. Caution must be taken because the chemicals, sawing and drilling tools, and torches a jeweler uses can cause serious injury. In addition, doing delicate work while trying to satisfy demands for speed and quality from customers and employers can cause stress, and bending over a workbench for long periods can be uncomfortable. In the future, the use of computers may ease some of these conditions since applications like CAD/CAM greatly increase the speed and accuracy of the design and manufacturing process.
Because many of the materials with which they work are very valuable, those working in retail stores must observe strict security procedures. These may include locked doors that are only opened by a buzzer, barred windows, burglar alarms, and the presence of armed guards. This additional responsibility may create stress.
In repair shops, jewelers generally work alone with little supervision. In retail stores, on the other hand, they may talk with customers about repairs, perform custom design work, and even do some sales work.
In some plants manufacturing precious jewelry, the workweek is 35 hours. During slack periods, however, jewelers may have shortened workweeks or be laid off. Most jewelers in stores and repair shops work 40 to 48 hours a week, including evenings and Saturday. During peak sales seasons, such as Christmas, they often work longer hours, but are compensated for overtime.
Jewelers held about 30,000 jobs in 1992. About 4 out of 10 jewelers were self-employed; many operated their own store or repair shop, and some specialized in designing and creating custom jewelry.
Roughly half of all salaried jewelers worked in retail establishments, while almost one-third were employed in manufacturing plants. Although jewelry stores and repair shops can be found in every city and many small towns, most job opportunities are in larger metropolitan areas. Many jewelers employed in manufacturing work in New York, California, or Rhode Island where production is concentrated.
Jewelers' skills usually are learned in technical schools, through correspondence courses, or informally on the job. Some aspiring jewelers begin working as clerks in department stores and transfer to jobs in jewelry shops or manufacturing firms after gaining experience. Colleges and art schools also offer programs which can lead to a bachelor's or master's degree of fine arts in jewelry design. Formal training in the basic skills of the trade enhances one's employment and advancement opportunities. Many employers prefer well-rounded jewelers with design, repair, and sales skills.
For those interested in working in a jewelry store or repair shop, technical schools or courses offered by local colleges are the best sources of training. In these programs, which vary in length from 6 months to 3 years, students learn the use and care of jewelers' tools and machines and basic jewelry making and repairing skills, such as design, casting, stone setting, and polishing.
Technical school courses also cover topics like blueprint reading, math, and shop theory. Most employers feel that graduates need an additional 3 or more years of supervised on-the-job training to refine their repair skills and to learn more about the operation of the store or shop. In addition, some employers encourage workers to improve their skills by enrolling in short-term technical school courses such as sample making, wax carving, or gemology. Many employers pay all or part of the cost of this additional training.
Technical school programs lasting about 6 months and correspondence courses lasting several years also offer training in appraising and programs leading to a gemologist diploma. These advanced programs cover a wide range of topics including evaluating diamonds and colored stones, identifying gems, and designing jewelry.
In jewelry manufacturing plants, workers traditionally have developed their skills through informal on-the-job training programs. This training may last 3 to 4 years, depending on the difficulty of the specialty. Training usually focuses on casting, stonesetting, modelmaking, or engraving. In recent years, a growing number of technical schools and colleges have begun to offer training designed for jewelers working in manufacturing. Like employers in retail trade, those in manufacturing prefer graduates of these programs because they are familiar with the production process and the in-house training can be shortened significantly.
To enter most technical school or college programs, a high school diploma or its equivalent is required. Courses in art, math, mechanical drawing, and chemistry are useful. Since computer-aided design is increasingly used in the jewelry field, it is recommended that students especially those interested in design and manufacturing obtain training in CAD.
The precise and delicate nature of jewelry work requires finger and hand dexterity, good hand-eye coordination, patience, and concentration. Artistic ability and fashion consciousness are major assets, because jewelry must be stylish and attractive. Those who work in jewelry stores have frequent contact with customers and should be neat and personable. In addition, employers require someone of good character because jewelers work with very valuable materials.
Advancement opportunities are limited and greatly dependent on an individual's skill and initiative. In manufacturing, some jewelers advance to supervisory jobs, such as master jeweler or head jeweler, but for most, advancement takes the form of higher pay for doing the same job. Jewelers who work in jewelry stores or repair shops may become salaried managers; some open their own businesses.
For those interested in starting their own business, a substantial financial investment is needed to acquire the necessary inventory. Also, because the jewelry business is highly competitive, jewelers who plan to open their own store should have experience in selling, as well as knowledge of marketing and business management. Courses in these areas often are available from technical schools and community colleges.
Employment of jewelers is expected to increase about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2005. Job opportunities for jewelers depend largely on jewelry sales and on demand for jewelry repair services. Demand for jewelry is affected by the amount of disposable income people have. Jewelry sales are expected to remain strong, and are currently being fueled by increases in the number of affluent individuals, working women, double-income families, and increasingly fashion-conscious men.
Jewelers have a relatively strong attachment to their occupations reflecting the large proportion of self-employed workers. Nevertheless, job openings will largely result from the need to replace jewelers who transfer to other occupations, retire, or leave the labor force for other reasons.
Opportunities should be good for graduates from jeweler training programs. The job outlook will be best in jewelry stores and repair shops as jewelry sales rise. Demand for repair workers is strong since maintaining and repairing jewelry is an ongoing process, even during economic slowdowns. In fact, demand for jewelry repair often increases during recessions as people will repair or restore existing pieces rather than purchase new ones.
Those interested in pursuing a career in jewelry manufacturing will face keen competition. Many jewelry manufacturers have curtailed their operations because of increased jewelry imports. However, exports are steadily increasing as manufacturers become more competitive in foreign markets. Jewelers may also face competition from nontraditional stores such as department stores and catalog showrooms, because these stores often hire clerks rather than jewelers to service customers.
Depending on the employer, jewelers may receive commissions on what they sell or bonuses for outstanding work. According to the Jewelers' Circular-Keystone annual salary survey, jewelers in retail stores earned a median salary of approximately $28,000 in 1991, while jewelry repair workers earned a median salary of $22,000.
For those in manufacturing, earnings of experienced, unionized jewelry workers averaged $10.00 an hour in 1992, according to the limited information available. Beginners in jewelry factories generally start at considerably less than experienced workers; as they become more proficient, they receive periodic raises.
Most jewelers enjoy a variety of fringe benefits including reimbursement from their employers for work-related courses and discounts on jewelry purchases.
Other skilled workers who do similar jobs include polishers, dental laboratory technicians, gemcutters, hand engravers, and watch makers and repairers.
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Reprinted with Permission of U. S. Department of Labor