Occupations · Production

Gem and Diamond Workers

Fabricate, finish, or evaluate the quality of gems and diamonds used in jewelry or industrial tools.

O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 51-9071.06

What people in this job actually do

Ordered by how important the work is rated.

Examine gems during processing to ensure accuracy of angles and positions of cuts or bores, using magnifying glasses, loupes, or shadowgraphs.
Assign polish, symmetry, and clarity grades to stones, according to established grading systems.
Examine diamonds or gems to ascertain the shape, cut, and width of cut stones, or to select the cuts that will result in the biggest, best quality stones.
Immerse stones in prescribed chemical solutions to determine specific gravities and key properties of gemstones or substitutes.
Estimate wholesale and retail value of gems, following pricing guides, market fluctuations, and other relevant economic factors.
Hold stones, gems, dies, or styluses against rotating plates, wheels, saws, or slitters to cut, shape, slit, grind, or polish them.
Sort rough diamonds into categories based on shape, size, color, and quality.
Examine gem surfaces and internal structures, using polariscopes, refractometers, microscopes, and other optical instruments, to differentiate between stones, to identify rare specimens, or to detect flaws, defects, or peculiarities affecting gem values.
Secure gems or diamonds in holders, chucks, dops, lapidary sticks, or blocks for cutting, polishing, grinding, drilling, or shaping.
Identify and document stones' clarity characteristics, using plot diagrams.
Advise customers and others on the best use of gems to create attractive jewelry items.
Measure sizes of stones' bore holes and cuts to ensure adherence to specifications, using precision measuring instruments.

O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale

Skills that matter most

Importance, rated 1 to 5.

Active Listening3.1

Speaking3.1

Critical Thinking3.0

Monitoring3.0

Reading Comprehension2.9

Mathematics2.8

Writing2.6

Active Learning2.5

Learning Strategies2.2

Science1.4

O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale

Software and tools

A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.

Business accounting softwareGem identification databasesGemCadInventory tracking softwareJewelry design softwareSpectrophotometer analysis softwareWeb browser software

O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag

What this work is actually like

Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.

3 / 5Medium preparation — vocational training or an associate degree, plus 1–2 years of work.

O*NET 30.3 Job Zones

Working conditions that stand out

Spend Time Standing−1.7 below average

Spend Time Sitting+1.6 above average

Consequence of Error−1.5 below average

Written Letters and Memos+1.4 above average

Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls+1.3 above average

Spend Time Walking or Running−1.3 below average

Level of Competition−1.3 below average

O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2008-06

How people actually get in

Share of workers by the education they hold.

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)58%

Bachelor's Degree19%

Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)15%

Less than a High School Diploma8%

O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2008-06

What kind of person the work suits

Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.

Realistic5.5

Conventional4.1

Investigative3.1

O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)

What you take with you

Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.

Quality Control Analysis3.4

Judgment and Decision Making2.9

Social Perceptiveness2.8

Service Orientation2.8

Operations Monitoring2.8

Complex Problem Solving2.8

Equipment Selection2.6

Coordination2.6

O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale

Knowledge the work draws on

Customer and Personal ServiceProduction and ProcessingEnglish LanguageMathematicsSales and MarketingAdministration and Management

Abilities it leans on

Near VisionFinger DexterityArm-Hand SteadinessVisual Color DiscriminationProblem SensitivityControl Precision

O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale

How this job is advertised

The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.

SetterLopperGraderGirdlerSpotterFacetorLapidaryTightenerLapidaristGemologistGem CutterGem ExpertJewel SetterPearl Peller

O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation

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O*NET 30.3 related occupations

Also called

SetterGraderLopperJewelerGirdlerFacetorSpotterLapidaryTightenerGem CarverGem ExpertGem Cutter

O*NET 30.3 alternative titles

The same work in Europe

ESCO occupation	ISCO	Match
jeweller	7313.1	close
jewellery assembler	8219.5	close
goldsmith	7313.1.2	close
jewellery repairer	7313.1.6	close
jewellery polisher	7313.1.5	close
silversmith	7313.1.8	close
jewellery mounter	7313.1.4	close
precious stone setter	7313.1.7	broader
precious stone cutter	7313.2	broader
gemmologist	3315.2	broader

Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)

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