Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers

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

O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 51-9071.00

$49,140median annual wage, May 2024

23,420people employed, United States

▼ 5.5%projected change, 2024→2034

4,000openings a year, incl. replacements

What it pays

A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage

Pay over time

Median up 81% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.

BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.

Where the jobs are

Metro area	Median wage	Employed
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	$49,020	5,010
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$58,120	1,500
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	$45,530	770
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	$46,000	750
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$61,390	670
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$46,900	530
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	$60,850	330
Salt Lake City, UT	$47,360	300
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA	$62,640	280
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$58,610	260
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	$70,910	260
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	$40,910	250

BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation

Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34

What people in this job actually do

Ordered by how important the work is rated.

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.
Compute costs of labor and materials to determine production costs of products and articles.
Position stones and metal pieces, and set, mount, and secure items in place, using setting and hand tools.
Grade stones based on their color, perfection, and quality of cut.
Buy and sell jewelry, or serve as agents between buyers and sellers.
Select and acquire metals and gems for designs.
Determine appraised values of diamonds and other gemstones based on price guides, market fluctuations, and stone grades and rarity.

O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale

Skills that matter most

Importance, rated 1 to 5.

Active Listening3.1

Critical Thinking3.0

Speaking3.0

Reading Comprehension2.8

Monitoring2.8

Writing2.5

Active Learning2.4

Learning Strategies2.2

Mathematics2.0

Science1.2

O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale

Software and tools

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

Adobe Illustrator●Adobe Photoshop●Intuit QuickBooks●Microsoft Excel●Microsoft Outlook●Microsoft Word●Computer assisted jewelry design CAD softwareCustomer information databasesInventory tracking softwareJewelry store point of sale POS softwareMetal designing softwareRetail management 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 Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls+1.1 above average

Spend Time Standing−1.0 below average

Exposed to Contaminants+1.0 above average

Spend Time Sitting+1.0 above average

Exposed to Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting Conditions−1.0 below average

Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings+0.9 above average

Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled−0.9 below average

O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2025-08

How people actually get in

Share of workers by the education they hold.

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)25%

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)21%

Some College Courses19%

Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)16%

O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2025-08

What kind of person the work suits

Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.

Realistic6.6

Artistic3.7

Conventional3.4

O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)

Tasks O*NET flags as emerging

Measure, cut, and file pieces of jewelry, such as rings, brooches, bracelets, and lockets.

O*NET 30.3 emerging tasks

What you take with you

Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.

Coordination2.9

Social Perceptiveness2.9

Judgment and Decision Making2.9

Complex Problem Solving2.6

Time Management2.6

Service Orientation2.6

Instructing2.5

Persuasion2.2

O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale

Knowledge the work draws on

Customer and Personal ServiceDesignProduction and ProcessingSales and MarketingAdministration and ManagementMechanical

Abilities it leans on

Near VisionFinger DexterityArm-Hand SteadinessOral ComprehensionCategory FlexibilityOral Expression

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.

ChaserArtistCasterSetterFacetorJewelerStamperCrafterGirdlerProngerArborerPewtererSoldererPolisher

O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation

Get this as a personal report

The same sourced evidence, recut for the closest published view of your city, state or industry, as a dated PDF.

Free page vs. the $29 report

The page above is a public national reference: it is the same for every reader. The $29 report uses the location or industry you name, states the exact BLS cut used, and packages five decision-focused sections as a PDF. Choose $49 when you need a broader comparison of industries, places, changes and next moves.

$29Occupation reportPay where you are, conditions, preparation, education, what you carry into another job.$49Professional reportAdds two decades of pay, industries, geography, what changed, adjacent occupations and what to study.$99International offerAdds named employers and their actual rates from visa filings, the seniority pay ladder and the cities that hire.

Compare the three reports

What you learn	$29	$49	$99
What it pays in your city and industry	✓	✓	✓
Working conditions, preparation, education	✓	✓	✓
What you carry into another occupation	✓	✓	✓
What this job is called in postings	✓	✓	✓
How pay changed over the years	brief	✓	✓
Where the industry changes the number	—	✓	✓
Where the work actually is	—	✓	✓
What appeared and disappeared in the job	—	✓	✓
How long it takes to become competent	—	✓	✓
Where to move next and what to learn	—	✓	✓
What to study to get in	—	✓	✓
What the same work pays in Britain	—	—	✓
What the same work pays in Canada	—	—	✓
Who hires, by name, and at what rates	—	—	✓
The money ladder by skill level	—	—	✓
Cities that actually sponsor visas	—	—	✓
Sections in the report	5	12	19
Who it is for	If you are deciding whether this work is worth your time.	If you are in the occupation and deciding where to move next.	If you are aiming for an offer abroad.

EmailNameCity or stateIndustry (optional)

What decision are you making? (optional)

No payment is taken now. We reply with a secure payment link.

What changed since 2015

Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.

Now listed 2

+Adobe Photoshop+Adobe Illustrator

No longer listed 2

−Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop software−Adobe Systems Adobe Illustrator

Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.

O*NET 30.3 related occupations

Also called

SetterCasterChaserArtistFacetorCrafterArborerJewelerProngerStamperGirdlerSolderer

O*NET 30.3 alternative titles

The same work in Europe

ESCO occupation	ISCO	Match
jeweller	7313.1	exact
precious stone cutter	7313.2	close
precious stone setter	7313.1.7	close
silversmith	7313.1.8	broader
goldsmith	7313.1.2	broader
jewellery mounter	7313.1.4	broader
jewellery repairer	7313.1.6	broader
jewellery assembler	8219.5	broader
filigree maker	7313.1.1	broader
jewellery designer	2163.1.5	broader

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

Keep exploring

See labor-market evidence in motion.

Watch short Tamhu stories about pay, growth and how work changes — then return to the source data here.

Watch on YouTube →

Watch this occupation

This job has changed before and it will change again. We'll email you when the data moves — a tool appears, a skill gains weight, the pay distribution shifts. Free, and one click to stop.

Check your inbox — your watch starts only after you confirm.

We send data, not advice. No sharing, no resale. Privacy