Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Career, Salary and Skills
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $52,540 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 22,440. Wage data is published for 137 locations.
Occupation description
Design, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewelry, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems.
O*NET code
51-9071.00
Job zone
3
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$52,540
Hourly median
$25.26
Employment
22,440
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
$35,580
10th
$39,520
25th
$52,540
Median
$69,810
75th
$87,540
90th
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Speaking | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.00 | 3.50 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Coordination | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Monitoring | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Service Orientation | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.62 | 2.50 |
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Clean and polish metal items and jewelry pieces, using jewelers' tools, polishing wheels, and chemical baths.
Technology
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Photoshop
- Computer assisted jewelry design CAD software
- Customer information databases
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Inventory tracking software
- Jewelry store point of sale POS software
- Metal designing software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Word
- Retail management software
- Web browser software
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Salary in New York, NYMedian $61,360 · Employment 4,440
- Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Salary in NYMedian $61,720 · Employment 4,300
- Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Salary in CAMedian $60,790 · Employment 2,300
- Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Salary in TXMedian $47,590 · Employment 1,810
- Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $61,150 · Employment 1,190
- Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Salary in FLMedian $51,470 · Employment 1,070
- Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Salary in MAMedian $51,060 · Employment 830
- Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Salary in NJMedian $59,480 · Employment 780
- Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Salary in NCMedian $55,420 · Employment 770
- Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Salary in PAMedian $54,880 · Employment 760
- Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Salary in Providence, RIMedian $48,800 · Employment 710
- Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Salary in ILMedian $54,990 · Employment 610
Related careers
- Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersNational median $46,680
- Furniture FinishersNational median $44,540
- Patternmakers, WoodNational median $49,630
- Layout Workers, Metal and PlasticNational median $63,870
- Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and FinishersNational median $46,170
- Cutters and Trimmers, HandNational median $38,020
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticNational median $46,550
- Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersNational median $51,330
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.