Job description

Gem and Diamond Workers fabricate, finish, or evaluate the quality of gems and diamonds used in jewelry or industrial tools.

• 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.
• Estimate wholesale and retail value of gems, following pricing guides, market fluctuations, and other relevant economic factors.

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Salary

Gem and Diamond Workers with little to no experience tend to make between $23530 and $29860 while the more experienced ones can earn over $52210 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Gem and Diamond Worker is to move to a higher paying state like KY. Right now, the highest paying states for Gem and Diamond Workers are KY, NJ, CT, OR and ND.

However, a higher pay at KY doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at KY might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Gem and Diamond Worker is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other Gem and Diamond Workers what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a High School Diploma followed by a Bachelor’s Degree.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Gem and Diamond Worker.

What is the job like

53% of Gem and Diamond Workers said they were satisfied with their job and 28% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

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