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Skilled Trades

Gem and Diamond Workers

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

Median salary (BLS)

$52,540

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$36k – $88k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports one wage for this occupational group, which covers 2 related roles — so read the median as an approximate group figure, and the range as the truer picture for this specific title. BLS source.

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $70,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Gem and Diamond Workers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: No degree (trade/license)

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Typical progression

  1. Junior Gem and Diamond Workers

    Entry / Junior

    $35,580

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Gem and Diamond Workers

    Established

    $52,540

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Gem and Diamond Workers

    Senior

    $70,040

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.
  • •Estimate wholesale and retail value of gems, following pricing guides, market fluctuations, and other relevant economic factors.
  • •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.
  • •Identify and document stones' clarity characteristics, using plot diagrams.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Skilled Trades

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.