Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers
Also called: Bench Jeweler, Goldsmith, Jeweler, SilversmithDesign, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewelry, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 6 of its 30 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 3.2% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
BLS figures cover the broader occupation “Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers”, which includes this one and others.
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 9.1 hires for every 10 job openings in retail trade, which employs about 57% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.9.1 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $48,890 | $37,650 to $61,550 | 110 |
| Arizona | $42,240 | $36,490 to $50,170 | 440 |
| Arkansas | $35,950 | $28,950 to $55,790 | 270 |
| California | $60,790 | $47,540 to $76,060 | 2,300 |
| Colorado | $57,120 | $44,480 to $73,380 | 220 |
| Connecticut | $69,800 | $52,900 to $80,500 | 140 |
| Florida | $51,470 | $38,210 to $75,270 | 1,070 |
| Georgia | $47,810 | $43,950 to $65,720 | 420 |
| Hawaii | $48,450 | $38,390 to $56,600 | 170 |
| Idaho | $47,090 | $32,810 to $57,100 | 130 |
| Illinois | $54,990 | $42,650 to $67,620 | 610 |
| Indiana | $47,620 | $35,310 to $59,670 | 380 |
| Iowa | $50,280 | $45,760 to $63,350 | 160 |
| Kansas | $57,730 | $38,490 to $71,520 | 110 |
| Kentucky | $47,090 | $38,670 to $60,170 | 320 |
| Louisiana | $51,420 | $43,610 to $56,270 | 280 |
| Maine | $48,080 | $43,670 to $64,510 | 50 |
| Maryland | $45,430 | $43,160 to $60,740 | 80 |
| Massachusetts | $51,060 | $39,170 to $58,570 | 830 |
| Michigan | $56,610 | $47,060 to $63,330 | 460 |
| Minnesota | $54,310 | $29,340 to $62,530 | 220 |
| Mississippi | $55,010 | $39,470 to $65,600 | 40 |
| Missouri | $56,140 | $49,590 to $59,420 | 490 |
| Montana | $37,580 | $34,320 to $55,830 | 80 |
| Nebraska | $46,920 | $38,860 to $59,320 | 120 |
| Nevada | $40,510 | $36,960 to $49,040 | 330 |
| New Hampshire | $43,520 | $39,030 to $67,650 | 170 |
| New Jersey | $59,480 | $47,520 to $72,870 | 780 |
| New Mexico | $46,200 | $35,580 to $54,080 | 230 |
| New York | $61,720 | $37,160 to $85,460 | 4,300 |
| North Carolina | $55,420 | $42,830 to $73,280 | 770 |
| North Dakota | $57,020 | $41,230 to $58,060 | 50 |
| Ohio | $48,190 | $39,900 to $65,090 | 430 |
| Oklahoma | $41,720 | $33,510 to $51,540 | 180 |
| Oregon | $44,510 | $40,660 to $74,940 | 530 |
| Pennsylvania | $54,880 | $43,170 to $60,510 | 760 |
| Rhode Island | $48,800 | $44,890 to $61,950 | 540 |
| South Carolina | $60,380 | $49,500 to $63,880 | 200 |
| South Dakota | $45,110 | $37,720 to $58,240 | 90 |
| Tennessee | $48,240 | $34,700 to $56,570 | 370 |
| Texas | $47,590 | $38,950 to $61,960 | 1,810 |
| Utah | $39,860 | $36,510 to $50,440 | 420 |
| Vermont | $58,570 | $53,650 to $71,620 | 50 |
| Virginia | $61,940 | $51,820 to $80,240 | 240 |
| Washington | $60,380 | $48,320 to $71,540 | 290 |
| West Virginia | $46,370 | $34,490 to $48,540 | 30 |
| Wisconsin | $55,830 | $44,600 to $62,700 | 280 |
Nationally: $52,540. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 6 of its 30 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Examine assembled or finished products to ensure conformance to specifications, using magnifying glasses or precision measuring instruments. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and polish metal items and jewelry pieces, using jewelers' tools, polishing wheels, and chemical baths. | Not published |
| AI + software | Create jewelry from materials such as gold, silver, platinum, and precious or semiprecious stones. | Not published |
| Not much | Smooth soldered joints and rough spots, using hand files and emery paper, and polish smoothed areas with polishing wheels or buffing wire. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut and file pieces of jewelry such as rings, brooches, bracelets, and lockets. | Not published |
| Not much | Shape and straighten damaged or twisted articles by hand or using pliers. | Not published |
See all 30 tasks
| Not much | Make repairs, such as enlarging or reducing ring sizes, soldering pieces of jewelry together, and replacing broken clasps and mountings. | Not published |
| Not much | Position stones and metal pieces, and set, mount, and secure items in place, using setting and hand tools. | Not published |
| AI alone | Record the weights and processing times of finished pieces. | Not published |
| AI + software | Compute costs of labor and materials to determine production costs of products and articles. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Select and acquire metals and gems for designs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Write or modify design specifications such as the metal contents and weights of items. | Not published |
| Not much | Grade stones based on their color, perfection, and quality of cut. | Not published |
| Not much | Soften metal to be used in designs by heating it with a gas torch and shape it, using hammers and dies. | Not published |
| AI + software | Create new jewelry designs and modify existing designs, using computers as necessary. | Not published |
| Not much | Research and analyze reference materials, and consult with interested parties to develop new products or modify existing designs. | Not published |
| Not much | Pierce and cut open designs in ornamentation, using hand drills and scroll saws. | Not published |
| AI + software | Buy and sell jewelry, or serve as agents between buyers and sellers. | Not published |
| Not much | Plate articles such as jewelry pieces and watch dials, using silver, gold, nickel, or other metals. | Not published |
| Not much | Determine appraised values of diamonds and other gemstones based on price guides, market fluctuations, and stone grades and rarity. | Not published |
| Not much | Construct preliminary models of wax, metal, clay, or plaster, and form sample castings in molds. | Not published |
| Not much | Mark, engrave, or emboss designs on metal pieces such as castings, wire, or jewelry, following specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Pour molten metal alloys or other materials into molds to cast models of jewelry. | Not published |
| Not much | Design and fabricate molds, models, and machine accessories, and modify hand tools used to cast metal and jewelry pieces. | Not published |
| Not much | Lay out designs on metal stock, and cut along markings to fabricate pieces used to cast metal molds. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut designs in molds or other materials to be used as models in the fabrication of metal and jewelry products. | Not published |
| Not much | Weigh, mix, and melt metal alloys or materials needed for jewelry models. | Not published |
| Not much | Anneal precious metal objects such as coffeepots, tea sets, and trays in gas ovens for prescribed times to soften metal for reworking. | Not published |
| Not much | Rout out locations where parts are to be joined to items, using routing machines. | Not published |
| Not much | Rotate molds to distribute alloys and to prevent formation of air pockets. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 30 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 30 tasks fall under 24 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #16 Create artistic designs or performances
- #36 Purchase goods or services
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
- and 1 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create artistic designs or performances | |||
| Shape materials to create products | |||
| Cut materials | |||
| Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment | |||
| Prepare industrial materials for processing or use | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Determine values or prices of goods or services | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment |
Show all 24 activities
| Assemble products or work aids | |||
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Engrave objects | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Confer with clients to determine needs or order specifications | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Repair workpieces or products | |||
| Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects | |||
| Position tools or equipment | |||
| Apply protective solutions or coatings | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Sell products or services | |||
| Evaluate production inputs or outputs | |||
| Drill holes in earth or materials | |||
| Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report23%
- Data or a spreadsheet17%
- Advice or a recommendation15%
- Math or a calculation9%
- An explanation or answer8%
How they worked with Claude
72% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for jewelers and precious stone and metal workers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 4,157 moves out
- 1 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 15%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 5%
- 3 Personal Care Aides 4%
- 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 5 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 4,212 moves in
- 1 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 9%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 6%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 6%
- 4 Personal Care Aides 4%
- 5 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 2% less than high school
- 25% high school
- 21% postsecondary certificate
- 19% some college
- 16% associate's
- 9% bachelor's
- 7% post-bachelor's certificate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 22 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 10% less than high school
- 24% high school
- 19% some college
- 10% associate's
- 29% bachelor's
- 7% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 435 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
3 programs: Watchmaking and Jewelrymaking, Jewelry Arts and Metal Arts.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 18 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/51-9071.00