Jewelers

Key Responsibilities

• Record the weights and processing times of finished pieces.
• Cut and file pieces of jewelry such as rings, brooches, bracelets, and lockets.
• Clean and polish metal items and jewelry pieces, using jewelers' tools, polishing wheels, and chemical baths.
• Research and analyze reference materials, and consult with interested parties to develop new products or modify existing designs.
• Smooth soldered joints and rough spots, using hand files and emery paper, and polish smoothed areas with polishing wheels or buffing wire.
• Buy and sell jewelry, or serve as agents between buyers and sellers.
• 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.
• Pour molten metal alloys or other materials into molds to cast models of jewelry.
• Soften metal to be used in designs by heating it with a gas torch and shape it, using hammers and dies.
• Compute costs of labor and materials to determine production costs of products and articles.
• Plate articles such as jewelry pieces and watch dials, using silver, gold, nickel, or other metals.
• Shape and straighten damaged or twisted articles by hand or using pliers.
• Anneal precious metal objects such as coffeepots, tea sets, and trays in gas ovens for prescribed times to soften metal for reworking.
• Examine assembled or finished products to ensure conformance to specifications, using magnifying glasses or precision measuring instruments.
• Create jewelry from materials such as gold, silver, platinum, and precious or semiprecious stones.
• Create new jewelry designs and modify existing designs, using computers as necessary.
• Mark, engrave, or emboss designs on metal pieces such as castings, wire, or jewelry, following specifications.
• Cut designs in molds or other materials to be used as models in the fabrication of metal and jewelry products.
• Pierce and cut open designs in ornamentation, using hand drills and scroll saws.
• Construct preliminary models of wax, metal, clay, or plaster, and form sample castings in molds.
• Weigh, mix, and melt metal alloys or materials needed for jewelry models.
• Write or modify design specifications such as the metal contents and weights of items.
• Determine appraised values of diamonds and other gemstones based on price guides, market fluctuations, and stone grades and rarity.
• Design and fabricate molds, models, and machine accessories, and modify hand tools used to cast metal and jewelry pieces.
• Make repairs, such as enlarging or reducing ring sizes, soldering pieces of jewelry together, and replacing broken clasps and mountings.
• Lay out designs on metal stock, and cut along markings to fabricate pieces used to cast metal molds.
• Rout out locations where parts are to be joined to items, using routing machines.
• Select and acquire metals and gems for designs.
• Rotate molds to distribute alloys and to prevent formation of air pockets.