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Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers in Tennessee

Considering working as a Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers in Tennessee? Below are the key facts. Design, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewelry, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems. Includes diamond polishers and gem cutters, and persons who perform precision casting and modeling of molds, casting metal in molds, or setting precious and semiprecious stones for jewelry and related products.

What do Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Make in Tennessee?

For jewelers and precious stone and metal workers working in Tennessee, wages run about $48,330 per year (or about $23.24/hour).Pay can range from $30,450 at the 10th percentile to $74,440 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$30,450	$14.64
25th percentile	$38,750	$18.63
Median (50th)	$48,330	$23.24
75th percentile	$58,460	$28.11
90th percentile	$74,440	$35.79

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in Tennessee compared to the national average — is 0.91.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, jewelers and precious stone and metal workers earn a median of $67,147 per year ($32.28/hour), below the Tennessee median.

Employment Outlook

National employment for 494,001 jewelers and precious stone and metal workers across the United States. In Tennessee alone, about 450 people work in this role. That’s higher than the typical state, which employs around 270 jewelers and precious stone and metal workers.

Top Tennessee Metros for Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers

The metro areas below employ the most jewelers and precious stone and metal workers in Tennessee.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Knoxville, TN	90	$48,330
Memphis, TN-MS-AR	70	$48,670

Top States for Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers Employment

These states have the highest employment of jewelers and precious stone and metal workers work.

State	Number Employed
New York	4,750
California	2,700
Texas	1,780
Florida	1,160
Illinois	990
Washington	850
New Jersey	850
Rhode Island	620
Massachusetts	550
Ohio	530
Pennsylvania	530
Utah	480
Tennessee	450
Michigan	440
North Carolina	430
Wisconsin	380
Arizona	360
Colorado	350
Kentucky	350
Virginia	350

Highest-Paying States for Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers

Where jewelers and precious stone and metal workers earn the most: jewelers and precious stone and metal workers.

State	Annual Median Salary
Virginia	$60,940
Washington	$60,030
Connecticut	$59,930
California	$59,100
Vermont	$57,360
New Hampshire	$56,710
Florida	$56,470
Kansas	$55,430
Missouri	$54,650
Wisconsin	$54,080

Skills

Key jewelers and precious stone and metal workers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

The abilities that matter most for jewelers and precious stone and metal workers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers typically:

• Clean and polish metal items and jewelry pieces, using jewelers' tools, polishing wheels, and chemical baths.
• 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.
• Grade stones based on their color, perfection, and quality of cut.
• Select and acquire metals and gems for designs.
• Shape and straighten damaged or twisted articles by hand or using pliers.
• Create new jewelry designs and modify existing designs, using computers as necessary.

Work Activities

• Thinking Creatively
• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Getting Information
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
• Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

Tools & Technology

Software and systems commonly involved: Hot technologies: Adobe Illustrator

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Programs that train for this career include:

• Precision Systems Maintenance

Related Careers

Other careers like jewelers and precious stone and metal workers include:

• Craft Artists
• Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
• Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic
• Tool and Die Makers
• Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic

Also Known As

Antique Jewelry Repairer, Appraisal Technician (Appraisal Tech), Appraiser, Arborer, Artisan Jeweler, Artist, Bead Maker, Bench Jeweler, Bench Molder, Bracelet Maker, Brass Chaser, Brilliandeer Looper, Bronze Chaser, Brooch Maker, Caster.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 51-9071.00