JEWELER AND JEWELRY REPAIRER

Jewelers come up with ideas for pieces or create jewelry from someone else's design. An interest in jewelry design is helpful for this part of the job. An ability to draw well also helps. This job takes a lot of creativity and is best suited for someone with a background in art.

Whether or not the jeweler has designed his or her own piece, the steps taken to create jewelry are the same. He or she begins by making a mold. The mold is made from a carving in metal or wax. Plaster is poured inside to make the mold that will be used to make the piece of jewelry. Precious metals, such as silver, gold, and platinum, are then melted and poured into the mold. This is what will become the metal model. When the metal is cooled, special touches may be added. For example, the piece may need to be filed or polished before it is complete.

Jewelry repairers have a much different job. They work with pieces that have been damaged in some way. Sometimes they will replace a lost stone or resize a ring. Other days they may be replacing clasps or restringing beads.

Jewelers may own their retail stores where they make and sell their creations. It has become less popular, however, to do this. It is more common for jewelers to work in a jewelry store owned by another person. In such retail stores, it is common for the owner to purchase the jewelry from a wholesaler instead of relying on an in-house jeweler. In a retail store, the jeweler is usually responsible for working with customers, helping them find the kind of jewelry they are looking for. It is also not unusual to be expected to complete cash and credit transactions.

If your main interest is in the design aspect of jewelry, you might want to consider working as a jewelry designer. Jewelry design has become more recognized as an art form, and many artists have turned to jewelry making to express their creativity. In 1990, the American Jewelry Design Council was founded because people wanted jewelry to be considered more of an art form than it had been previously.