Bench Jeweler

Sparkling gemstones and polished metals make up the world of the Bench Jeweler. Employed everywhere from retail stores to jewelry stores to pawnshops, a Bench Jeweler is responsible for a variety of tasks that range from cleaning and resizing jewelry to creating new jewelry molds to setting gemstones in rings.

On a typical day on the job, you accept orders from customers who want to purchase new jewelry or have their jewelry cleaned or repaired. Tasks such as cleaning jewelry or estimating how much a piece is worth take only a few minutes, and you perform those jobs right away. If a customer needs something repaired or wants to order a custom-made piece, the job takes a little longer to accomplish. You write down the exact specifications of what they want, and then get to work.

In between customers, you create new pieces of jewelry, clean old ones that the shop has bought to fix up, and make repairs to pieces dropped off by customers. Repairs include straightening crooked gemstones, resizing rings to fit the customer’s finger, and changing the clasps of broken necklaces—among other tasks.

To craft and shape new jewelry, you use computer programs and special cutting machines. With the help of these, you can create pieces much more quickly and with greater precision than even an expert Bench Jeweler can by hand.

At the end of the day, you have a case of sparkling jewelry ready to sell or return to customers. Your business is dripping with diamonds and rubies, and coming to work each day is like walking into a shimmering palace.