Do I Have What it Takes?
If you have the following skills and abilities, you would make a great jeweler!
- An eye for detail. Creating jewelry requires concentration and patience. Bench jewelers must give attention to large and small details on the pieces they make.
- Arm and hand steadiness and control, plus finger dexterity. Jewelers must precisely move their fingers in order to grasp, manipulate, and assemble very small objects.
- 3-D visualization skills. Jewelers must imagine how something might look after its shape is altered or when its parts are rearranged. The ability to "see" a design in three dimensions helps.
- Interpersonal skills. Some jewelry makers don’t interact with customers, especially if they work for a design or retail firm that hires designers and sales associates to work directly with customers. But given the growth of customized jewelry, an increasing number will benefit from this skill in the future.
- Artistic ability and a knowledge of popular jewelry styles. This is helpful if you will be working with customers. However, many bench jewelers are not designers and simply execute designs made by others.
- A strong sense of integrity and honesty. Because many jewelry materials are valuable, being trustworthy is a very important quality in a jeweler.
For more information about the education and training to become a jeweler, click here.