Thinking about pursuing a career in precious metals? This is one of those careers a lot of people may not be thinking about unless they have a true passion for the industry. The precious metals industry can bring you a fruitful, rewarding career working with gemstones and precious metals.
What you might not know is that careers in precious metals can pay well, bring you opportunities and be well respected in the workforce.
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Quickstart Guide To Landing A High-Paying Job In Precious Metals
- Update your resume. Put your best foot forward with a polished resume. If you need resume help, we recommend working with a resume writing services to get started.
- Search for new opportunities on ZipRecruiter. If you want to land a job in precious metals, start your search on ZipRecruiter. ZipRecruiter is free for job seekers and you can apply to jobs with a single click!
10 Of The Best Paying Jobs in Precious Metals
1. Precious Metals Worker
Median National Salary: $47,140/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 47,200
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: -3% (Decline)
Job Duties: A precious metal worker is responsible for crafting and working with precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum to create jewelry, decorative items, or industrial components. They use their expertise in metalworking techniques, design, and craftsmanship to shape, mold, and finish precious metal pieces, ensuring high-quality and aesthetically pleasing end products.
2. Jewelry Salesperson
Median National Salary: $30,750/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 4,031,700
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: -2% (Decline)
Job Duties: The job duties of jewelry salespeople are to sell jewelry to customers and answer customer questions/inquiries. A jewelry salesperson will work in a jewelry store, interacting with customers to provide service and sell jewelry. You may assist customers with showing various jewelry pieces, answering product questions and inquiries, handling routine retail transactions and handling purchases, and processing returns, and exchanges.
3. Goldsmith
Median National Salary: $47,140/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 47,200
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: -3% (Decline)
Job Duties: The job duties of a precious metals worker include designing and making gold jewelry.
You’ll work in a jewelry store or jewelry repair shop setting handling gold and other precious metal pieces. Your work may include engraving gold pieces, setting stones in jewelry like rings or earrings, sizing jewelry pieces, and making other adjustments to jewelry.
4. Gemologist
Median National Salary: $87,480/year
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 26,300
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: 5% (Faster than average)
Job Duties: A gemologist is responsible for evaluating and analyzing the quality, authenticity, and value of gemstones, diamonds, and other precious stones. They use their expertise in gemstone identification, grading, and appraisal to assess the characteristics and market worth of gemstones, providing valuable insights for buyers, sellers, and jewelry professionals.
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5. Lapidary
Median National Salary: $47,140/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 47,200
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: -3% (Decline)
Job Duties: The job duties of a lapidary include: cutting, polishing, and engraving gemstones. Lapidaries shape stones into a design. You’ll work with tools that will help you cut, carve, and shape precious gemstones.
6. Jeweler
Median National Salary: $47,140/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 47,200
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: -3% (Decline)
Job Duties: The job duties of a jeweler include: Designing and making jewelry like earrings, rings, bracelets, etc. Cleaning, adjusting, and repairing jewelry pieces
A jeweler is a craftsman that makes jewelry. This includes designing and creating jewelry pieces like rings, necklaces, and more. You may also clean and restore jewelry pieces, conduct research and analysis, and perform jewelry valuation services.
7. Jewelry Designer
Median National Salary: $76,700/year
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 24,900
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: 3% (As fast as average)
Job Duties: Jewelry designers have job duties like designing jewelry pieces. Jewelry designers are the creatives behind jewelry design. Think of this like a fashion designer but for jewelry pieces. You will create patterns for jewelry pieces like rings, bracelets, etc. Then, generate a prototype of the jewelry piece, and do testing for wear.
8. Precious Metals Analyst
Median National Salary: $85,720/year
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 109,900
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: 23% (Much faster than average)
Job Duties: Precious metals analysts are market analysts for the precious metals industry. They look at the research and market factors to forecast the direction of the market in the future.
9. Jewelry and Coin Specialist
Median National Salary: $47,140/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 47,200
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: -3% (Decline)
Job Duties: Jewelry and coin specialists are experts in the jewelry industry. They mainly inspect and value jewelry pieces including jewelry testing and examining rare and collectible pieces.
10. Precious Metals Advisor
Median National Salary: $85,720/year
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 109,900
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: 23% (Much faster than average)
Job Duties: A precious metals advisor offers expert advice on the precious metals industry. Their goal is to advise their client whether to buy or sell in the precious metals market. They’ll look at market timing and direction, position, and other factors to help clients determine a good time to invest or sell.
What Are Precious Metals?
Precious metals are mined and used in jewelry-making and other applications, for profit. These metals are:
- Gold
- Silver
- Platinum
- Gemstones like diamonds
Other precious metals mined and used for industrial purposes include palladium and iridium.
The precious metals industry is about the discovery and extraction of metal and mineral reserves globally. Metals like gold and silver and others are found in nature. They aren’t produced in factories or manmade so they hold value and are considered rare.
Precious metals have been used to fuel the global economy for years. They’re used in the production of jewelry, industrial parts and equipment, investment, and was once used as currency throughout the world.
Careers in precious metals support the industry and they can include a range of careers from jewelry analysts and advisors to jewelers and salespeople. There are thousands of jobs in this career field with a low barrier to entry for many jobs.
This is a career field that anybody can work in. You’ll find that many of the careers in this roundup are great for entry-level workers that don’t have a college degree or experience. There are also jobs for experienced workers that require an educational background and industry experience.
Requirements And Skills To Work In Precious Metals
If you want to work in precious metals, consider having soft skills like these:
- Communication skills: Possessing strong communication skills is an essential soft skill in any industry. Careers in the precious metals industry will require you to work with others, whether they are your work peers or customers, and being able to communicate effectively is an important trait to have.
- Work ethic: Having a strong work ethic means you’re a hard worker. You are deadline-driven, punctual, and prioritize your tasks.
- Time management and organizational skills: Balancing your day to prioritize your tasks and get your work done will involve managing your time well and having good organizational skills.
How Do You Get A Good-Paying Job In Precious Metals?
Getting a good-paying career in precious metals can happen with the right mix of skills and experience on your side. The job search process starts with your resume.
These are some of the best writing resume services that you can consider to get the help of professionals to create your resume to submit along with your job application.
Where To Find The Best-Paying Jobs In Precious Metals
You can find the best-paying precious metals jobs on job search websites like:
ZipRecruiter
ZipRecruiter is one of the top job search websites online. This is your one-stop job search resource for searching for jobs in precious metals (and other industries) along with researching salaries and reading jobseeker reviews.
For more information, check out our ZipRecruiter review.
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Glassdoor
Glassdoor is a career resource for searching and applying for jobs online. You can research companies, read current and former employee reviews, research salaries, and more.
For more information, check out our Glassdoor review.
Indeed
Indeed is an easy-to-use job search site you can use to find jobs in precious metals and other industries. Search jobs by keyword and location then apply to jobs of interest.
For more information, check out our Indeed review.
The Bottom Line
The precious metals industry is thriving, expected to grow 9% by 2027. There is a range of careers in this industry to pursue that can bring you enjoyment and fulfillment in your work. Whether you’re interested in the behind-the-scenes market metrics or you like working with people one-on-one to find their favorite jewelry piece, there can be a career for you in this field.
When you’re ready to begin your precious metals career search, visit ZipRecruiter to get started!
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