Career Profiles

Are you unsure of career paths in jewellery, silversmithing and the allied industries? Do you want to know what skills could help you step up in your career? Discover what different specialist jewellery jobs are like first hand from those working in the trade.

Assay Office Technician

Assay Office Technician

An Assay Office Technician is a person trained and employed by the London Assay Office to test (assay) and determine the presence and amount of precious metals within an object.

Chaser

Chaser

A chaser is a specialist silversmith who has perfected the complimentary skills of chasing and repoussé; the techniques of applying a three-dimensional decorative pattern to the front and back surfaces of a piece of work.

Designer

Designer

A designer turns inspiration into fully visualised concepts according to a set brief and presents these as sketches, working drawings, renders and painted designs to their client.

Diamond Mounter (Jeweller)

Diamond Mounter (Jeweller)

Diamond mounters are specialist jewellers who make the framework in which diamonds or gem stones can be set.

Enameller

Enameller

An enameller decorates metal surfaces with colour by using powdered glass and fusing it with heat to the specially prepared metal surface.

Engine Turner

Engine Turner

An engine turner is a person who decorates the surface of metal in a fine pattern using a mechanically assisted engraving tool.

Engraver

Engraver

An engraver is a specialist who has perfected the skill of cutting images into or onto the surface of metal using hand or machine engraving techniques.

Lapidary

Lapidary

Lapidary covers the practices of cutting and polishing precious and semi-precious stones plus knowledge of the properties of the most common gemstones used in the jewellery trade.

Polisher

Polisher

A precious metal polisher is a specialist metalsmith who has perfected the technique of putting a finish onto the surface of metal using a variety of polishing, finishing, buffing and plating techniques.

Setter

Setter

Setters specialise in fixing precious and semi-precious gemstones into various items of jewellery, accessories and silverware using a range of setting and carving techniques.

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