What does a gemologist do?
Gemologist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real gemologist resumes:
- Ensure gem quality of diamonds as they are manufactured from rough into polished goods.
- Display unsurpassed expertise in performing all jewelry appraisal functions for the store and clients.
- Experience with GemGuide, appraisal software using the GIA grading system for colore stones and diamonds.
- Personalize jewelry through engraving metals or resetting gems.
- Estimate wholesale and retail value of gems, following pricing guides, market fluctuations and other relevant economic factors.
- Display unsurpassed expertise in performing all jewelry appraisal functions for the store and clients.
Gemologist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 50% of Gemologists are proficient in Gem, Customer Service, and GIA. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Near vision, and Analytical skills.
We break down the percentage of Gemologists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Gem, 50%
Traveled to various Gem shows nationwide for the acquisition of Gemstones.
- Customer Service, 23%
Have developed extensive customer service abilities
- GIA, 7%
Graduate Diamonds Degree from the GIA.
- Jewelry Items, 5%
Soldered and repaired jewelry items.
- Inventory Control, 4%
Maintained detailed inventory control reports and logged daily sales.
- Sales Floor, 3%
Mastered technique on the sales floor, selling diamonds, pearls, and other fine jewelry.
Common skills that a gemologist uses to do their job include "gem," "customer service," and "gia." You can find details on the most important gemologist responsibilities below.
Detail oriented. One of the key soft skills for a gemologist to have is detail oriented. You can see how this relates to what gemologists do because "jewelers and precious stone and metal workers must pay attention to large and small details on the pieces they make." Additionally, a gemologist resume shows how gemologists use detail oriented: "provided lab with detailed diamond grading * completed plots, gem identification and issuing proper diamond grades * tested stones for treatment"
Near vision. Many gemologist duties rely on near vision. "jewelers and precious stone and metal workers need the ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).," so a gemologist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways gemologist responsibilities rely on near vision: "vault controller inventory manager supervision of employees in-charge of business daily activity handling customer relations"
The three companies that hire the most gemologists are:
- The RealReal2 gemologists jobs
- Gemological Institute of America1 gemologists jobs
- Everything But The House (ebth)1 gemologists jobs
Compare different gemologists
Gemologist vs. Hand chain maker
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a gemologist are more likely to require skills like "gem," "customer service," "gia," and "jewelry items." On the other hand, a job as a hand chain maker requires skills like "rig," "tongs," "flow lines," and "ran." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
On average, hand chain makers reach lower levels of education than gemologists. Hand chain makers are 7.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Gemologist vs. Crafter
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that gemologist responsibilities requires skills like "gem," "gia," "jewelry items," and "inventory control." But a crafter might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "hand tools," "table saws," "jointers," and "power saws."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Crafters tend to reach similar levels of education than gemologists. In fact, they're 4.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Gemologist vs. Burr bench operator
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from gemologist resumes include skills like "gem," "customer service," "gia," and "jewelry items," whereas a burr bench operator is more likely to list skills in "part numbers," "stainless steel," "drill holes," and "manual lathes. "
When it comes to education, burr bench operators tend to earn lower degree levels compared to gemologists. In fact, they're 7.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Gemologist vs. Layout operator
Even though a few skill sets overlap between gemologists and layout operators, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a gemologist might have more use for skills like "gem," "customer service," "gia," and "jewelry items." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of layout operators require skills like "photoshop," "typesetting," "rf," and "cmm. "
Layout operators reach lower levels of education compared to gemologists, in general. The difference is that they're 7.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of gemologist
Updated January 8, 2025
