Jewelers of America

If you possess a strong interest in science and attention to detail, there may be suitable career opportunities for you within a laboratory or quality assurance role. Specifically, you could consider working as a grader in a laboratory or as a quality assurance technician for a wholesaler or manufacturer.

As a grader, you would be responsible for identifying and conducting quality analyses on diamonds and colored gemstones, ensuring they meet the required quality standards.

The role of a quality assurance technician often requires professionals to review and trouble shoot quality and technical issues by performing minute observations of jewelry and gemstones; identifying manufacturing defects and suggesting improvements designed to enhance product quality.

Both roles require exceptional attention to detail and commitment to providing quality analyses and reports.

Key Skills

• Ability to focus and concentrate on tasks over extended periods of time, bringing consistency to their work
• Time management skills
• Interested in rocks and minerals
• Able to operate standard and advanced gemological instruments; Some reports include photographs and technical drawings, so those skills are also important
• Good researchers who can keep pace with modern technology and the need to properly identify the material characteristics of diamonds and gemstones

Possible Job Titles in this Pathway

• Diamond Grader
• Colored Stone Grader
• Valuations Specialist
• Jewelry Authenticator
• Quality Control Specialist
• Quality Assurance Inspector
• Estimator & Quality Controller
• Staff Gemologist
• Weights & Measures
• Equipment Technician
• Photomicrography
• Laser Inscriber
• Research Intern
• Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
• Field Gemologist
• Instrument Development

Salary Expectations

Data is from Jewelers of America’s Jewelry Industry Salary Study conducted April-June 2023 and includes data from 2022. Compensation varies based on experience, specific job responsibilities, company size and location, among other distinctions. Given these variables within a career pathway, data is presented as such: The 25th Percentile indicates 25% of the data fall below this percentile; the Median (50th Percentile) represents the middle number where 50% of answers are lower and 50% are higher; the 75th Percentile indicates 75% of the data fall below this percentile.

Experience & Training

• Proficient computer skills
• A gemology diploma (G.G., F.G.A. or A.G.S.) is often required but may be offered as part of a training package to otherwise-qualified applicants; in-depth training in lab procedures is typically offered to entry-level graders.
• Some gemology and/or bench experience is helpful and increasingly required for quality assurance technicians.

Related Education or Certification

• Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
• Bachelor’s degree in Geology, Earth Sciences, or related fields

On the Job

Most graders and quality assurance technicians report that their analytical and decision-making skills are put to extensive use. Grading involves evaluating a gem’s overall appearance and describing it accurately. Identification requires the grader to perform a series of tests on a gem so that its identity – as a ruby, for example – can be confirmed. Quality assurance technicians decide whether a given piece of jewelry lives up to a given standard of workmanship.

Working as a laboratory grader and quality assurance technician, challenges and satisfaction often go together. Developing and maintaining an elevated level of expertise and knowledge is critical for most laboratory professionals and the reward for your efforts is the success of your department and the respect of your peers. People who work in laboratories and quality assurance enjoy the opportunity to investigate gems and jewelry using advanced examination techniques with scientific tools and devices. In fact, for many, the challenge becomes whether to trade the hands-on laboratory work for management opportunities and career advancement.

Growing in the Industry

Laboratory jobs can lead to supervisory or management positions in larger labs or to positions involving training, customer service management, or even research (for graders with degrees in scientific fields). Graders and quality assurance technicians can get the training they need to become appraisers, work for diamond dealers, colored stones, or pearl houses, or even transition into buying or inventory management for a manufacturer or larger retailer.