Jewellery designer-maker | Average UK Salary & Outlook

Jewellery designers plan and create jewellery, silverware and other decorative products.

Typical task
Working hours
Attractive values

Smooth soldered joints and rough spots, using hand files and emery paper, and polish smoothed areas with polishing wheels or buffing wire.
Position stones and metal pieces, and set, mount, and secure items in place, using setting and hand tools.
Create jewelry from materials such as gold, silver, platinum, and precious or semiprecious stones.

Smooth soldered joints and rough spots, using hand files and emery paper, and polish smoothed areas with polishing wheels or buffing wire.
Position stones and metal pieces, and set, mount, and secure items in place, using setting and hand tools.
Create jewelry from materials such as gold, silver, platinum, and precious or semiprecious stones.
Make repairs, such as enlarging or reducing ring sizes, soldering pieces of jewelry together, and replacing broken clasps and mountings.
Clean and polish metal items and jewelry pieces, using jewelers' tools, polishing wheels, and chemical baths.
Select and acquire metals and gems for designs.
Compute costs of labor and materials in order to determine production costs of products and articles.
Mark and drill holes in jewelry mountings in order to center stones according to design specifications.
Examine assembled or finished products to ensure conformance to specifications, using magnifying glasses or precision measuring instruments.
Construct preliminary models of wax, metal, clay, or plaster, and form sample castings in molds.
Pour molten metal alloys or other materials into molds in order to cast models of jewelry.
Cut, shape, and smooth gemstones, pearls, and metal pieces, using abrasives, grinding stones, and power and hand tools.
Soften metal to be used in designs by heating it with a gas torch and shape it, using hammers and dies.
Determine appraised values of diamonds and other gemstones based on price guides, market fluctuations, and stone grades and rarity.
Alter existing jewelry mountings in order to reposition jewels or to adjust mountings.
Grade stones based on their color, perfection, and quality of cut.
Plate articles such as jewelry pieces and watch dials, using silver, gold, nickel, or other metals.
Write or modify design specifications such as the metal contents and weights of items.
Create new jewelry designs and modify existing designs, using computers as necessary.
Examine gemstone surfaces and internal structures to evaluate genuineness, quality, and value, using polariscopes, refractometers, and other optical instruments.
Buy and sell jewelry, or serve as agents between buyers and sellers.
Record the weights and processing times of finished pieces.
Lay out designs on metal stock, and cut along markings to fabricate pieces used to cast metal molds.
Fabricate, modify, or repair jigs, fixtures, and hand tools such as scrapers, cutters, gougers, and shapers.
Mark, engrave, or emboss designs on metal pieces such as castings, wire, or jewelry, following specifications.
Cut designs in molds or other materials to be used as models in the fabrication of metal and jewelry products.
Design and fabricate molds, models, and machine accessories, and modify hand tools used to cast metal and jewelry pieces.
Research and analyze reference materials, and consult with interested parties in order to develop new products or modify existing designs.
Weigh, mix, and melt metal alloys or materials needed for jewelry models.
Remove mold castings from metal or jewelry workpieces, and place workpieces in water or on trays to cool.
Place metal samples in frames, pack raw rubber around samples, and clamp samples, frames, and rubber into vulcanizing machines.
Assemble and secure mold sections used to cast metal articles and pieces.

Read more about Jewellery designer-maker

Jewellery designer-makers typically work around 40 to 42 hours per week.

As a Jewellery designer-maker you will typically work weekends.

This occupation tends to be:

Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely

Read more about Jewellery designer-maker

* from ONETonline

Average salary
30,217 GBP *
per year

* data taken from the Office of National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

Average salary for Jewellery designer-maker

31,706 GBP
28,384 GBP

Average salary for full-time Jewellery designer-maker

Showing:

30,217 GBP
28,384 GBP
31,706 GBP

Salary over time for Jewellery designer-maker

Salary for this role has increased over time

28,232 GBP
29,338 GBP
29,360 GBP
27,566 GBP
29,823 GBP
27,506 GBP
30,217 GBP
35,780 GBP
33,674 GBP

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Future outlook for Jewellery designer-makers

Balanced outlook

2% yearly wage growth (on average)

Very good outlook

34% chance of automation in the future

Which qualifications do I need?

Find out what you need to know in order to become a Jewellery designer-maker and the highest average level of education for people in this role.

In terms of people already doing this job:

33% of people in this role have GCSEs or equivalent
33% of people in this role have a post-secondary qualification such as a Higher National Diploma
17% of people in this role have do not have GCSEs or equivalent qualifications

You can do short courses in specific types of jewellery making at college, or through a private course provider like a jewellery studio or workshop.

Courses vary in content so it's worth checking carefully to make sure they cover what you need.

You'll need:

the ability to work well with your hands
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
customer service skills
the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
analytical thinking skills
design skills and knowledge
the ability to use your initiative
ambition and a desire to succeed
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Get the right qualification to begin your journey to becoming a Jewellery designer-maker

Jewellery Making

Integrity Job requires being honest and ethical. Attention to Detail Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. Dependability Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. Innovation Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems. Analytical Thinking Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.

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This job has a balanced outlook, with a fair number of job openings and a stable salary level.

Jewellery designer-maker | Average UK Salary & Outlook

Salary statistics

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Future outlook for Jewellery designer-makers

Jewellery designer-maker - Your future job?

Which qualifications do I need?

Things to highlight for your Jewellery designer-maker interview

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