Jewellers, jewellery and watch repairers and related occupations
Career Overview
Jewellers and related workers:
- Make, assemble, repair and appraise fine jewellery
Watch repairers and related workers:
- Repair, clean, adjust and make parts for clocks and watches
These workers are employed by jewellery, clock and watch manufacturers and retail stores. They may also be employed by jewellery and watch repair shops or they may be self-employed.
Job Titles
Duties
Jewellers and related workers:
- Make and repair precious and semi-precious metal jewellery, such as rings, brooches, pendants, bracelets and lockets
- Examine, cut, shape and polish diamonds using optical instruments, lathes and laps
- Examine, cut, shape and polish precious and synthetic gems using optical instruments, cutting disks and laps
- Appraise gemstones and diamonds to differentiate between stones, identify rare specimens and to detect peculiarity affecting stone values
- Set precious and semi-precious stones in jewellery mountings, according to requirements
- May supervise other jewellers
Watch repairers:
- Make or fit parts to craft watches and clocks
- Examine clocks and watches, take apart and check for defective and misaligned parts or rust
- Replace or repair worn or broken parts
- Test, adjust and regulate timepiece movements
- Clean all parts using special cleaning and rinsing solutions and ultrasonic or mechanical cleaning machines to remove dirt and dried lubricants
- May supervise other watch repairers
Special duties
Jewellers may specialize in certain kinds of jewellery, such as gold or silver, or in particular operations, such as fabrication or repair.
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
635% Employed Full Time
39%Key aspects of the work in this occupation:
- Work takes place in a controlled indoor environment
- Working with equipment, machinery, instruments or power/hand tools may be a source of injury
Career Pathways
There is little movement between the jewellery occupations and the watch repairers in this group.
Movement is possible among the various jewellery occupations in this group.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
It’s important to understand what kinds of occupations align with your interests.
For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
- Completion of secondary school is usually required
- Completion of a college or other program, or apprenticeship training in watch or jewellery repair or gemology is usually required
- A watch repairer certificate is compulsory in Quebec and Ontario
- Experience as a jewellery, clock or watch assembler may be required
Education programs in B.C.
Top Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Being able to solve novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings.
Watching gauges, dials or other indicators to make sure that a machine is working properly.
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
635Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 20 | 3.1% |
| Kootenay | 25 | 3.9% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 415 | 65.4% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 30 | 4.7% |
| Northeast | 0 | 0.0% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 65 | 10.2% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 90 | 14.2% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
280Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | Not available | Not available |
| Kootenay | 0 | 0.0% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 220 | 1.6% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 10 | 1.8% |
| Northeast | Not available | Not available |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 20 | 0.9% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 20 | 0.0% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Retail Trade | 180 |
| Repair, Personal and Non-Profit Services | 30 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 20 |
| Manufacturing | 20 |
| Information, Culture and Recreation | 10 |
Resources
Resource information is currently not available.