Gemologists inspect, grade, and evaluate gemstones. They can work in various fields such as appraisal, mining, jewelry design, and academia. They must be able to distinguish real from artificial stones and identify color-treated or filled-in stones. Gemologists can also participate in the manufacturing process and work as jewelry designers, sales associates, or laboratory technicians.
Gemologists are detailed professionals who inspect, grade and evaluate gemstones. To enter a gemological career, students must first obtain their gemologist certificate from an accredited institution. A graduate gemologist is offered a wide variety of gemologist jobs that can take him from the mine to an auction house. Gemologist jobs can be found in gem and jewelry appraisal, mining, jewelry design, and other fields.
With the increase in artificial stones on the market, a gemologist must be able to discern which stones are real and which are artificial. This task is even more complicated, as he must also know whether the stone has been color treated. In some cases, the stones also had their cracks, or fractures, filled in, in order to appear flawless to the naked eye – thus seeming to increase their value. For these reasons, gemologist jobs as an appraiser in a jewelry store, auction house, or as an independent contractor are very important. An appraiser may provide the customer with written documentation of a part’s value and its unique characteristics for identification, insurance and resale purposes.
Gemologists are often employed in the mining and manufacturing process. They are better able to assess the quality of the rough stones found and determine which stones would benefit from a specific cut. Stones also need to be sorted before they are sold to a wholesaler in order to calculate how much they are worth on the market. To participate in the manufacturing process, a gemologist needs to be trained specifically for certain specialist gemology jobs, such as a gem grinder, gem polisher, jewelry fitter, and jewelry engraver. The finished gems or pieces of jewelry are purchased by a wholesaler who will then sell them to a retail store.
Some manufacturers employ a gemologist as a jewelry designer or as an assistant to a jewelry designer. They are also hired to buy diamonds or colored stones and you often have gemologists who specialize in one or the other. A gemologist might find a career in a jewelry store as a sales associate, jewelry buyer, appraiser, or manager.
Gemologists can also find jobs in academia as professors, jewelry historians or laboratory technicians. In a laboratory, gems sent by a customer or a jewelry store can be carefully analyzed and classified. The laboratory will issue a statement of its findings to the customer. Research labs also study how the color of stones can be changed and how cracks are filled.
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