Watch clips from "How It's Made" to see how objects like artificial limbs, nails, footballs, mustard, and more are made. Choose a few to watch--which one surprised you most?

Watch how the objects all around us are made.

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.

The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

Gem and Diamond Workers

Fabricate, finish, or evaluate the quality of gems and diamonds used in jewelry or industrial tools.

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Conventional

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Enterprising

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Social

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

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.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers

Production Occupations

Other Production Occupations

Examine gems during processing to ensure accuracy of angles and positions of cuts or bores, using magnifying glasses, loupes, or shadowgraphs.

Assign polish, symmetry, and clarity grades to stones, according to established grading systems.

Estimate wholesale and retail value of gems, following pricing guides, market fluctuations, and other relevant economic factors.

Examine gem surfaces and internal structures, using polariscopes, refractometers, microscopes, and other optical instruments, to differentiate between stones, to identify rare specimens, or to detect flaws, defects, or peculiarities affecting gem values.

Identify and document stones' clarity characteristics, using plot diagrams.

Advise customers and others on the best use of gems to create attractive jewelry items.

Examine diamonds or gems to ascertain the shape, cut, and width of cut stones, or to select the cuts that will result in the biggest, best quality stones.

Immerse stones in prescribed chemical solutions to determine specific gravities and key properties of gemstones or substitutes.

Hold stones, gems, dies, or styluses against rotating plates, wheels, saws, or slitters to cut, shape, slit, grind, or polish them.

Sort rough diamonds into categories based on shape, size, color, and quality.

GemCad

Jewelry design software

Business accounting software

Spectrophotometer analysis software

Web browser software

Gem identification databases

Inventory tracking software

Diamond grinders

Glass bevelers

Glass polishers

Polishing laps

Glass cutting saws

Lapidary slitters

Revolving saws

Trim saws

Chipping hammers

Crack hammers

Jewelers' hammers

Lapidary units

Vibrating laps

Gem drills

Mini drills

Cutting laps

Optically magnified facet machines

Diamond saws

Ring saws

Stone polishers

Vibratory tumblers

Jewelers kits

Digital micrometers

Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.

Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.

Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?

Every day

How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

Extremely important

How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

Once a week or more but not every day

How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Constant contact with others

Continually or almost continually

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?

Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls

How important are continuous, repetitive, physical activities (like key entry) or mental activities (like checking entries in a ledger) to performing this job?

How frequently does your job require written letters and memos?

How important is it to deal with external customers (as in retail sales) or the public in general (as in police work) in this job?

Deal With External Customers or the Public in General

Gem and Diamond Workers

Overview

Career

What Gem and Diamond Workers Do

Other Job Titles Gem and Diamond Workers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Gem and Diamond Workers

Overview

Career

What Gem and Diamond Workers Do

Other Job Titles Gem and Diamond Workers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Gem and Diamond Workers

Majors Related to Career

Related Leaders