Also called: Gemologist, Diamond Grader
Identifies, grades, and appraises diamonds, gems, and jewelry.
They examine stones under microscopes and spectroscopes to judge color, clarity, cut, and whether they're natural or lab-grown. Appraisers write values for insurance or estates. Gem labs, jewelers, and auction houses hire them.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 1 year after high school. GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Graduate Gemologist diploma is the standard.
Ways in: Certification, Trade school, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Gemology (GIA), Geology.
Growing about average. Lab-grown diamonds make identification skills more valuable.
Medium risk for 10 years. Automated diamond-grading machines and lab-grown stone detectors handle routine grading; complex gems and appraisals need experts.
Classes: Chemistry, Earth science or geology, Business.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-9071.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.