Gemologist Salary, Training and Job Description

By Patmos Zen •  Updated: 05/13/16 •  4 min read

Gemologist salary in the US is between $28,000 – $80,000, with an average of  an average of $43K annually. Recent survey of data captured anonymously shows that the low-end employers pay around $28,000 per annum while the top end employers pay anything above $45,000.

The number  of years in service, level of education, experience and skills also affect the Gemologist salary in the United States. Some have described the profession has very lucrative, indeed it is and it requires skills and expertise. Some gemologist work in Laboratories and Industries where their expertise is needed.

Who is a Gemologist

A gemologist is an expert in gems and jewelries, the can work on gems, stones and jewelries, they are good at identify the types of stones, gems and composition of a jewelry. The spend time using equipment’s such as magnifiers, microscopes, scales and other gem related equipment to determine, the quality, type and value of gems and stones.

Gemologist Salary

The gemologist salary in the United States is between $28,000 – $80,000, and they earn an average of $43,000 per annum. The pay is mostly determined by the years of experience, skills, level of education, location and type of employers.

It is said that local jewelry store does not pay as much as the high-end jewelers, the gemologist salary is between the range of $13 – $35 if calculated hourly. Considering the special skills required for this profession the gemologist grade pay mostly experience and employer, location comes in later. Lately a lot of people offer to work in a jewelers shop almost for free as a bench jeweler this does not equate to been a gemologist.

Gemologist Job Description

The gemologist job description seem to be straight forward, however it is mostly tailored to the industry you work in. Gemologist basically analysis gems and stones, to determine, quality, value, authenticity, composition and weight.

They are experts in detecting defects, imperfections, concealed imperfection, rarity, and other features of a good stone and gem. Other functions include the following.

As a gemologist you can specialize or work in any of the areas below.

  1. Gemstone Jeweler
  2. Auction Gemologist
  3. Lab Gemologist
  4. Gemstone Bulk Buyer
  5. Gem Manufacturing, Cutting and Designing
  6. Gemstone Analyzer and Appraiser
  7. Other places include pawn shop and museums.

Gemologist Training and Schools

To became a professional gemologist, you must complete a formal training to became a gemologist, You can attend a 4 year college or University for your  bachelors degree program in gemology, and continue to Graduate level.

Attend a college, distance learning or vocational school to learn about the gemology trade.

A copy of your high school, college, or university diploma or proof of having completed secondary education. Classes are taught in English, so you must demonstrate proficiency in the spoken and written language, following admissions requirements.

Use the school search box by the side or below to find gemology training schools.

Gemology is a sort after profession and the gemologist salary is quite impressive with a friendly job description.  Gemological Institute of America