Career Options in the Jewellery Industry Beyond the Bench

The jewellery trade employs far more people off the bench than on it. If handwork is not for you, these are the routes.

Quality and hallmarking

BIS hallmarking made assaying centres and in-house QC a permanent need. XRF operation and karat testing are learnable in months.

Merchandising

Sitting between the buyer and the factory. Suits people who are organised and good on the phone.

E-commerce and cataloguing

Every jeweller now sells online. Product photography, cataloguing and marketplace management are growing faster than any bench role.

Refining

Gold and silver recovery is technical, well paid, and chronically short of trained people.

Support roles

Accounts, stores, security and logistics inside a jewellery business pay better than the same role elsewhere, because of the value being handled.