How to become a jewellery and precious-metal worker

Official title: Jewellery and precious-metal workers

Also called: Enameller (jewellery), Gem setter, Goldsmith, Jeweller, Silversmith

Jewellery and precious metal workers design, fabricate, adjust, repair or appraise jewellery, ceremonial or religious items, gold, silver, other precious metals or gems. They cut, file, polish and set precious and semi-precious stones including gems and diamonds, and engrave designs on jewellery and precious metal articles. They cut and polish diamonds for industrial purposes.

Main tasks

• Casting jewellery and other non-ferrous metal articles by hand
• Creating new jewellery designs and modifying existing designs, using computers as necessary
• Cutting designs in moulds or other materials to be used as models in the fabrication of metal and jewellery products
• Altering existing jewellery mountings in order to reposition jewels or to adjust mountings
• Repairing, reshaping and restyling old jewellery or precious metal ware following designs or instructions
• Making complete jewellery articles such as rings, necklaces, bangles, brooches and bracelets from materials such as gold, silver, platinum and precious or semi-precious stones
• Examining 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
• Cutting and polishing gems and setting them in jewellery articles
• Engraving or embossing letters, designs or decorative lines on jewellery and precious metal ware
• Grinding, drilling and finishing jewel bearings for use in precision instruments such as compasses and chronometers

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Goldsmith (Fine-gold). Goldsmith (Fine-gold) (打金工(足金)) is a designated trade under the Apprenticeship Ordinance (Cap. 47); the period of apprenticeship is 3 years (Cap. 47C). Apprentices sign a registered contract with an employer.
• Apprenticeship: Goldsmith (K-gold). Goldsmith (K-gold) (打金工(西金)) is a designated trade under the Apprenticeship Ordinance (Cap. 47); the period of apprenticeship is 4 years (Cap. 47C). Apprentices sign a registered contract with an employer.
• Apprenticeship: Precious Stone Setter. Precious Stone Setter (首飾鑲嵌工) is a designated trade under the Apprenticeship Ordinance (Cap. 47); the period of apprenticeship is 3 years (Cap. 47C). Apprentices sign a registered contract with an employer.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: HK$21,000 a month
• About 387,500 people in 2025, and about 403,200 projected by 2028. (+4.1%)
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Sign writers, decorative painters, engravers and etchers
• Musical instrument makers and tuners
• Precision-instrument makers and repairers
• Handicraft workers in textile, leather and related materials
• Handicraft workers not elsewhere classified
• Glass makers, cutters, grinders and finishers

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Questions people ask

How do I become a jewellery and precious-metal worker?

Ways in include: Goldsmith (Fine-gold).

Do you need a degree to become a jewellery and precious-metal worker?

Usually not. Only 9% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Goldsmith (Fine-gold).

Will AI change the work of a jewellery and precious-metal worker?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026