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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Jewelry Stone Setter Technician

💰 $ - $

🎯 Role Definition

A Jewelry Stone Setter Technician is a skilled bench professional responsible for securely and artistically installing gemstones into metal settings using a variety of traditional hand techniques and modern tools. This role requires expert knowledge of setting methods (prong, bezel, channel, pavé, flush, micro-setting), precision hand skills, strong gemological awareness, and the ability to maintain consistent quality, production schedules, and documentation for repair, custom and production jewelry. The ideal candidate balances speed and efficiency with meticulous attention to stone safety, finish quality and customer specifications.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Bench Jeweler Apprentice or Jewelry Repair Technician
  • Jewelry Manufacturing Assembler or Production Setter
  • Gemology Diploma graduate or Vocational Jewelry School trainee

Advancement To:

  • Senior Stone Setter / Lead Bench Jeweler
  • Production Supervisor or Workshop Manager
  • Quality Control Manager or Jewelry Restoration Specialist

Lateral Moves:

  • CAD/CAM Jewelry Technician
  • Gemstone Buyer / Merchandiser
  • Jewelry Designer / Model Maker

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Read and interpret work orders, CAD prints, sketches and design specifications to determine stone types, sizes, setting methods, tolerances and finishing requirements prior to beginning each setting job.
  • Select appropriate setting technique (prong, bezel, channel, pavé, micro-pavé, flush, bead, gypsy/flush) based on gemstone shape, hardness, size and design intent, ensuring long-term stone security and aesthetic consistency.
  • Seat, form and shape metal seats precisely with burs, gravers and files to match each stone's pavilion and girdle, ensuring the stone sits squarely and at correct depth for maximum security and light performance.
  • Perform prong setting including re-tipping and shaping of prongs, ensuring even, symmetrical prong shoulders and consistent clearance while maintaining stone integrity and polish lines.
  • Execute bezel and partial bezel settings by forming and burnishing metal to tightly embrace the stone, ensuring even pressure, continuous metal flow and polished finishing without stone damage.
  • Install channel-set stones by preparing uniform channels, seating stones sequentially, adjusting spacing, and burnishing channel walls to lock stones securely with consistent height and alignment.
  • Perform micro-setting and pavé setting under a stereomicroscope using fine gravers and setting burs to set very small melee stones with consistent spacing, precise angles and high-quality surface finish.
  • Carry out flush and gypsy setting operations by countersinking stones, forming precise seats and peening metal to secure stones flush with the surface while preserving surrounding finish.
  • Repair and reset stones from returned or damaged pieces, including replacing missing stones, correcting loose settings, re-tipping bent prongs, and restoring original design intent with minimal loss of metal.
  • Use a jeweler’s loupe, stereomicroscope and gauges to inspect stones and settings for chips, inclusions, proper depth seating, crown/pavilion alignment and any stress fractures prior to and after setting.
  • Match and sort small melee diamonds and colored gemstones by size, color and clarity when preparing sets, ensuring visual consistency across pavé rows, eternity bands and multi-stone pieces.
  • Perform soldering, laser welding, and metal fabrication as needed to reinforce settings, repair broken shanks or mounts, and integrate new components while minimizing heat impact to stones.
  • Polish and finish set pieces, blending repair areas into the piece’s original surface finish, ensuring seamless transitions between set areas and surrounding metalwork without altering stone positions.
  • Maintain production pace to meet lead times and daily quotas while upholding strict quality standards and minimizing rework and returns.
  • Communicate with designers, bench supervisors and customers to clarify custom specifications, suggest setting alternatives for improved durability or aesthetics, and provide technical input on feasibility.
  • Maintain accurate production records, timecards and job tracking documentation, including notes on stone IDs, treatments, and any non-conformances or special handling instructions.
  • Adhere to gem-care and treatment knowledge by recognizing indicators of heat-treated, fracture-filled or otherwise treated gemstones and applying appropriate setting precautions.
  • Implement and follow shop safety protocols, PPE requirements and proper ventilation when soldering, polishing or using lasers, and keep the setting bench clean and organized to prevent stone loss.
  • Train and mentor junior setters and apprentices on hand techniques, tool use, setting sequences and quality checks to build bench capability and consistent workmanship.
  • Conduct final quality control inspections, ensuring stones are secure, alignments meet tolerance standards, surfaces are finished correctly, and pieces are ready for plating or shipping.
  • Maintain and sharpen hand tools, replace worn burs and gravers, calibrate microscopes and loupes, and coordinate tooling purchases to keep the bench fully operational.
  • Assist with inventory control of small stones and materials, logging receipts of melee and center stones, and helping to manage secure storage and chain-of-custody procedures.
  • Collaborate with the plating and finishing departments to coordinate timing of setting operations relative to plating/polishing steps to avoid rework or plating over set stones.
  • Evaluate and suggest process improvements, tooling upgrades, or fixture designs that increase consistency, reduce stone damage and improve throughput for repetitive production runs.

Secondary Functions

  • Support cross-functional collaboration with CAD/CAM teams, providing feedback on designs that may impact setting feasibility or stone security.
  • Participate in product quality reviews and continuous improvement initiatives to optimize setting sequences and reduce defects.
  • Maintain training documentation and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for common setting tasks and quality checkpoints in the workshop.
  • Occasionally assist with customer-facing tasks such as explaining reset options, estimated timelines and cost implications for custom or repair work.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Expert proficiency in prong setting, bezel setting, channel setting, pavé and micro-pavé setting, flush (gypsy) setting and bead setting.
  • Experience using stereomicroscopes and jeweler’s loupes for micro-setting and inspection tasks.
  • Fine hand tool mastery: gravers, setting burs, burnishers, files, flush cutters, needles and micro-pliers.
  • Competency with laser welding, precision soldering and delicate metal repairs in close proximity to gemstones.
  • Accurate measuring and gauging skills using micrometers, calipers and ring gauges to maintain tight tolerances.
  • Gemstone handling and identification basics: recognizing diamond cuts, common colored-stone species and indications of treatments.
  • Ability to read technical drawings, CAD prints and work orders to translate specifications into bench operations.
  • Polishing and finishing techniques to integrate set areas with surrounding metal without disturbing stone positions.
  • Inventory control and small-stone sorting methodology for matching melee by size and color.
  • Strong quality control mindset with experience performing pre-and post-setting inspections and corrective actions.
  • Basic familiarity with plating and finishing processes and how they affect stone setting sequences.
  • Knowledge of bench ergonomics, dust/particulate control and safety procedures for a clean, secure workspace.

Soft Skills

  • High attention to detail and strong visual acuity required for repetitive, small-part work.
  • Good manual dexterity and steadiness of hand under microscope for micro-setting operations.
  • Problem-solving mindset to adapt techniques for unusual stones, settings or design challenges.
  • Clear communicator able to liaise with designers, clients and production leads about technical constraints and alternatives.
  • Time management and ability to prioritize jobs to meet deadlines in a fast-paced workshop.
  • Patience and persistence for repetitive tasks while preserving quality and craftsmanship.
  • Coaching and mentorship skills to pass on techniques to apprentices and junior bench staff.
  • Ethical handling and discretion when working with high-value gemstones and customer pieces.
  • Flexibility to work on custom one-off pieces as well as high-volume production runs.
  • Continuous learning attitude, open to new tools, techniques and laser/technology advancements.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or GED, with demonstrated bench experience or vocational training in jewelry.

Preferred Education:

  • Certificate or diploma from a recognized jewelry-making, metalsmithing or bench jeweler program.
  • GIA (Gemological Institute of America) courses or equivalent gemology certification preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Jewelry Design and Benchwork
  • Metalsmithing / Silversmithing
  • Gemology / Diamond Grading
  • CAD/CAM Jewelry Technology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–7 years of hands-on stone setting and bench experience, depending on production complexity.

Preferred: 4+ years with demonstrated expertise in micro-setting/pavé, laser welding experience, and a portfolio or shop references showing consistent quality on both custom and production pieces.

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