Gem and Diamond Workers
Machines can already do 22% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 60%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Gem and Diamond Workers in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 22% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 0% of them.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2033, and 60% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 22,440 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $52,540 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 76% for contact with people.
- Also called: Diamond Cutter, Diamond Grader, Diamond Picker, Diamond Polisher.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hold stones, gems, dies, or styluses against rotating plates, wheels, saws, or slitters to cut, shape, slit, grind, or polish them | 16% | 20% to 60% | |
| Examine 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 | 8% | 20% to 60% | |
| Assign polish, symmetry, and clarity grades to stones, according to established grading systems | 7% | 20% to 60% | |
| Locate and mark drilling or cutting positions on stones or dies, using diamond chips and power hand tools | 7% | 30% to 68% | |
| Examine gems during processing to ensure accuracy of angles and positions of cuts or bores, using magnifying glasses, loupes, or shadowgraphs | 6% | 20% to 60% | |
| Secure gems or diamonds in holders, chucks, dops, lapidary sticks, or blocks for cutting, polishing, grinding, drilling, or shaping | 6% | 20% to 60% | |
| Examine diamonds or gems to ascertain the shape, cut, and width of cut stones, or to select the cuts that will result in the biggest, best quality stones | 5% | 20% to 60% | |
| Place stones in clamps on polishing machines and polish facets of stones, using felt-covered or canvas-covered polishing wheels and polishing compounds such as tripoli and rouge | 5% | 20% to 60% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills gem and diamond workers use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers38% of tasks by 2035 · US median $41,640
- Histotechnologists54% of tasks by 2035
- Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage57% of tasks by 2035 · US median $78,240
- Cytotechnologists58% of tasks by 2035
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Gem and Diamond Workers?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2033. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of gem and diamond workers?
Machines can do 22% of the tasks of gem and diamond workers today and 60% by 2035. The job changes before it disappears: the routine tasks move first.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 51-9071.06 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Gem and Diamond Workers: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/gem-and-diamond-workers/