A jeweler might find themselves performing many different tasks at any given time. Jewelry design is perhaps the most creative aspect of this career, and requires a great deal of imagination and artistic skill. But jewelry artists also make, repair, clean and restore jewelry pieces. Some also specialize in appraising jewelry, using a combination of research and direct evaluation to determine a piece's worth.

Many jewelry artists do most of their work at a workbench, using tools similar to those jewelry crafters have been using for centuries to create and repair pieces of jewelry. However, many new technologies have found their way into the craft. For example, lasers are often used to cut gems and engrave intricate designs into precious metals. And, with computer-aided design (CAD) technology, a model of a piece of jewelry can be created on a computer. This allows the creator to see how the piece will turn out before they waste valuable resources on what could be a flawed design.