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Silverware Artisans and Workers


Overview

Silverware Artisans and Workers

Introduction

Silverware artisans include designers and artists, as well as silversmiths or precious-metal workers, who are skilled workers and repairers of silver and a variety of other metals, including gold and platinum. Silverware workers manufacture metal utensils used at the table for holding, serving, and handling food and drink, such as platters, pitchers, forks, and spoons.

The creation and manufacturing of silverware falls under a number of other areas as well, such as industrial design, metalw...

Quick Facts


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Median Salary

$40,870

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Employment Prospects

Poor

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Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma
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Experience

Apprenticeship


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Skills

Drawing/Design
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Personality Traits

Artistic
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Earnings

Production workers in the silverware industry are often paid an hourly rate. Alternatively, they can earn piecework or incentive rates, which are based on the amount of work they complete. Earnings vary with the particular job and skill level of the worker.

Some unskilled workers start as low as minimum wage ($15,080 annually based on a 40-hour week). However, in time they may be able to...

Work Environment

Silverware factories usually have open and pleasant work areas. Many of the machines that silverware production workers use are small but noisy. The work is not physically strenuous, but some jobs, such as operating punch presses, are monotonous. Some employees may be required to lift and carry heavy objects, but mechanical devices perform much of this work.

To avoid injury, workers usua...

Outlook

Employment levels in the U.S. silverware industry have been declining for years, and the trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, with employment opportunities expected to decline through 2029. Among the reasons for this decline are competition from silverware manufacturers in other countries (especially those in Europe and Asia), high prices for silver and steel, and a decreas...