Careers

You May Be a Strong Fit If…

You naturally:

• write things down rather than trusting that they will somehow be remembered;
• organize information so that it can be found again;
• dislike leaving important matters unfinished;
• follow up when someone says, “I’ll get back to you”;
• notice details and inconsistencies that other people sometimes miss;
• check your work before considering it complete;
• enjoy turning complicated situations into clear tasks and next steps;
• learn new procedures and computer systems quickly;
• remember the logic behind what you have been taught, not only individual instructions;
• remain organized even when procedures, priorities, or instructions change;
• ask questions when something is unclear rather than guessing;
• can distinguish between something that is urgent, something that is important, and something that can wait;
• communicate respectfully with very different personalities;
• take confidentiality seriously;
• feel personally responsible for commitments you have accepted;
• enjoy becoming the person others trust when something needs to be organized properly.

If unfinished tasks tend to stay in your mind until they are resolved, you may particularly enjoy this role.

What the Position Is

This is not simply a traditional secretarial position.

You will work closely with the Owner of JOVE Jewelry Designs and with management as the company develops new systems, workflows, procedures, and departments.

Your first responsibility will be supporting the Owner with day-to-day executive and operational matters.

At the same time, you will be trained to help management build a more organized company in which information, responsibilities, deadlines, documents, and decisions are properly recorded and followed through.

As the company develops, your responsibilities will gradually expand. The position therefore requires someone who is comfortable learning continuously.

During your training you may be introduced to several new processes, digital systems, procedures, communication channels, and ways of organizing work within a relatively short period.

You will not be expected to remember everything without assistance. You will be expected to learn how the system works, document what you learn, use the tools provided to you, and gradually become highly dependable in applying it.

What You Will Learn and Do

Your responsibilities will gradually include:

• supporting the Owner with daily executive and administrative tasks;
• organizing meetings, appointments, schedules, reminders, and follow-ups;
• preparing clear meeting notes and action lists;
• tracking commitments, deadlines, and outstanding tasks;
• following up with employees and other responsible people when information or action is required;
• organizing electronic documents and maintaining orderly company records;
• preparing professional emails, letters, and routine business communications;
• helping management introduce and maintain company workflows and procedures;
• assisting with the implementation and continuous improvement of Standard Operating Procedures;
• helping ensure that agreed procedures are actually followed;
• supporting communication between management and different parts of the company;
• providing operational support to marketing, sales, and production as these functions develop;
• assisting with basic recruitment, employee documentation, training coordination, and other administrative activities when required;
• collecting information needed for management reports;
• learning new company systems and helping others use them correctly.

Your responsibilities will increase as your capabilities increase.

Computer and Digital Skills

You do not need to be an IT professional.

You should, however, be comfortable working with computers and genuinely interested in becoming highly competent with digital tools.

Good working familiarity with some of the following is desirable:

• Microsoft Outlook;
• Microsoft Word;
• Microsoft Excel;
• Microsoft Teams;
• Microsoft 365;
• online file and document management;
• video meetings and digital communication;
• AI tools such as ChatGPT.

More important than already knowing every application is your ability to learn unfamiliar software quickly and without fear.

You should be comfortable receiving training, practicing independently, asking intelligent questions, and gradually becoming able to help other people use the systems correctly.

Experience

We are open to candidates from many professional backgrounds.

Useful previous experience may include:

• administration;
• office operations;
• executive support;
• customer service;
• sales;
• marketing;
• manufacturing;
• logistics;
• professional services;
• healthcare administration;
• hospitality;
• education;
• banking;
• or other environments where reliability, organization, communication, and attention to detail matter.

Previous job titles are less important to us than demonstrated ability.

Candidates returning to the workforce, changing careers, or bringing professional experience from another country or industry are welcome to apply.

Education

A specific bachelor’s degree is not required.

We are more interested in:

• learning ability;
• reasoning;
• communication;
• reliability;
• organization;
• digital aptitude;
• and demonstrated performance.

Relevant education or advanced qualifications may be valuable, but we do not believe that a degree by itself proves that someone will succeed in this position.

What Matters Most

The qualities we value most are:

Reliability. People should not have to ask twice whether you remembered something important.

Learning ability. You should be able to absorb new information, understand how different parts of a system connect, and apply what you have learned.

Organization. You should be able to transform conversations, emails, requests, and decisions into clear records and actions.

Follow-through. Starting a task is not the same as completing it.

Accuracy. Details matter.

Adaptability. JOVE is developing new systems and procedures. Some processes will change as we improve them.

Discretion. You will sometimes work with confidential business, employee, customer, and management information.

Judgment. You should gradually learn what requires immediate attention, what should be escalated, what can be handled independently, and when clarification is necessary.

Professional communication. You will interact with management, employees, customers, suppliers, and other business contacts.

Our Selection Process

We do not intend to select someone only because they have an impressive résumé or interview well.

Shortlisted candidates may therefore be asked to complete practical exercises involving:

• understanding instructions;
• learning a new procedure;
• organizing information;
• written communication;
• prioritization;
• attention to detail;
• problem solving;
• and follow-through.

The exercises are intended to show us how you work and learn.

Compensation

$19.00–$22.00 per hour, depending on demonstrated capability and relevant experience.

This position includes a structured training period and a salary review following successful training.

As you become able to work more independently, manage greater responsibility, and demonstrate consistent reliability, there will be opportunities for increased responsibility and compensation.

What Success Will Eventually Look Like

Over time, we want this person to become someone management can trust to know:

• What was decided?
• What needs to happen?
• Who is responsible?
• When is it due?
• Where is the relevant information?
• Has it been completed?
• If not, what needs to happen next?

And, eventually:

• Is the agreed company procedure actually being followed?

If that kind of responsibility feels satisfying rather than burdensome, this may be an unusually good opportunity for you.

What You Will Do

Your responsibilities will include:

• setting diamonds and gemstones in fine jewelry;
• setting center stones, side stones and melee;
• performing appropriate setting techniques depending on design and construction;
• using a professional bench microscope when required for precision setting and inspection;
• inspecting mountings before setting and identifying problems that could affect quality or stone security;
• checking stones before work begins and reporting damage, discrepancies or concerns;
• working closely with goldsmiths before and after the setting stage;
• ensuring stones are properly aligned, secure and visually consistent;
• checking completed work under appropriate magnification, including microscope inspection where required, before passing it to the next production stage;
• correcting setting-related defects and rework when required;
• protecting customer stones, company stones and jewelry while they are in your custody;
• maintaining accurate identification and separation of stones and work orders;
• following workshop procedures for handling precious materials and customer property;
• keeping the setting bench, tools and equipment organized and properly maintained;
• reporting production problems rather than allowing defective work to continue through the workflow;
• supporting setting work for production pieces, custom work and repairs when required;
• meeting reasonable production schedules while maintaining JOVE’s quality standards.

Setting Skills

We are particularly interested in candidates experienced with several of the following:

• prong setting;
• shared-prong setting;
• bead and pavé setting;
• micro-pavé setting;
• bezel setting;
• channel setting;
• flush or burnish setting;
• diamonds and melee;
• center stones;
• baguettes and other fancy-shaped stones.

Professional experience performing stone-setting work with a bench microscope is highly desirable, particularly for pavé, micro-pavé, melee and other precision setting work.

Candidates should be comfortable maintaining hand-eye coordination, tool control and working posture while viewing the work through a microscope for extended precision tasks.

Experience using a loupe, head-mounted magnifier or other magnification is useful, but microscope-setting experience should be identified separately.

A candidate does not need to specialize equally in every technique, but should be able to clearly explain which types of setting they perform confidently and independently.

What We Are Looking For

The successful candidate should demonstrate:

• strong professional stone-setting experience;
• excellent hand control and attention to detail;
• ability to produce clean and secure settings consistently;
• experience using appropriate magnification and, preferably, a professional bench microscope for precision work;
• understanding of how setting work interacts with goldsmithing, finishing and final inspection;
• ability to recognize problems in mountings before stones are set;
• appropriate care when handling diamonds, gemstones and precious-metal jewelry;
• good judgment when working with fragile, valuable or unusual stones;
• ability to work efficiently without compromising quality;
• willingness to follow documented workshop procedures;
• reliability and consistent attendance;
• ability to organize and account for work in progress;
• respect for customer property and confidential work;
• willingness to accept quality-control feedback and correct work when necessary;
• ability to work cooperatively with other craftspeople.

Experience and Education

• We are looking for an experienced setter, not an entry-level trainee.
• Approximately 5 or more years of professional stone-setting experience is preferred, but demonstrated skill is more important than a specific number of years.
• Formal jewelry education, GIA training, apprenticeship training or other recognized technical education is welcome but not required.
• A college degree is not required.
• Your practical ability at the bench will matter much more than academic credentials.

Quality and Productivity

At JOVE, quality and productivity must work together.

Excellent craftsmanship is essential, but professional production also requires:

• reasonable completion times;
• dependable output;
• low rework;
• protection against stone loss or damage;
• accurate handling of jobs and materials;
• communication when problems arise;
• and cooperation with the rest of the production workflow.

The objective is not simply to complete as many pieces as possible.

The objective is to produce correct work, efficiently and consistently.

Practical Bench Evaluation

Qualified candidates may be invited to complete a practical bench evaluation before a final employment offer.

The evaluation may include selected stone-setting tasks designed to assess:

• setting quality;
• stone security;
• alignment and appearance;
• tool control;
• ability to work effectively with a bench microscope where relevant;
• hand-eye coordination under microscope magnification;
• work habits;
• handling of stones and jewelry;
• speed appropriate to the work;
• ability to identify defects or risks;
• and quality of the finished piece.

Candidates who claim microscope-setting experience may be asked to demonstrate that skill during the practical evaluation.

The evaluation is intended to determine actual working ability rather than relying only on a résumé or job title.

Compensation

$25.00–$32.00 per hour, based on demonstrated setting ability, relevant experience and the results of the practical evaluation.

Compensation will reflect the level of work the employee can perform reliably and independently.

Performance and compensation may be reviewed as responsibilities and demonstrated capability develop.

Work Environment

This is an on-site workshop position in Southfield, Michigan.

The Stone Setter will work closely with JOVE’s goldsmiths and management as part of the jewelry-production workflow.

The position requires careful handling of valuable materials and finished and unfinished jewelry, adherence to workshop procedures, and responsibility for work while it is under the setter’s control.

What Success Looks Like

A successful Stone Setter at JOVE is someone whose work can move confidently to the next production stage because:

• the correct stones were used;
• the stones are secure;
• the setting is clean and properly aligned;
• the jewelry has not been unnecessarily damaged during setting;
• defects were identified rather than hidden;
• the job was completed within a reasonable production time;
• and the work can pass final inspection without repeated correction.

We are looking for a skilled craftsperson who wants to produce excellent jewelry, work reliably with an experienced team, and contribute to a professional and increasingly organized jewelry workshop.