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Jewellery Designer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a jewellery designer is $70,200 per annum, before tax, up $15,000 since 2018.
What you earn depends mostly on the setup you work in. A designer employed by a manufacturing jeweller or a retail chain is usually paid a salary or an award rate with set hours, while those working on commission take a share of each sale and carry the cost of metals, stones and casting. Bespoke and engagement work generally pays better than volume production runs, and designers who build a client list of their own often earn most from repeat and referral work.
Roles that pay more than jewellery designer
The largest typical pay rise is $26,000 a year, moving into Graphic Designer.
- Graphic Designer+$26,000/yr
- Textile Designer+$7,800/yr
How to negotiate a higher jewellery designer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time jewellery designer salary is $70,200; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Craft and handmade production and Visual design tend to command a premium over general jewellery designer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Graphic Designer pays a typical $26,000 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Jewellery Designer salary questions
How much do jewellery designers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a jewellery designer is $70,200 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is jewellery designer pay rising or falling?
The median jewellery designer salary is up $15,000 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than jewellery designer?
Graphic Designer pays a typical $26,000 a year more and draws on similar skills to jewellery designer.