Somehow, these shiny rocks are worth several months of peoples' salaries. (Source)

There's big bucks in them thar hills...the gem-filled ones, that is. Not that you'll see any of it as a gemologist. Yes, you'll get to look at thousands of pretty rocks, but with an average salary of about $40,000 a year (source), you won't be able to afford any of them. Womp womp.

Gemologists study, sell, and procure precious gems like rubies, emeralds, sapphires—but the real money is in diamonds. You know, the ones that are forever? It takes a heck of a lot of time and pressure for diamonds to be formed in the earth's crust—and the price tag reflects that. One of those shiny babies can cost as much as a quarter at Stanford, or more.

There's no way you'll be able to afford the nice ones, but maybe you could try a ring on now and then when nobody's looking.

As a gemologist, you'll be doing what gemologists have been doing ever since 1330 (source), when the Venetians figured out how to cut diamonds: squinting at them through loupes and microscopes to figure out how much they're worth. 

See, as soon as medieval royal folks realized that diamonds, and other gems, could be sliced into sparkly ring-, earring-, and pendant-sized pieces, they also realized that they needed someone to keep them from getting ripped off. 

After all, anyone could cut some glass and call it precious. Gemology emerged as a specialty field, to the relief of many a blinged-out royal, and the gig hasn't changed all that much since then—except that most gemologists nowadays work in retail, not for royalty.

Gemologists can tell how much a stone is worth just by looking carefully and using the skills that they learned in gemology school. Yes, it's a real thing. 

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is where aspiring gemologists learn how to identify, cut, appraise, set, and not drool over some of the tiniest, most expensive things on the planet. Everything from obscure gem trivia to the four C's—cut, clarity, color, and carat weight—is covered (source). 

Alongside an education at the GIA, a gemologist needs to have steady hands and a good eye for detail. They also need to be pretty good at measuring, since taking a bit too much off the top of a gem can decrease its value by thousands of dollars.

Gemologists also need good people skills, since most of the jobs are with retail jewelry stores (source). You could also work for a large diamond and gem buyer, a diamond manufacturer, a museum, or an auction house; but pretty much any gem-related industry will require you to convince somebody to drop an insane amount of money on a pretty rock. 

That can be a hard sell. Diamonds aren't particularly useful; you can't eat them, they won't keep you warm, and they don't do cute things like get their heads stuck in Kleenex boxes.

They're just pretty rocks made of compressed carbon. But, people love them, and they love to buy them for their loved ones. Gemologists are just spreading the love…via a big ol' price tag.

Because gemology doesn't pay particularly well, gemologists are usually in the gig because they love precious stones. If you love gemstones for their inherent beauty, and not just for the prices they can garner, then becoming a gemologist could be your ticket to a bright and shiny future.

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