Stone setting course recommendation

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has attended a Stone Setting course
they can highly recommend. It has to be for a beginner stone setter.
Not longer than a week, in the USA.

Thank you. Johan

2

Johan,

In my opinion, Drouhard National Jeweler’s School has excellent
classes. I have taken both Program I (Stone Setting and Jewelry
Repair) and Program II (Advanced Diamond Setting). The entire focus
is on setting of stones and repair of settings. Each Program is a
5-day course. However, they occasionally offer each course as an
intensive 3-day weekend course. I took each course as a 3-day
course, with classes from 8am to 9pm. It was exhausting, but perfect
for my needs. The Drouhard’s are a husband and wife teaching team who
also run a retail jewelry store. The classes are small and totally
hands-on. My Program I class had 4 students and Program II class has
2 students. The school is located in Mansfield, Ohio, midway between
Cleveland and Columbus. Good luck with your studies,

Jamie

3

John Cogswell gives the best courses. I’ve taken many and had
contact with many who have had many instructors and he’s the best.
Buy his book on the subject!

John

4

One of the very best is the New Approach School for Jewelers in
Virginia Beach, VA. I took the course with NO experience in setting,
and after 5 days, I had set 10 different rings with every type of
setting.

Larry Heyda

5 
I was wondering if anyone has attended aStone Setting course they
can highly recommend. It has to be for a beginner stone setter.
Not longer than a week, in the USA.

Absolutely! Beginning stone setting at the New Approach School in
Virginia Beach, Va. Blaine Lewis is great, and his use of a close-up
camera and big-screen TV gives you an amazing eye on what he’s
doing, plus his very clear animations make everything easy to
understand.ThIs is for facetted stone setting. If you mean cabs,
pretty much any metalsmithing class will cover it, but there are
some great offerings, I believe, at the Revere Academy. I’ve done
other stuff there, and can wholeheartedly recommend it. Plus, it’s in
San Francisco-- expensive, but wonderful. Virginia Beach, on the
other hand…

Noel

6

I have attended and recommend The New Approach School for Jewelers
in Virginia Beach, VA - newapproachschool.com

Cheers.
John Fetvedt
www.bijoux-de-terre.com

7

A simple beginner course is taught by Patsy Croft at John C.
Campbell Folkschool, and Arrowmont schools in the southern highlands
arts triangle (N. GA,W. NC and E. TN). quick, intensive and small
groups for relatively little money and a good basis iusing both cabs,
faceted stones and various setting methods are covered (barring bead
setting). her courses will give you a strong foundation and provide a
great alternative to courses intended for production jewelers in that
Patsy teaches with a more ‘art jewelry’ approach for one-off work
pieces of high quality not just rub-over settings in bezels The
differences in gold and silvervwork setting is accounted for in her
classes. rer