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Reviewed by Tim McCreight Several years ago, a friend who is a medical researcher invited me into his lab to see his equipment. Working under his sophisticated microscope, I engraved a few lines and examined a few textures I’d made. I was immersed in a world I had only slightly known. It was exciting, daunting . . . and strangely reassuring. This experience is now available on videotape thanks to a heroic effort by Blaine Lewis, director for New Approach School for Jewelers in Virginia Beach. “Bezel and Flush Setting” is a two-tape set that combines the author’s years of goldsmithing experience with astonishing close-up views to create a new level of instruction unlike anything currently available. The tape wastes no time in getting down to business. Within the first few minutes, we are involved in a flush setting. It is not an exaggeration to say that the view on the TV screen exceeds common experience. This is not as good as being there — it’s much better. Lewis’s careful step-by-step description of each project will enable even a novice goldsmith to repeat the process. This is where the confidence comes in. The detailed photography takes the mystery out of descriptions that might otherwise be vague. When we see the relationships of stone shape, bezel height, and tool location at this magnification, the logic of the process is crystal clear. Lewis has designed the tape around a gold ring that includes a faceted oval amethyst, three brilliants (small round faceted stones), and a triangular diamond. This well-considered arrangement allows us not only to see several kinds of settings, but provides consistency and addresses the subtle issues that can arise when setting multiple stones. Voice-over narration is accompanied by clear on-screen animations that clarify the impacts and intentions of specific tools when used in certain orientations. The two tapes move logically through four settings on a single ring, then shift to another ring to demonstrate setting a marquise diamond in a bezel. From here we are led into a goldsmith’s Dream Studio, where Lewis demonstrates not only a few of the top-end tools, like the GRS pneumatic tool, but also shares some of the homemade tools he’s developed over the years. This section alone justifies the cost. If “Bezel and Flush Setting” were only a matter of clear instruction through close-up photography, it would be a valuable tape and I’d be happy to recommend it. What makes it a standout, though, is the innovation that flows beneath each technique. Lewis is clearly a master of conventional stone setting, but he has gone beyond familiar techniques to invent some tricks of his own. Evidence of his enthusiasm for these is shown in the bundle of prototype tools that comes with each tape. By providing not only clear on-screen images but also real handmade models, Lewis goes the extra mile to ensure that any serious goldsmith with a desire to master stone setting can do so. And to cinch the deal, the author has devised a 21st-century, follow-through program. Each tape is registered with an access code that will allow the owner to visit a restricted section of his Web site. There, stone setters will find updated information and have a unique opportunity to seek personal help from Mr. Lewis.
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