“Welcome to New Approach School for Jewelers. I look forward to helping you learn, discover and enhance your jewelry making skills. This is an intense and fast-paced learning environment; and each day is packed with information, demonstrations, and projects that will help you develop into a skilled artisan and jeweler. My jewelry making journey started early, and I have never looked back. I look forward to mentoring and guiding you on your career path, whether you choose to forge your own company or work for an established jeweler after graduation. There are many paths in this industry, and there has never been a better time to enter this profession.
Your skills, determination, and passion are in demand, and what you learn during your time here will form the foundation of what I hope will be your lifelong love of designing, repairing and fabricating jewelry, as it is mine. As I have often said, once I found jewelry, I never worked another day in my life. There may be obstacles, moments of doubt, or fear of failure as we dig deeper into the techniques. I assure you, you are capable of what it takes to achieve success. I plan to help you each step of the way so that you feel empowered, prepared and confident to reach your goals.
From the time I discovered it, I have always loved working with metal. Even as a teenager, working with large scale welding and repair jobs, I loved the forming, shaping and firing of metal. When I discovered fine jewelry making, I was instantly mesmerized and knew I had found my life’s work. I was drawn to the intricacy and beauty of custom jewelry, and enjoy teaching you how metals respond to various types of heat, pressure, and handling.
As a young jeweler, I found myself frustrated by the lack of education available in the industry. New Approach School for Jewelers started in response to this difficulty for bench jewelers to grow their knowledge and skill base. I also wanted to pass down what was so warmly taught to me by the talented jewelers I grew up with, and share my own techniques and knowledge that developed from my years of working exclusively with AGS stores, creating, designing and repairing fine jewelry.
Integrity and ethics are incredibly important to me and are the basis of what New Approach School for Jewelers is founded on. Promoting the highest standards of ethical conduct and professional behavior form the strength of what you will learn. As the demand for custom, handmade jewelry continues to increase, I am committed to teaching you the most important foundational skills, maintaining the highest standards of work, and incorporating new technologies, time saving tips, money saving tool making, and sending solid, lasting, well made work out to your customers.
My vision for NASJ has never changed, though it has evolved. I stay true to my vision of teaching hands-on, real-world techniques to passionate students, whether you are already in the industry and looking to enhance your skills, or a novice jeweler looking to professionalize your skill set. My doors are open to serious-minded, determined jewelers who want to learn silver, gold and platinum fabrication, advanced stone setting, pave, bead setting, engraving and bench skills. Our classroom is fully stocked with professional benches, high powered Leica microscopes, and HD video screens to create the most state of the art, professional learning environment in the industry. We provide you with high end tools and techniques that set you up for success.”
Initially based in Virginia, New Approach School for Jewelers is now located in Arrington, Tennessee, just 30 minutes from Nashville.
Our mission at the New Approach School for Jewelers (NASJ) is to offer both fresh and experienced bench jewelers visual-intensive, hands-on jewelry repair and fabrication training to help them increase their productivity and profitability.
To achieve this, NASJ employs innovative visual teaching methods, such as high magnification video of live demonstrations in a user-friendly and interactive workshop environment to help students rapidly grasp and implement bench techniques, practices, and tricks shared by our team of expert instructors.
Blaine is happily married to his wife Jill and they share three children, Ethan, Jordan and Grace.
