James Avery Artisan Jewelry

James Avery Artisan Jewelry is a family-owned American jewelry company founded by craftsman and designer James Avery in Kerrville, Texas, in 1954. Avery began by making and selling jewelry from a wooden box at summer camps, initially working from his then mother-in-law's garage. The early business was built around direct selling, personal design work, and a distinctive hand-crafted approach that later earned Avery the informal reputation of the “Jeweler in the Hills.” The company developed from a small craft operation into an integrated regional jewelry business. In 1957, Avery created 39 additional designs, published the company's first catalog, and hired Fred Garcia as its first employee. A decade later, he purchased 20 acres in Kerrville for a store and manufacturing facility; the site became the foundation of the company's continuing headquarters presence. The business has retained a strong connection to Kerrville while expanding its design, production, retail, and customer-service infrastructure across Texas. James Avery's identity is closely associated with symbolic jewelry. Its assortment includes sterling-silver, 14-karat-gold, and gemstone pieces, with recurring themes involving faith, love, family, friendship, personal milestones, and connection. The range includes rings, bracelets, necklaces, charms, earrings, and other jewelry. The company also serves customers seeking men's jewelry and personalized products. Customization options may include engraving, initials, birthstones, sizing, and other personal elements, allowing customers to use jewelry as a marker of identity or occasion rather than only as a fashion accessory. The company has also undertaken commissions with unusually prominent religious, civic, and aerospace associations. In 1969, Avery designed a pin for the Apollo XII astronauts, and NASA commissioned additional work for missions in 1989 and 1992. In 1987, the company was commissioned to produce silver communion vessels used by Pope John Paul II during mass in San Antonio. These commissions reinforced the brand's association with craftsmanship, symbolism, and institutional trust. Family succession has been central to the company's development. James Avery's sons Chris and Paul joined the business during the 1990s and learned the operation alongside their father. Chris Avery later served as chief executive officer from 2007 through 2019 and became chairman of the board. James Avery's granddaughter Lindsey Tognietti joined in 2016, beginning in retail before moving into customer service and brand marketing responsibilities. James Avery died in 2018, but the enterprise continued to operate as a family-owned company. By 2000, the business had 30 retail stores and more than 1,000 associates. It opened its 100th store in Del Rio, Texas, on March 24, 2021, the date that would have marked James Avery's 100th birthday. The company subsequently described its retail network as exceeding 120 stores across Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, supported by studios, workshops, and manufacturing facilities in Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Cedar Park, Comfort, Hondo, and Corpus Christi. It has more than 3,000 employees and maintains an online store at JamesAvery.com alongside physical retail. More than 90 percent of the company's pieces are crafted in Texas, although materials are sourced internationally. Its current collection contains more than 1,000 designs and is supported by services such as buy-online-pick-up-in-store, wish lists, sizing assistance, and the Create Your Own customization experience. James Avery also operates charitable programs involving fundraising, grants, partnerships, and education. Overall, the brand occupies a distinctive position between artisan jewelry and scaled regional retail: it combines a Texas-centered manufacturing story and family ownership with a broad omnichannel assortment and a strong emphasis on meaningful, personalized jewelry.

James Avery Artisan Jewelry began in 1954 when James Avery started making jewelry in Kerrville, Texas. He initially sold pieces from a wooden box at local summer camps and worked from his then mother-in-law's garage. The early enterprise was small and personal, but Avery's approach to design and hand craftsmanship helped establish a recognizable identity centered on symbolic jewelry and close attention to detail. A significant early expansion came in 1957. Avery created 39 new designs, produced the company's first catalog, and hired Fred Garcia as its first employee. These steps moved the business beyond one craftsman's direct sales and toward a repeatable product line and organized commercial operation. Avery's reputation grew in the Texas Hill Country, where he became known as the “Jeweler in the Hills.” In 1967, Avery purchased 20 acres in Kerrville for the company's first store and manufacturing facility. The property became the base for the organization's continuing headquarters and helped anchor its long-term Texas identity. The company subsequently developed a model combining design, production, retail, and customer service rather than relying solely on outside manufacturing or wholesale distribution. The brand's work attracted commissions beyond ordinary retail jewelry. In 1969, James Avery designed a pin for the Apollo XII astronauts. NASA later commissioned him for two further missions, identified in company history as taking place in 1989 and 1992. In 1987, the company created silver communion vessels used by Pope John Paul II at mass in San Antonio. These projects broadened the public profile of Avery's craftsmanship and illustrated the importance of religious, commemorative, and institutional symbolism in the brand's history. The next generation became involved during the 1990s, when James Avery's sons Chris and Paul joined the company and worked alongside their father. By 2000, the business had grown to 30 stores and more than 1,000 associates. Chris Avery served as chief executive officer from 2007 to 2019 and subsequently became chairman of the board. James Avery's granddaughter Lindsey Tognietti joined in 2016, starting in retail and later taking on responsibilities connected with customer service and brand marketing. James Avery died in 2018. The company continued as a family-owned enterprise, retaining its Kerrville base while developing a broader network of stores, production sites, and digital services. On March 24, 2021, it opened its 100th store in Del Rio, Texas, on what would have been James Avery's 100th birthday. The retail footprint later exceeded 120 stores across Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. The modern company maintains studios, workshops, and manufacturing facilities in Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Cedar Park, Comfort, Hondo, and Corpus Christi. It reports that more than 90 percent of its pieces are crafted in Texas, using materials sourced from around the world. Its collection includes more than 1,000 designs in sterling silver, 14-karat gold, and other materials, including precious and semi-precious gemstones. The present business combines physical retail with e-commerce through JamesAvery.com. Customers can access customization services, engraving, initials, birthstones, sizing support, wish lists, and buy-online-pick-up-in-store options. The company also supports charitable giving through fundraising programs, grants, partnerships, and education. Its history is therefore defined by the combination of family continuity, Texas-based making, symbolic design, and gradual expansion into a substantial regional omnichannel jewelry retailer.

1. 2021100th store opens in Del Rio

   James Avery opens its 100th store in Del Rio, Texas, on March 24, the founder's would-be 100th birthday.

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2. 2018Founder James Avery dies

   James Avery dies after building the company into a family-owned jewelry business with a substantial Texas presence.

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3. 2000Regional retail network reaches 30 stores

   The company operates 30 stores and has more than 1,000 associates.

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4. 1987Communion vessels commissioned for Pope John Paul II

   The company is commissioned to craft silver communion vessels used by Pope John Paul II at mass in San Antonio.

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5. 1969Apollo XII astronaut pin

   James Avery designs a pin for the Apollo XII astronauts.

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6. 1967Kerrville store and manufacturing site acquired

   James Avery purchases 20 acres in Kerrville for the company's first store and manufacturing facility.

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7. 1957First catalog and first employee

   Avery creates 39 new designs, publishes the first catalog, and hires Fred Garcia as the company's first employee.

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8. 1954James Avery begins making and selling jewelry

   James Avery starts the business in Kerrville, Texas, selling jewelry from a wooden box at summer camps and working from a garage.

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A Texas-rooted artisan jewelry brand offering symbolic, hand-crafted, and customizable pieces associated with faith, personal meaning, family, connection, and important life occasions. The company combines local production and family ownership with a regional store network and direct-to-consumer digital services.

• Sterling-silver jewelryJewelry

  Sterling silver is a core material in the James Avery assortment. The company uses it across rings, bracelets, necklaces, charms, earrings, and symbolic decorative pieces. These designs often express faith, family, love, friendship, personal identity, or important life events. The material supports the brand's hand-crafted positioning while allowing a broad range of accessible and collectible designs.

• CharmsJewelry

  Charms are a prominent part of the brand's offering and can be combined with bracelets, necklaces, and other jewelry formats. Designs cover symbolic, religious, seasonal, family, and commemorative subjects. The format encourages customers to build a personalized collection over time and is closely aligned with the company's emphasis on connection and individual meaning.

• Faith and symbolic jewelryJewelry

  The company offers jewelry built around faith, spirituality, and other symbolic themes. Crosses, religious motifs, and designs representing hope, protection, love, or connection form part of the brand's meaningful-jewelry positioning. These products reflect both James Avery's historical religious commissions and the broader role of symbolism in the retail collection.

• Personalized jewelryCustomization

  James Avery provides customization options that may include initials, birthstones, engraving, sizing, and other personal details. The Create Your Own and related services allow customers to adapt jewelry for names, dates, relationships, celebrations, and milestones. Personalization strengthens the brand's positioning as a provider of keepsakes rather than solely seasonal fashion products.

• Gold and gemstone jewelryJewelry

  Alongside sterling silver, the company makes pieces in 14-karat gold and designs incorporating precious and semi-precious gemstones. These materials are used across rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and other formats. The assortment gives customers options for elevated gifts, milestone jewelry, and designs intended for long-term wear.

• Men's jewelryJewelry

  Men's designs are an identified area of the James Avery assortment. The range applies the brand's hand-crafted and symbolic design language to rings, bracelets, necklaces, and other jewelry intended for men. Products typically emphasize durable materials, understated styling, personal significance, and religious or relational motifs.

• Charitable giving programs

  United States

  James Avery supports charitable activity through fundraising programs, grants, partnerships, and education initiatives.

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• 2021Expansion to the 100th retail storeStrategy

  After decades of regional growth, the company continued expanding its store network while retaining its Texas-centered manufacturing and family-owned identity.

  What changed. James Avery opened its 100th store in Del Rio, Texas, on March 24, 2021.

  Aftermath. The company subsequently operated more than 120 stores across Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

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• 1969Accepting an aerospace design commissionOther

  James Avery's symbolic and hand-crafted design work led to a commission connected with the Apollo XII astronauts.

  What changed. Avery designed a pin for the Apollo XII astronauts and later received two additional NASA commissions.

  Aftermath. The commissions became notable examples of the brand's work beyond ordinary retail jewelry.

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• Development of an omnichannel retail modelStrategy

  The company expanded beyond its physical stores while preserving direct customer relationships and its customization-oriented service model.

  What changed. James Avery developed an online store and services including Create Your Own, sizing guidance, wish lists, and buy-online-pick-up-in-store.

  Aftermath. Customers can engage with the brand through both regional stores and digital commerce.

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• 2021James Avery opens its 100th store in Del Rio, Texas

  The company opened its 100th retail store in Del Rio, Texas, on March 24, a date that would have been founder James Avery's 100th birthday.

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• James Avery expands its regional retail and manufacturing footprint

  The company operates more than 120 stores in several southern U.S. states and maintains studios, workshops, and manufacturing facilities at multiple Texas locations.

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1. James Avery Artisan Jewelry
2. James Avery official website