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James Avery Artisan Jewelry

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James Avery Artisan Jewelry
James Avery Artisan Jewelry
Company typePrivate
IndustryRetail, Jewelry
Founded1954 (1954)
FounderJames Avery
Headquarters
Kerrville, Texas
,
U.S.
Number of locations
270[1]
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Chris Avery
(President and CEO)
Paul Avery
(Executive Vice President)
ProductsJewelry
ServicesJewelry Design & Manufacturing, Jewelry Engraving, Custom Jewelry
Number of employees
2000
DivisionsStore Locator
Websitejamesavery.com
Previous logo

James Avery Artisan Jewelry is a private company that designs, manufactures, and sells jewelry, primarily Christian themed. The founder, James Avery,[2] started the business in 1954 in Kerrville, Texas out of his (then) mother-in-law's[3] two-car garage with about $250 in capital.[4] In 1954, James Avery built a workbench and fashioned a sign to hang on the garage; it read "James Avery Craftsman" and featured a candelabra logo. The business has grown to about 50 of its own stores in Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Carolina, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Alabama, and Texas. The company has five manufacturing plants in Hondo, Fredericksburg, Kerrville, and two in Comfort, Texas.[5] The James Avery jewelry collection carries 1,100 designs and 14,000 pieces made in sterling silver, 14-, 18-karat yellow and white gold, and gemstones.

History

Our Story[6]

James Avery, a Chicago[7] native, was a decorated World War II pilot, flying B-26 bombers in 44 missions over Germany. At the time of his death in 2018, James Avery was the last surviving B-26 pilot.

  • The B-26 bomber flown by James Avery in 44 missions over Germany in World War II.
    The B-26 bomber flown by James Avery in 44 missions over Germany in World War II.

The first retail store was established in Kerrville, TX in 1973.[8]

After the war, Avery received a B.F.A. in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois[9]. He pursued college level teaching, and while at the University of Colorado, he explored jewelry-making techniques with his students. In 1950, he began to think about leaving the teaching profession.

Having fallen in love with Texas during his Air Force training, he soon chose to settle down in the Lone Star State[10]. During the summer of 1954, James Avery started his jewelry business in a two-car garage in Kerrville, Texas with only $250 in his pocket. He built a small workbench and purchased a few hand tools along with scraps of silver and copper. Leveraging the lost-wax casting method[11] and old-world techniques like hand-hammering, hand-engraving and hand-shaping, Avery produced heirloom quality jewelry enjoyed by generations of Customers. He did everything himself—all the designing, sawing, polishing, finishing and selling. James Avery sold $5,500 worth of jewelry in the first year of business and $7,500 the following year.

He eventually moved his business to a studio he built in his near-by home. By 1957, Avery created his first catalog consisting of 16 pages and 39 items for sale. That year, he hired his first employee, Fred Garcia. The company continued to grow throughout the state of Texas with jewelry being sold in clothing boutiques and church gift shops. By 1965, the jewelry store was incorporated into James Avery Craftsman, Inc. In 1967, James Avery bought 20 acres (81,000 m2) of land in Kerrville, Texas to build the corporate headquarters.  

By the 1970s, the company employed 35 people and generated $400,000 in sales. James Avery's jewelry became very popular in camps in the Texas Hill Country and still is today. The first retail store was established in Kerrville in 1973. Today, the James Avery corporate headquarters and Visitor Center and Store stand on the original 20 acres which has grown to 45 acres.

James Avery Artisan Jewelry has four manufacturing facilities located in Hondo[12], Fredericksburg[13], Kerrville[14] and Comfort[15], Texas. The company is a multi-channel retailer with 83 James Avery stores in five states. The jewelry is also available in more than 215 Dillard’s[16] stores in Texas and in 28 additional states; and nationwide through JamesAvery.com.

In 1988, James Avery was named San Antonio[17] Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2007, Avery stepped down as Chief Executive Officer, and his son Chris M. Avery was chosen to follow his father’s footsteps as CEO after having been President since 1991. Additionally, James Avery’s son Paul Avery serves on the Board of Directors. James Avery died[18] on April 30, 2018 at the age of 96.

James Avery Artisan Jewelry

From the beginning, James Avery strived to create jewelry with special meaning for him, and for his Customers. It was also important that his designs had lasting appeal, a timelessness that would endure from one generation to the next. Guided by the design principles of meaning, simplicity, integrity and universality, James Avery jewelry is designed to connect people to life events, celebrations, moments in time and even spiritual beliefs. James Avery jewelry is designed for special occasions and for everyday wear, all crafted with care and attention to detail.

One man’s dream ignited the passion of an extended team that believes in a well-crafted product, strong values and commitment to doing all things well.

References

  1. ^ "Map of locations". Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  2. ^ "James Avery enters Colorado market", San Antonio Business Journal, November 23, 2016
  3. ^ personal communication
  4. ^ Thiruvengadam, Meena (10 June 2005). "Craftsman finds his calling in making religious symbols". San Antonio Express-News – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  5. ^ Thomas, Mike W (November 26, 2012). "James Avery announces two new Texas store openings". San Antonio Business Journal. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  6. ^ "The Story of James Avery - James Avery". www.jamesavery.com. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  7. ^ "Chicago", Wikipedia, 2018-10-28, retrieved 2018-11-02
  8. ^ "James Avery Company Profile". Reference For Business.
  9. ^ "University of Illinois system", Wikipedia, 2018-10-11, retrieved 2018-11-02
  10. ^ "Texas", Wikipedia, 2018-11-02, retrieved 2018-11-02
  11. ^ "Lost-wax casting", Wikipedia, 2018-10-03, retrieved 2018-11-02
  12. ^ "Hondo Texas". www.hondo-tx.org. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  13. ^ "Fredericksburg, TX - Official Website | Official Website". www.fbgtx.org. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  14. ^ "Kerrville TX - Official Website | Official Website". www.kerrvilletx.gov. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  15. ^ "The Comfort Chamber Of Commerce". The Comfort Chamber Of Commerce. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  16. ^ "Dillard's", Wikipedia, 2018-10-30, retrieved 2018-11-02
  17. ^ "San Antonio", Wikipedia, 2018-11-01, retrieved 2018-11-02
  18. ^ "Join Us In Honoring Our Founder - James Avery". www.jamesavery.com. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
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