I first discovered James Avery, an artist in metal, when I was a graduate student in Austin in the late 1960s. His jewelry was distinctive—who else was creating pendants and rings that exclusively utilized Christian motifs and symbols—and it was affordable for a graduate student who had little disposable income. At that time the only place I knew which stocked Avery’s goods was the gift shop at St. David’s Church in downtown Austin (Lady Bird Johnson’s home parish). I remember doing a lot of looking (and a little buying) but even after I left Austin for Kansas City I sought out James Avery jewelry because of that personal commitment that seemed to be in every piece. There was no internet then, but there was a simple catalog.
Though I knew that Avery was located in Kerrville, in the Texas Hill Country. I never visited his headquarters until our recent trip west (along back roads). What a surprise to find the “campus” (no other word seems to fit) for the Avery enterprises. James Avery is no longer a simple craftsman making goods with a religious motif but an artist in metal with a small army of local artisans crafting all types of jewelry in silver and gold.
There is a shop (of course) displaying all kinds of jewelry for sale, but there is also a visitors’ center which features big picture windows where one can watch craftsmen at work on items that will later be for sale and an interesting video on the various techniques used to make jewelry out of gold and silver. The display cases in the visitors’ center held a number of fascinating artifacts, such as the chalice and paten Avery fashioned for the visit of Pope John Paul II to San Antonio in 1987. The most touching, however, was a handwritten note from the wife of Rick Husband, commander of the Columbia Shuttle, written while the flight was in progress. Mrs. Husband proudly told James Avery that Rick carried two of Avery’s crosses with him on his mission into space. Columbia disintegrated over Texas on 1 February 2003 as it began its re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere.
For more about James Avery, you may consult his website:
http://secure.jamesavery.com/about/index.jsp
Though I knew that Avery was located in Kerrville, in the Texas Hill Country. I never visited his headquarters until our recent trip west (along back roads). What a surprise to find the “campus” (no other word seems to fit) for the Avery enterprises. James Avery is no longer a simple craftsman making goods with a religious motif but an artist in metal with a small army of local artisans crafting all types of jewelry in silver and gold.
There is a shop (of course) displaying all kinds of jewelry for sale, but there is also a visitors’ center which features big picture windows where one can watch craftsmen at work on items that will later be for sale and an interesting video on the various techniques used to make jewelry out of gold and silver. The display cases in the visitors’ center held a number of fascinating artifacts, such as the chalice and paten Avery fashioned for the visit of Pope John Paul II to San Antonio in 1987. The most touching, however, was a handwritten note from the wife of Rick Husband, commander of the Columbia Shuttle, written while the flight was in progress. Mrs. Husband proudly told James Avery that Rick carried two of Avery’s crosses with him on his mission into space. Columbia disintegrated over Texas on 1 February 2003 as it began its re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere.
For more about James Avery, you may consult his website:
http://secure.jamesavery.com/about/index.jsp
1 comment:
i like to read that article..thanks
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