Okay, so the other day I decided to check out this place called James Avery in Kerrville. I’ve heard about their jewelry for a while, and since I was in the area, I figured, why not? This place is their main hub, where they design and make all that shiny stuff.

First off, I drove to their campus. It’s pretty big, about 20 acres, and it’s all done up in this Texas stone building style. It looks really nice, sitting up on a hillside. When I got there, I headed straight for the visitors center. I had thought that I could enter the jewelry workshop and watch them making jewelry, but the staff told me that it was not open to the public due to safety reasons. What a pity!
But in the visitor center, there is a retail store, and they’ve got a little museum-type section set up. So, I walked around there for a bit, checking out the history of the company. They had some old tools and stuff on display, which was kind of cool. They talked about how each piece of jewelry is priced based on its design, the work that goes into it, and the materials used. Apparently, because they do a lot of detailed work by hand, like casting and polishing, each item can be a bit different in weight.
Then, I spent some time in the retail shop. They have tons of jewelry, all made right there in Kerrville. I was looking at some of their unique designs. I didn’t buy anything this time, but it was neat to see the variety.
After that, I decided to explore Kerrville a bit more. I ended up at the Museum of Western Art. It was a nice little break from the jewelry world, and I got to see some impressive sculptures and paintings.
Overall, it was a nice day trip. Visiting James Avery’s headquarters was interesting, even though I didn’t end up buying any jewelry. And the museum was a bonus. If you’re ever in the Texas Hill Country, it’s worth stopping by Kerrville. There’s more to do there than you might think!
