AUSTIN: Shaesby Scott
Shaesby, 512.453.7671
Shaesby.com
How did you come to be a jewelry designer?
I pursued a fine arts degree with a concentration in Sculpture. After graduating college at Colorado State University, I moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I was inspired by the way jewelry adorned the cultures of South Americans past and present. I began to work on my first collection 15 years ago.
What influences your designs?
The organic forms found in nature, architecture, fine art and experiences from travel, friends and family.
What makes your designs fresh, different, unique or classic?
My passion for creating jewelry is derived from my own journey and experiences. I approach it as an art form, not to be influenced by trends. I am proud that our jewelry is made in our Austin studio by expert craftsman with only the best materials and methods. Our first unique pieces are still as relevant and timeless today as the day they were made.
What is your signature jewelry piece that you always wear?
My wedding band and belt buckle — of my own design.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
That it is not a job, but a life’s passion. Waking up every day excited about what is on the horizon and what we will create next. I have the best team of people that I consider family.
Where are your pieces available?
Eliza Page, Anna Gray and Neiman Marcus. Online through these fine retailers, others and on my own website.
Jodi Brownstein
Jodi Rae Designs, 773.330.5222
Jodiraedesigns.com
How did you come to be a jewelry designer?
I have been designing, making and selling jewelry since I was 8 years old. My Mom and Grandma used to take me to gem shows a couple times a year — three generations on the hunt for treasures. I started collecting beads and spent hours making jewelry and barrettes out of anything I could get my hands on. I began selling to stores in my neighboring town and throwing jewelry parties for friends and family…and the rest is history. Jodi Rae Designs was born in 2000.
What influences your designs?
My most obvious inspiration is the stones… unique, rare, different. I love the hunt for the most beautiful of Mother Nature’s creations. I seek out stones that strike me with a force. It must be beautifully cut, polished and composed. Then I open myself up to what will accentuate its already spectacular beauty, not compete.
What makes your designs fresh, different, unique or classic?
I am told I have a very recognizable style… bold, strong and unique. I use a lot of circular elements stamped with my unique patterns. My stone selections also stand out as I have a very particular eye for composition and balance in my stones, as well as in the way my pieces lay on the body. I love creating opportunities for versatility in my work, so all of my necklaces have adjustable lengths, can be layered up, stacked and worn day or night.
What is your signature jewelry piece that you always wear?
I am almost always wearing my Labradorite Joy Necklace and a big chunky Sunstone Double Stack Ring. And if I am wearing jewelry, it is 99.99% of the time of my creation.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is two-fold. First is the act of creation — working with my hands in a very physical and concrete way, playing with fire, hammers and tools, and experiencing a piece coming together. Second is the love of the connection with my customers. I have a lot of customers that have been collecting my pieces for years.
Where are your pieces available?
Eliza Page in Austin and on my own website.
SAN ANTONIO: Elizabeth Herff
Hazel Smyth, 210.573.6517
Hazelsmyth.com
How did you come to be a jewelry designer?
I’ve always created things, starting in my teens. In college, I made clay jewelry and for a couple of years after I had children, I designed and produced an evening wear line. But eventually, I decided I needed to create and grow with a business like jewelry because I could start small and (in the early days) do 100% of the production myself. San Antonio’s Southwest School of Art taught me all about jewelry construction — casting, mold makings, metalsmithing, etc. This gave me a great start on how to make original, handmade jewelry. Hazel Smyth started in 2004.
What influences your designs?
Travel, art museums, interior design and architecture.
What makes your designs fresh, different, unique or classic?
Each Hazel Smyth style contains a hand-cast piece, made by me out of wax or clay. Each original piece falls into a collection, and I try to come up with fresh, current, clean-lined, yet classic ideas for each collection. I always try to make something for everyone — big and small pieces, gold and gemstone pieces, trendy and more classic pieces.
What is your signature jewelry piece that you always wear?
The newest necklace pendant is what I always wear, so right now it’s the Medium Klecks Pendant. It is my own design, of course!
What’s your favorite part of your job?
I love finding the perfect new idea — clean lines, contemporary, yet classic — for a new collection and then brainstorming on all the different sizes and shapes I’ll need to design to create charms, pendants, hoop earrings, stud earrings, rings, bracelets, (etc!).
Where are your pieces available?
In San Antonio: Baker Tatum, Lee Lee and Meadow; in Dallas: Blue Print and Reveal; in the Hill Country: Camp Verde General Store and Lunamor; and on my own website. I’m also in about 25 other stores in 14 other states across the country, and growing!
Carroll Dorsey Walker
Carroll Dorsey Walker, 210.643.0888
Carrolldorseywalker.com
How did you come to be a jewelry designer?
I have always loved being around beautiful things, and gemstones and minerals created from Mother Earth are the most beautiful of all. I can spend days looking at beads. I have been creating jewelry for 18 years now.
What influences your designs?
My goal is to make an impact by combining large gemstones and semi-precious stones in one piece. I don’t think dainty is in my category — my style is big, bold and dramatic.
What makes your designs fresh, different, unique or classic?
I design for the woman who is pretty confident with herself. My designs are not tiny…they usually are pretty bold. They are for a woman who wants to be noticed. My clientele reaches so many age groups, from college girls going through rush, to the gentry set that attends charity balls many times a year, to working women who want to liven up their wardrobe in the boardroom.
What is your signature jewelry piece that you always wear?
My favorite piece of jewelry is a necklace and cross that I made out of the most beautiful Peruvian Opal I have ever seen. It’s like looking into the Caribbean Ocean.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is hearing about the many compliments from my customers when they wear my jewelry!
Where are your pieces available?
Hanley-Woods in San Antonio, at my home studio and on my own website.