Avery in the News

James Avery is Texans’ Top Choice For Jewelry

Texas Jeweler Receives Readers’ Top Choice Awards in Austin, Houston and San Antonio

KERRVILLE, Texas – November 29, 2005 — With one in every ten holiday shoppers buying jewelry as gifts this holiday season*, many Texans will head to James Avery Craftsman, a family-owned jeweler based in the Texas Hill Country, to purchase the perfect gift according to three Texas-based newspapers. James Avery was recently named the top jeweler of 2005 in Austin, Houston and San Antonio by readers of The Daily Texan, Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News.

James Avery differs from many other fine jewelers in that the company designs, creates, markets and sells its own jewelry line from its headquarters in Kerrville and five jewelry workshops located throughout Texas. With annual sales at approximately $85 million, the company employs more than 1,300 people nationally, 1,179 people in the state of Texas – and these numbers increase significantly during the busy holiday season. The company was also ranked as one of the nation’s top 50 jewelers in 2004 by National Jeweler Magazine.

“We’d like to thank every one of our Texas customers for their wonderful support and patronage,” said Chris Avery, president and chief operating officer. “Since we first opened our doors in the Texas hill country more than half a century ago, our philosophy has always been to help each customer feel at home with warm hospitality and attentive personal service.”

Annual individual reader polls were conducted by The Daily Texan, a publication of the University of Texas at Austin, the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News and published between June and November 2005. Poll results can be found at: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/ in the UTmost Gifts special edition, http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/special/05/ultimate/index.html and http://www2.mysanantonio.com/specials/readerschoice/winners.cfm.

Anita Meeks, a Houston voter said, “My family has been buying from (James Avery) since I was a little girl. I can look at my jewelry or charms and remember when, who and what it was for. It is a great way to preserve memories.”

James Avery jewelry includes hand-crafted designs in silver, 14- and 18-karat gold and gemstones. Stores are currently showcasing new holiday jewelry in classic and contemporary designs, including Athena and Fountain Chandelier Ear Posts, an Aegean Weave Link Bracelet, Pearl and Onyx Necklace and Ear Posts and a Vintage Onyx Ring.

James Avery operates three retail locations in Austin, nine in Houston and six in San Antonio. Nationally, James Avery operates 39 stores in Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma and Colorado. Store locations can be found at www.jamesavery.com/store-locations.

About James Avery

James Avery, a family-owned jeweler in the Texas Hill Country, offers hand-crafted jewelry in sterling silver, white, 14- and 18-karat gold and gemstones. Based in Kerrville, Texas, James Avery maintains 1,100 designs and 14,000 separate combinations of jewelry designs, materials, and sizes in the active product line. Each piece is originated by skilled men and women who hand-craft jewelry in the James Avery design studio on the Kerrville campus. Each is then crafted at one of five hill country workshops. James Avery operates 39 stores in Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma and Colorado. James Avery jewelry is available at retail stores, through mail order and on the internet at www.jamesavery.com.

* The study, "Shopping in America: Holiday 2005," was conducted by August Partners for The Macerich Company.