Come closer. What can I tell you about young one?
The Mission
Why do we exist? We believe that each piece of art (and jewelry in specific) should not only exude beauty but also carry the power to inspire and heal. We believe that jewelry can become vessels for empowering narratives and building intergenerational connections. We also bring attention to caring for the Earth community, not only the human community.
How do we act on our beliefs? By investing in enduring materials and thoughtful design. We intend that each piece becomes a timeless heirloom worthy of passing down through the ages, and so we follow our principles of new-generational jewelry (see, “The Art” below), as well as acting to reduce waste, and localize our supply chain as much as possible.
What do we really do? We make jewelry that is durable, beautiful, intentional, and meant to last for generations.
The Art
NEW-GENERATIONAL JEWELRY is the bread and butter of Austin Kent Art.
New-generational jewelry can be defined as such:
Durable enough to last generations and be worth passing down from mother to daughter, grandfather to grandson, and so on. The wear and tear of time only making it more beautiful, each scuff a story, a connection.
Beautiful enough to be worth admiring.
Abstract enough to leave room for each person to create their own story about what the jewelry means to them.
Austin Kent Art creates artifacts shaped from molten metal by the hands and souls of craftspeople. When you inherit an intentionally crafted piece from Austin Kent Art, you know it's ready to be lived with, loved, and passed on when the time is right.
The Artist
Austin Kent was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. The land he inhabits is the ancestral land of the still present Ute, Northern Arapahoe, Comanche, and numerous other tribes. Austin's ancestors have been in Colorado for many generations, and came from England, Germany, and Ireland primarily.
Drawn to visual art from a young age, Austin continued exploring and winding his way through the world of art, until wandering into jewelry. Austin started with wire wrapped jewelry, and quickly moved into lost wax casting. While he does work with metal, Austin does not consider himself a metalsmith, and instead describes himself as a jewelry designer, since the design of new pieces is what lights him up, and where he puts much of his energy.
Austin intends to honor the wildness that we all hold, and to amplify this using his art. He is animistic in his beliefs, and strives to honor the lifeforce in all things. He knows that humans are a critical member in the Earth community, alongside all plant, animal, fungal, mineral, and the like, and so puts an emphasis on respecting all the beings that contribute to the work he does, and to the materials he uses.
Beyond visual art, Austin is also a certified breathwork facilitator. Breathwork is a continual part of Austin's creative process, and also something he loves to share with others through classes and journeys.
Sometimes overly serious, Austin has a go to motto gifted to him by a friend; "It's not always the deep end, bro." Returning to the joy of creating that got him into this work in the first place, is a daily practice.
FAQ
- Tell me more about "made to order" pieces.
Most pieces from Austin Kent Art are made to order. To minimize waste, we cast once per week, meaning anytime you put in an order for a made to order piece, your order will be cast, finished, and shipped 2 weeks from the proceeding Sunday.
- You say you make your jewelry "sturdy". What makes it so sturdy compared to other jewelry?
All jewelry designed at Austin Kent Art follows two basic design principles that make it sturdy enough to last generations.
First; while some jewelry from other makers are made with a base metal (like brass or tin) coated in a fine metal (like silver or gold), no pieces from Austin Kent Art use coating or plating. This means what you see is what you get. We like this, because it means you'll NEVER have the issue of an Austin Kent Art original wearing down, and revealing a different color underneath.
Second; Our pieces are almost always monolithic, meaning we design and cast each piece as one solid piece of metal. This means there's little to no soldering, and therefore less points for possible failure as the years wear on.