Handmade for Urban Outfitters

When Early Jewelry says “handmade,” we mean it in the fullest sense. Every wire is cut, bent, and polished by hand, including ear wires, necklace clasps, and jump rings in Lawrence, KS by our small crew of workers. By hand-building the pieces, we can ensure the highest quality and durability at each stage of production.

This is true even of major orders; for example, in October of 2007, Urban Outfitters ordered a total of 6,000 pieces, to be delivered in phases from the end of November to mid-December. The workshop became a factory. Jewelry-making stations were set up all over the house. Early Jewelry’s small team worked overtime, every weekend, until the order was completed.

Even during this time, when our small crew was stressed to the max, we kept up these high quality standards. Every single one of those 6,000 pieces was still made from start to finish by hand; wires were cut and sanded, bone pieces were matched up two by two, ear wires and clasps were bent as carefully and conscientiously as always.

In this era of mechanization and mass production, Early Jewelry is proud to offer its creations, made in the spirit of true artisan craftmanship.

My family was forced to help sort beads & sand wires at our Thanksgiving Day meal for the Urban order, which I hosted intentionally to have their help. My niece Leah gave us orders, but eventually got bored with the whole ordeal.