AVANT GARDE | Fine Jewelry and Unique Gifts

Needed to have a vintage heirloom ring inspected, nephew is giving as engagement ring to girlfriend. Needed to ensure ring was in good condition and looked it's best. Took to another shop in Austin, they recommended replacing the main diamond head with more prongs (prongs were worn down and diamond might fall out - $234 and 2 weeks quoted). Found Avant Garde here on Angie's list - no pun intended but this is a diamond in the rough! Jeweler looked over ring carefully, diamond was solid in the current setting and since it was a smaller diamond a larger head setting (as deemed necessary by other jeweler) was not necessary and would actually take away from the overall look of the ring. He recommended current prongs be "re-tipped" to build them up and strengthen them for the long haul. They also polished and cleaned the ring and it just sparkles. Paid much less and it only took them two days! Actual jeweler even talked with me about the work afterward to explain exactly what he did - it came out beautifully. I felt totally comfortable with Avant Garde and the work they performed - they did a great job at a reasonable price. I highly recommend this shop.

Brian explained exactly what was needed to repair the ring. We left it with him and in a couple days we received a phone call to let us know what the cost would be for all repairs. When we picked it up we were amazed at the beauty the repairs and proper cleaning made. Small side diamonds that could hardly be seen before were now visible; it is a beautiful piece of art that I am delighted to wear. Two weeks later Brian then worked with us to help us choose a new center diamond for my engagement ring, an anniversary gift from my husband. When you work with Brian you never feel rushed, he is very knowledgeable and shares interesting and valuable information, helping us to feel that we made the best possible decision in our choice and we stayed right on budget.

When I walked into Brian's shop I had just lost my mother a couple of days before and was hoping to wear her wedding band to her memorial in a couple of days. Brian said he would have it ready to wear the day before the memorial and it was. It was slightly too big and Brian refused payment until I brought it back in and it was perfect. Then he refused payment altogether in sympathy for me and I believe thankfulness of having his own mother still such a vital presence in his own life. I have to say I typically don't trust jewelers further than I can throw them, sorry Brian, but I think I found one of the good ones. I will be going back even though I live in Wimberley.

Brian did a great job and the rings looked great (and fitted!) when I picked them up. I will definitely use him again.

Best shopping experience of my life! Brian is passionate about his job. His positive energy reflects in every aspect of the shopping experience. I thought shopping for an engagement ring was going to be a nightmare. Brian made it a pleasurable experience and he taught me some stuff in the process.

It went really well. Brian is very busy and yet took the time to explain to us in detail the process of redesigning my wedding set. He also explained why the diamonds in it as it is now may get loose easily. We looked at diamond stud earrings and he explained the quality and difference of each set we saw. His employees were all very professional and kind. Great place to buy/design/repair jewelry. We are going back to complete the wedding set redesign.

They measured my finger and we decided upon the size we thought would be best. They did an excellent job of making my rings larger - you can't even tell they were enlarged. After wearing the rings for 24 hours, I felt that they were still a little tight, so I returned to have them enlarge them just a little more. They were so easy to work with, and accommodating to my needs. The rings were ready the next day, at no additional cost. They told me to wear them a few more days to ensure they are the right size. They are professional, knowledgeable and very interested in making sure I'm satisfied. Wonderful customer service!

I left my white gold wedding band and engagement ring with them to get sized up a half size. They looked great when I picked them up, and because they use a laser soldering method, I couldn't see where the sizing was done. The rings were ready 3 days after I dropped them off. I'll go back if I need another jewelry repair.

Brian and Tamara came to my rescue to remove my wedding ring from a swollen finger. I called a few minutes ahead for directions and when I arrived Tamara had an icewater bath ready for my hand. Brian quickly, expertly, cut the ring and put it into a little bag and when I asked the charge, there was none. He did not press for me to come back there to have the ring fixed but said he could do it. I loved not being pressured. I adored the personal service, professionalism, caring attitude, and obvious mastery of craft. Best of all, I was not made to feel like a total idiot by some snobby high pressure type. I spent nothing, but felt I was treated as the most important customer ever. Wow. You bet I will be bringing that ring and other jewelry in to have things fixed up. The name is Avant-Garde but the service is as old-fashioned and wonderful as it gets.

See above, it all went very well. Highly recommend Brian's services.

The ring looks great and fits just right. They had to make it less round (more oval) to achieve a better fit.

Please see above. It was extremely pleasant speaking with Brian!

After 19 years of daily wear and tear, my two-tone wedding band was broken at the connection between the white and yellow gold, and the little diamond in between was about to fall out. I was not sure if the repair could be done easily, because a jeweler in Germany (where the ring was bought) told me that they needed at least 3 weeks to fix the ring. But Brian, Avant-Garde's owner, told me that he knew the perfect jeweler to make the repair. After just one week my wedding band was fixed, and he was even able to widen it a smidgen, without destroying the inscription on the inside of my ring! My ring was also polished and it looks brand-new and beautiful. I am very happy with the result! My overall experience was excellent, everybody at Avant-Garde is very friendly and helpful and I will recommend them to all my friends.

My husband purchased an engagement ring from a local jewelry store. After about four years from the time we purchased this ring, we went back to purchase wedding guards (or bands) that match the ring. Apparently, the New York jewelry company was still in business but no longer making rings and did not have the molds so I need to have custom bands made. I began my search by thoroughly researching Austin jewelers and I then interviewed four local jewelers. I was very impressed with Avant-Garde's owner, Brian, and his jeweler Rudolph, and felt that I would be in good hands after meeting with them. They met with me and talked in great detail about what I wanted/the design work as well as the quality and craftmanship that they would execute. The entire staff at Avant-Garde jewelers is friendly, professional and courteous. They delivered a magnificent product. My rings are even more beautiful than I could imagine. I had to put a lot of trust into their work and I'm so happy that I did. I recommend them without hesitation, and I'll definitely be a repeat customer.

Brian Hoover has always been extremely honest and helpful. He's great at helping us find beautiful jewelry at a great price. We will continue to use Avant-Garde Jewelers in the future. They are the most authentic and dependable jewelers we know! Thanks Avant-Garde Jewelers!!!

The ring was not ready on the day promised and he did not call to explain. Had to wait a few days before he ever called back in response to our phone calls. When we finally got the ring back, he had re-set two of the birthstones next to the wrong baby's name and we had to take it back and ask him to re-do it. Then, about 4 months later one of the stones he had re-done fell out. Very unhappy.

They have been very friendly, accommodating and professional. Excellent service from the beginning to the end. Answered all our questions and made us feel very comfortable handing over my wife's engagment ring. Had the sizing and repairs complete on time. Superior quality of work, great customer service and a pleasure to work with. I am recommending him to everybody I know who needs jewelry repair/modification.

I brought my wedding ring (26 years old) and my 20th anniversary ring in to have the settings checked and get a regular cleaning. Our jeweler (and creator of the rings!), Brian Hoover, looked them over carefully and showed me where I had a couple of loose stones in the wedding ring channel cut smaller stones and one of the side diamonds on the anniversary ring had a small amount of movement in the setting. He asked to take the rings to his repair specialist over the weekend and I would get them back early the next week in time for a family portrait sitting I had scheduled. When I called on Monday, Brian said they were ready and that I was going to be amazed. I certainly was! His repair person had totally redone the setting prongs on the anniversary ring, correcting a small shadow that the previous setting had always cast, and making it more brilliant than ever. The wedding ring had been buffed to a high shine and he had re-textured the white gold detailing of the ring and tightened the channel cut so that the small stones were secure. They both looked brand new! I practically had to force Brian to take payment for all of the work that had been done, since I knew he had paid his repair person and he had gone above and beyond. The cost was minimal compared to the transformation of my two most important pieces of jewelry.

Service was great! It took one week, and I believe I paid a very fair price.

Couldn't have gone to a better jeweler! Bryan is friendly, informative and a true expert when it comes to jewels and jewelry. I took the ring in on Thursday and it was ready by Monday. I would (and will) recommend Avant-Garde Jewelers to friends and family.

When I left the earrings to be repaired I was leaving on a trip. I knew I could leave the earrings for an undetermined amount of time and that the repairs would be finished when I returned. Brian Hoover has made and repaired jewelry for me for over 15 years. His work is of the highest quality and his integrity is unparalled.

The owner took a look at the rings and immediately bent the prong back in to place to secure the center stone. Said he couldn't charge us for it in good conscience because the work was so simple! Unreal! We left two wedding bands to be re-sized... one stretched to a larger size, and the other one compressed down to a smaller size. The work was done in less than a week. Avant Garde is a great local family business. Friendliest folks you'll ever meet. No reason to go anywhere else for jewelry repair.

We were looking for a watch to give my daughter for her college graduation. We had been all over the internet and found many, but didn't really know much about it and were a little hesitant to spend a large sum on something from the internet. So, I looked up jewelers on Angie's List and found that Avant Garde had a great reputation and were close to my home, so I contacted them Bryan, the owner of Avant Garde was savvy, found a beautiful watch for us, made all changes we asked, educated us about what to look for and had the watch ready for us exactly when he said he would. The price we paid, including a fee for Avant Garde was no more than we would have paid to get something from the internet, but we got much more service and support. He is great.

Walked in and had two rings inspected. We agreed on price and timing. Everything went according to our discussion.

My mother passed away and so her rings came to my wife. They were very small. It was the owner and his mother. They were very gracious and did so much. It was a lot less than we expected. We then had another ring done and had batteries changed in watches and all kinds of stuff. They are helpful and friendly. They are willing to go the extra mile. I would use them again and again. You can trust them and they do absolutely outstanding work. They complete it even ahead of time.