Hawkins Bucklew Handcrafted Jewelry Designs

Friends and supporters toasted Hawkins Bucklew Handcrafted Jewelry Designs' new line of custom jewelry during Austin Fashion Week on Apr. 26 at Cru Wine Bar in the Domain.

Hawkins Bucklew Handcrafted Jewelry Designs officially launched its new line of custom jewelry during Austin Fashion Week. Owner Sheila Hawkins-Bucklew and her daughter, Chelsea, hosted a Sip and Shop event on Saturday, Apr. 26, at Cru Wine Bar in the Domain. It was a chance for friends and supporters to preview the line and have the first opportunity to add one-of-a-kind pieces to their personal collections.

“First and foremost, the Sip and Shop is a celebration!” Sheila said emphatically. For artists, presenting new work is always a reason to celebrate. Sheila and Chelsea, who is a designer and HBHD’s social media director, did not celebrate alone. Friends and supporters toasted. Udy Harper, Sheila’s hairstylist, was among those present and said that Sheila is a “people person with a sharp business mind.” Harper won the first giveaway at the Sip and Shop, a gift certificate for Caesars nail Spa – Domain.

In addition to fabulous door prizes, Sip and Shop guests were treated to their choice of sparkling cocktails and mouth-watering delicacies, such as mini filets mignon, crab cakes and Margherita pizza slices. The energy in the room was jovial. Leonard Hill, a friend of Sheila’s, said that the occasion was very fitting because she has been so motivated to make it happen. He noted that Sheila consistently innovates ways to achieve her goals.

What makes Hawkins Bucklew Handcrafted Jewelry Designs unique among jewelry lines is its driving force: Sheila Hawkins-Bucklew, who is a model entrepreneur for young people of color who may stand in the need of additional support and encouragement.

I want to help girls understand that they have options. Investing in the entrepreneurial dream of a young girl and offering the support she needs gives her options.

 

“I have my own experience to look back on,” Sheila explains. “I know what it’s like to be told what I could and could not do. I also know what it’s like to have to fend for yourself as an only girl child with two brothers.” Sheila noted that having her daughter, Chelsea, looking to her as a model was also a powerful motivation to press past the obstacles and challenges and make it happen.

Sheila’s company is part of her mission to create a pathway for Chelsea and other girls in the community to follow, which Chelsea is clearly doing as a designer. “I want to help girls understand that they have options. Investing in the entrepreneurial dream of a young girl and offering the support she needs gives her options.”

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Launching her new line during Austin Fashion Week brings Sheila full circle. As a young girl, she admired Coco Chanel’s business savvy and took note of the fact the she wore trousers at a time when it was not acceptable for “a real lady” to do so. Sheila’s pathway from jewelry making to professional jeweler included several stints in the corporate world. She recalls one instance when a young man was hired to begin performing the exact job she was very well established in—at a higher rate of pay. That left her reflecting once again on Coco Chanel’s savvy.

One of the gifts raffled at Austin Fashion Week’s RISE brunch was a chain link design that Sheila made with vintage Chanel chain imported from Paris. Sheila considers the design process as a creative expression of her spiritual journey. No doubt, when offering such a special piece to the raffle, it was almost as if Sheila could hear Coco whispering in her ear, “You, dear, have options.”

Hawkins Bucklew Handcrafted Jewelry Designs is available for private showings. Pricing is from $30 to $200, intentionally made accessible to all those of like mind who desire to make a difference with every purchase.

 

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