Austin & Elkins of Old Town Ltd

Austin & Elkins was established in 1987 to regain what had been lost to the Washington D.C area. The day of the personal jeweler and of boutiques that offered unique jewelry with unparalleled service was gone. Replaced by mass merchandisers, unoriginal thinking and commercial quality, purchasing jewelry in the Washington area was frequently buyer beware and an anxious rather than a beautiful and exciting experience.

Located in Old Town, the heart of the metro area, Austin & Elkins restores the promise of fine jewelry of uncompromising quality, with personal service at reasonable and realistic prices.

Robin Austin, with 30 years of industry experience, invites you to visit this elegantly styled boutique. A warm and inviting environment, it is the perfect setting to lavish in fine jewelry and choose your engagement ring, reward yourself with a special treasure or to select a gift for someone special.

Featuring the area’s finest master goldsmith and specializing in 18 karat gold and platinum, we have brought together one of the best collections of engagement and wedding, fashion jewelry with what we believe is the best custom design and redesign available in the area.

Services

Jewelry repair services
Austin & Elkins offers the finest jewelry repair services in the area. Our master goldsmith is well enough respected to handle some of the most special repairs from other Washington area jewelry galleries. But experience and excellence doesn’t need to come at the highest prices. Our repair services are competitive with any in the area. We clean, polish, and recondition your dear pieces and can prepare an estimate for most work the moment we see the piece.

Engraving
Engraving by hand was almost a lost art. We offer hand engraving services (only) with either block or script lettering. This elegant way to personalize a gentleman’s signet ring, or to add a sentiment to a wedding band, is without comparison.

Restoration of heirloom pieces
Restoration of heirloom pieces is a special challenge few jewelers are prepared to address. Transforming a 100 year old brooch into a contemporary pair of earrings or restoring grandmother’s engagement ring so you can wear it as your own cannot be left to the inexperienced. We can show you examples that demonstrate the flexibility of our approach to design. This is often very emotional area for our clients so we, too, invest our hearts into the process of preserving and restoring your priceless family heirlooms.

Appraisals
We contract with top industry certified appraisers to provide you with an accurate and descriptive account of your personal collection. Our appraisals are complete and include a photograph along with hard and soft copies of the document. Our fees for this service are hourly, and because we are efficient, we believe our pricing is among the most competitive. Future updates of your Austin & Elkins appraisals are simple because we maintain a record of your pieces on file, allowing us to review and update quickly and inexpensively.

Re-stringing
We offer re-stringing of pearls and beads as well as a unique collection of 18 karat clasps in case you are looking to jazz up an heirloom set of pearls or beads.

Watch repair and reconditioning
watch repair and reconditioning is outsourced to certified craftsmen and to the original manufacturer to maintain the accuracy and condition of your timepiece. Estimates are available in person only, and are updated once your time piece is assessed by the manufacturer.