Jeffrey Burroughs, the owner of Jeffrey, a fine jewelry store in the River Arts District, couldn’t be happier to have traded the high traffic of the Big Apple for champagne on a porch at 5 p.m. in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“Even though I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years, I’ve never really had a space where you can just come inside and shop,” they said. “When you step into [my store], you’re transported from the River Arts District and into this little jewel box.”
Burroughs’ artistry is multifaceted. After graduating from the North Carolina School for the Arts, they worked with a famous playwright in New York to create the first EcoTheatre — a genre focused on environmental-themed content and sustainability practices. Then, after mentoring with a renowned jewelry designer, they decided to focus on building a clientele for their own brand of custom jewelry.
Now an established artist in Asheville, Burroughs brings their experience, creativity and thoughtfulness to the custom pieces they create for Jeffrey. Inside their store, you to can feel the influence of New York — the feeling of endless possibilities.
“New York gave me so much,” Burroughs said. “It created the artist that I am.”
Burroughs’ collections span centuries, with sets like their Ancient Future collection inspired by ancient objects acquired through personal acquisitions, museums and liquidations. Burroughs researches techniques from the ancient artifact period and uses similar techniques to recreate the artifact through inspired jewelry.
“It’s one of my favorite collections because it’s just so unique in its representation,” they said. “We use a lot of ancient history and symbolism and then bring a little bit of modernity to it.”
There’s even more to see in Burroughs’ Everyday Luxe collection, which features diamond jewelry sets also made with moissanite, a more affordable gem than your average diamond; Estate collection, which features curated vintage pieces; and custom jewelry, where they design original pieces from sketches or create adaptations of your heirloom jewelry.
“As a queer individual who struggled a lot with identity and acceptance, I always say the most important thing that happens is when anyone leaves [my store], whether they’ve bought something or not, they need to leave feeling special, seen, and beautiful,,” Burroughs said.
For Burroughs, jewelry isn’t just about shopping — it’s about cultivating and finding your community. That’s why they’re the president of the River Arts District Artists (RADA). Through RADA, they have worked to support a nonprofit to help secure the district’s future as a hub for artists and scholarship opportunities to help offset the cost of artist spaces, as it’s becoming increasingly unaffordable for emerging artists to showcase themselves in the city.
“Jewelry is meant to be enjoyed and experienced,” Burroughs said. “I care about people being able to be represented and have a space here.”
For customers looking to find their community, Burroughs welcomes them into their store to find a fragrance, discover a new piece of bling, or hang out during their inviting Champagne & Shopping days every Friday and Saturday from 5-7 p.m. You can also venture out of the jewel box to their newly opened downtown Gallery Mélange, which Burroughs opened with contemporary abstract minimalist artists Mark Bettis and Victoria Pinney at 67 Biltmore Ave. in downtown Asheville.
