Avert Adornments, a handmade jewelry business was founded in 2017 by Lindsay Williams. The name, an homage to Williams’ maternal grandmother Treva, is spelled backwards as Avert. The business is dedicated to both of Williams’ grandmothers. The riot of colors and patterns pay tribute to Carol, Williams’ paternal grandmother while the love of fashion and style came from Treva. The business’ tagline, “Big Earrings, Bigger Joy,” encourages the love that is underpinning this business.
Williams took jewelry fabrication classes at the Toledo Museum of Art. Her previous employment at Toledo School for the Arts (TSA), allowed her to discover her creative side, putting the class lessons to use making jewelry, particularly statement earrings. “A big earring makes you feel powerful. I like things that introduce fun into an outfit.” Avert’s recent collection, “Coffee Date,” created in collaboration with Williams’ husband Brad Scherzer, uses a new marbling and laser cutting technique. Williams has attended jewelry shows in Nashville, Plymouth, MI, and, more recently, at the Makers Mart in Handmade Toledo.
Apart from his collaboration on the “Coffee Date” collection, Brad Scherzer, a Toledo native, is currently a full time art teacher at Fremont Ross High School. A long history as a painter led him to teaching in the Young Artists at Work program (YAAW) where he turned to murals and large scale interactive installations.Â
Lindsay and Brad are both passionate about helping other creatives and students to unlock their potential. One of Lindsay’s projects, the Story Nook, is “an 8 by 24 foot story book funded by the Arts Commission. We hired a TSA creative writing class to write the book, a local artist for the illustrations and a local theater set designer to build the book…I just love bringing people together,” she explained, adding “Art is fun and doesn’t have to be so serious.”
Avert Adornments celebrated its fifth anniversary in December and Lindsay’s goal is to continue to expand into new markets and pursue other collaborative projects. “I push the limits of size, color and style. It’s a creative outlet and I want to keep it fun.”
