No. Austin does not own the business. We do not want to mislead anyone. Many assume it is Austin's business. Austin has guardians and conservators. This was carefully decided by a court. His mother, Leigh Wear, founded and owns 100%. Austin is the reason for the business and without him Austin's WearABLEs would not exist. Austin is a creative being and an artist. Beading jewelry is a therapeutic activity and behavior management strategy for Austin. He needs this activity. But it is not gainful employment. Austin's WearABLEs allows beading, a leisure/hobby activity, which is also a behavior management tactic affordability. Moreover, it gives him dignity, and a sense of purpose and pride. Individuals who are artists, to include writers, designers, actors, musicians, an "idea" person; anyone who is creative, the absolute NEED to create is important to the soul. Without the opportunity to create an encompassing deprivation is felt. Beading gives Austin the freedom to work with colors, sizes, and patterns. He feels dignity that he can pay back the organizations that have provided him with so much. him to pay back". Austin loves to gift his jewelry to individuals. Austin receives 100% supervision and some assistance from his "craft challenged" mother. Leigh also has a strong creative streak but has never liked or been skilled with crafts. Leigh performs all business operations and helps Austin when she can. Often when discussing the business, the pronoun "we" is used regardless of financials and legalities. I enjoy spending time with Austin, seeing him happy and watching his creative mind at work. No, he does not own the business but is the foundation. We have experienced many medical issues for the past two years. We have hopes for bigger and better things, but at this time we are a hobby business. This is not gainful employment for Austin. It does fill a very important need.

A puzzle piece is a well-known symbol for autism spectrum disorder. When Austin started making jewelry with beads, his favorite color was yellow. After he selected yellow, we learned that yellow symbolizes HOPE. Perfect! Why does logo take different forms? Austin's WearABLEs has always used the yellow puzzle piece with the purple and teal beads strung over. His jewelry hasn't changed. Our business colors are incorporated. Our customers recognize it and we like it. Austin's FIDGETS is represented by a yellow puzzle piece with big friendly eyes and grin. Austin created this character himself. He worked through several drafts. When finished a graphic artist made the features symmetrical bring it to life. Austin named him Zowie, as in, and rhymes with Wow-E. He's fun and not going away. What is the other symbol? (AKA You have a branding issue!) Maybe, but I needed to address an important issue in the autism community. For some the puzzle piece is objectional and the rainbow infinity symbol is preferred. To give a full, reasoned explanation requires an essay. (I intend to post a blog entry.) I firmly believe the puzzle piece is the most appropriate symbol for autism and autism awareness. The puzzle piece has never been a symbol for a person with autism, but for the complexity and many unknowns about Autism Spectrum Disorder. Nonetheless, we acknowledge the chosen symbol of some individuals with autism. Zowie, the smiling puzzle piece, with a base of rainbow-colored beads that form the infinity symbol is an attempt to include both ideas and both sides of the issue.

Austin is always supervised and encouraged to stay on task. If he needs a break, he is accommodated. When customers have asked for specific designs or replicas of previous designs, the assistance is greater. When making an original design, Austin decides bead color(s). Because we have thousands of beads in inventory, often Mom narrows the choices, but the final decision is made by Austin. There are occasions that Austin recalls specific beads he used previously and matches to new beads. When he goes to a bead or craft store, he chooses something(s) he likes. He uses a design board allowing him to make his pattern. Symmetry and creating patterns is important and fun for Austin; he loves math and it gives opportunity to practice basic math skills. In an unconventional way, he is beginning to learn division. Sometimes, he enjoys "freestyle" and those look terrific. He enjoys helping package, apply labels and adding his own touch before shipping . He is in charge of being sure the packages make it to the mail (with prompts and supervision). He assists with social media: he loves reading comments and seeing "likes". Absolutely, Austin receives some assistance with assembling jewelry, but as time goes by learns to perform more of the steps on his own. Leigh, mom, helps with jewelry, but truly does not like or is good at crafting. If Austin lays out a complicated earring pattern that requires help with adding beads, those go unmade. As with it all, we do our best and learn as we go.

Yes! Typically, bracelets are best for custom work. Austin loves to make people happy and being able to create a piece you love, is a big deal for him. Send us an email with some details and your wrist size... We have a lot of charms, if you have that interest. We will reply letting you know if it is a good match for his skill set, if we have or can get the materials and any clarifying questions. We will provide you with a price quote. Our prices are reasonable, but never have concern with rejecting. A photo of the finished piece will be sent to you. You can request changes. There is no obligation to purchase. Our 100% happiness guarantee still applies.

Some information about materials As Austin's talent has improved, so have the quality of his beads. We are as transparent as possible in product descriptions. Austin uses many types of beads. Most often the price of an item reflects the cost/quality of the beads and other materials used. In some cases, however, it may reflect the amount of time used to create. Some of the more common types of beads used by Austin are semi-precious gemstones. These gemstones are pieces of mineral crystal cut, shaped, and polished. Some rocks, such as lapis lazuli, opal, and some organic materials that are not minerals are used in jewelry and therefore frequently considered to be gemstones. There are different quality levels. We search for beads that meet the size, shape and finish needed and purchase the highest quality that is both beautiful and cost-efficient allowing our jewelry to remain affordable. We splurge on some semi-precious stones. Size, quality, rarity, and cut are reflected in the price. To the best of our knowledge stones and minerals are authentic if presented as such. We have worked to find reliable suppliers and have a few novice tests we use. If a supplier has been dishonest and we did not detect the fraud, we will honor our refund guarantee. We have selected several stones to feature as Sentiment Stones. Jewelry made with these beads is secured to a card with the symbolic meaning of the stone. Other beads may be from recycled glass or paper sourced from Africa. Crystal beads are faceted glass. If they are of a higher quality such as Swarovski, it will be noted in the description. There are many glass beads, including Czech glass and German-pressed glass, as well as mass-produced that are beautiful. Many others include but are not limited to ceramic, polymer clay, silicone, wood, shell. metal, metal alloys, silver and/or gold plate and acrylic. Some jewelry contains sterling silver. This will be noted in the description. Earrings -- all are hypoallergenic. Should you have any problem we will refund your purchase. Elastic cord- Many crafters use the brand Stretch Magic to make stretch bracelets. This is available in most craft stores. It works well and we do not have any negative remarks. We use an alternate brand that must be specially ordered. It has different strength testing and for us, it allows a tighter knot. The cost is substantially more, but for us and how our bracelets are finished it is worth the additional expense. For those interested, the brand is Power Cord and as with Stretch Magic, it comes in a variety of widths. Shortened Form for Cleaning Jewelry We have an embedded page with more detailed information about keeping your jewelry tarnish-free and how to clean it. Less exposure to oxygen will lessen tarnish. Storing in a plastic zip-top bag is one method. Use perfumes and lotions before you put on jewelry. Minimize exposure to water or dry well. Spruce up with a tarnish-eliminating cloth. If you notice darkened metal, in most cases it is tarnish that can be cleaned. Be careful of commercial tarnish removers coming into contact with beads. There are a few household remedies. Our favorite is a simple paste of baking soda and water. Apply and gently rub with a cotton or microfiber cloth. Rinse. Repeat if necessary. If you scrub aggressively you may rub off any silver plating. Thoroughly rinse with cool water and dry with a clean cloth. This is a safe method for most fashion jewelry.

Absolutely! When you receive your purchase, if you are not satisfied, contact us as soon as possible. We have a 100% happiness guarantee. We will make it right with either an alteration, a replacement or refund. It is very important, especially to Austin, that you like what he has made. Pleasing others is a strong motivator for Austin to sell jewelry and accessories. Further, we strive to provide the best customer service.

If your provided location information indicates you or the receiver resides in the Commonwealth of Virginia, sales tax is automatically added to your order at check out. If your provided location information indicates you are not a resident of Virginia, you are responsible for paying any sales and use tax due to your state of residence or tax filing as required.