All That Glitters

2 Austin jewelry designers win contest for setting unique stones

Eliza Page, a local fine jewelry store in the Second Street District, is marking its 20th anniversary in downtown Austin this month. To celebrate, the jeweler revived a competition it last ran 15 years ago, Austin Shines, and two winners have been selected to boost their careers over the next year.

Patrick Dobbs with Jamie Turner Designs has won the Judges' Shining Star Award and Claire Sommers with Claire Sommers Buck Jewelry has won the People's Choice Shining Star Award. Each winner gets a cash prize, exclusive perks, business consulting, a six-month residency at Eliza Page to showcase and sell their work, and a one year membership to the Women's Jewelry Association Austin chapter.

To top it off, the finalists' pieces, which each include a rustic salt and pepper diamond — a natural diamond with visible black-and-white inclusions creating a speckled or smoky appearance — will benefit charity. All proceeds will benefit local non-profit The Center for Child Protection.

Patrick Dobbs and Elizabeth Gibson Patrick Dobbs poses with Eliza Page owner, Elizabeth Gibson, right.Photo by Rick Kern

"It is such an honor to win the People's Choice Award through the Austin Shine's Competition," said Sommers in an emailed statement, thanking the organization and adding that with the resources she was awarded, she hopes to "gain new exposure to my brand, dive into the future trajectory of my business with the consulting services, purchase a few new jewelry tools for my studio and continue to be involved in the local jewelry community here in Austin."

For Claire Sommers Buck Jewelry, Sommers uses gemstones and metals to handcraft jewelry inspired by global cultures in her East Austin Studio, while Jamie Turner Designs focuses on luxury designs, showcasing colorful gemstones in 18k gold.

Claire Sommers poses with some other designs.Photo by Rick Kern

Dobbs says he hopes his award will help raise awareness for Jamie Turner Designs' "different way of designing and making jewelry."

"We spend a lot of time working on the colors of the gemstones that we use and less time worrying about the cost of the gemstones," he says. "We want our customers to get a pure design where the design and color is paramount."

Austinites can shop the winners’ jewelry designs now through the end of October at Eliza Page downtown, and online.

Eliza Page Austin Shines competition entries

Photo by Rick Kern

Entries to the Austin Shines took very diverse approaches to setting a salt and pepper diamond.

jewelry contest

let loose atx

Austin slips on new list of America's most fun cities for 2025

Rowing Dock downtown Austin Congress Avenue Bridge bats kayaking

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A new WalletHub study ranking the most fun American cities in 2025 has revealed Austin needs to learn how to let loose a little more next year.

Austin currently ranks as the 8th most fun city in the U.S., with Houston surpassing it as 6th most fun American city and the No. 1 most fun city in the Lone Star State.

WalletHub's "Most Fun Cities in America (2025)" study compared 182 U.S. cities across 65 metrics – spanning from the number of sports venues, music venues, and shopping centers per capita to the average cost for a restaurant meal – to determine how "fun" each city is. The metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

Las Vegas, Nevada, continued its multi-year streak as the No. 1 most fun American city.

Across the three key dimensions, Austin scored the highest for its nightlife and parties rank (No. 6), but its entertainment and recreation rank (No. 22) and costs rank (No. 82) still leave room for improvement. But overall, Austin's level of "fun" is far higher than most U.S. cities.

Austin's current "fun" status is two spots lower than its 2024 rank as the 6th most fun American city. In 2023, Austin ranked No. 7 on the list.

Other Texas cities that appeared in the top 100 include: San Antonio (No. 23), Dallas (No. 26), Fort Worth (No. 60), El Paso (No. 62), Arlington (No. 71), Plano (No. 78), and Corpus Christi (No. 94).

"The decision of where to live could save or cost you a lot of money and fun, so it’s fair to wonder what makes a fun city," the report's author wrote. "In a city with enough variety, you won’t have to compromise with your friends, family, or even yourself about the next fun activity to do alone or together."

WalletHub's top 10 most fun U.S. cities in 2025 are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Houston, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Austin, Texas
No. 9 – Portland, Oregon
No. 10 – Cincinnati, Ohio

Surprisingly, both Chicago and New York City dropped out of the top 10 most fun American cities. Chicago now ranks as No. 11, and New York City ranks 14th on the list.

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