Although his card reads “Just an Old Man,” local jeweler Kirk Houser’s talents can be seen on the fingers of many Lane County girls. Known for the sign language hand symbols he crafts into rings, necklaces and pendants, Houser’s jewelry @@http://www.justanoldman.com/@@has become a local favorite among Eugene residents. With only a small corner of his 1920s farmhouse carved out as a workspace, Houser says he does it simply because he enjoys the act of making the jewelry.
Houser has been crafting since 1974 but didn’t buy a torch and begin making jewelry until 1989, when his first wife put pressure on him to figure out what he really wanted to do.

“I was ready to change from doing stained glass, but I didn’t know what, so I went to a palmist,” Houser said.
The palmist advised Houser to wait a month, try not worry about it, and he would know what he wanted to do.
“Fifteen years earlier I had seen this kind of work, but I was too immature, I just couldn’t get it together to try and do it, so I had forgotten about it,” Houser said. “After a month, this came to my mind. I went out, bought a torch and book so I wouldn’t blow myself up, and now this is what I do.”
Houser sells his jewelry predominantly at Eugene’s Saturday Market, a place he believes to be his “dream market.” Houser, a native of Texas, moved to Eugene in 1994 and feels his jewelry is better appreciated here.
“The market in Texas was harsh, and competitive and spit upon. It didn’t have much prestige. Eugene Saturday Market is a nonprofit, and they support us. They do whatever they can to help us,” Houser said. “Some days my days are so good at Saturday Market that it feels like everybody else is there just so that I can have a great day.”
Every corner in his house boasts traces of art and creativity. From the window next to Houser’s workspace hangs beautiful stained glass art, reminders of the 15 years he spent making stained glass creations. Though his hands aren’t as steady as they once were, and his hair may be a slightly different tint than his younger years, his smile shows no less excitement than that of a young boy.
“I like to make the letter R the most,” Houser says, “because it means so many things. It can mean, ‘We’re best friends,’ or ‘We’re (this) close,’ ‘Good luck,’ ‘I’m hoping for something,’ just the letter R, and if you hold it behind your back it means you’re not telling the truth.”
Houser says he wants to continue making jewelry for the rest of his life, but if he had to choose another profession, he’d want to be a national monument. He also explains that if there were a job making the beeping noise at the checkout counter, he could definitely be that person. For now, we’re happy that he’s continuing to add to the Eugene local art scene and showing his smiling face weekly at the Saturday Market, selling hand symbols with a variety of meanings and all kinds of stories.