The Story: David Webb

«I only care about one thing: creating jewels.» And that he certainly excelled at. David Webb was an American jeweler from Asheville, North Carolina, who travelled to New York at the age of 17 with one objective: to become the jeweler of the Big Apple. David was only 9 years old when he decided that his future would be fated by gold, metals, and coloured gems, and the determination he showed in pursuing his goal – also thanks to a silversmith uncle who introduced him into this world at a very young age – we now know was well-rewarded. Fashion, cinema, television, and American entrepreneurship. «His shop on 57th street in New York was so well-known and loved that on Sat- urday mornings it’s as full as a supermarket», wrote the NewYorkTimes. «Chic on top of chic», were the words of his trusted sales manager, Andrew Clunn, who worked with Webb since 1963. It was almost like a club, where Webb received his beloved clients, including Diane Vreeland, Jackie Kennedy, Liz Taylor, Marisa Berenson, Diane von Fürstenberg, Estée and Evelyn Lauder, and the Duchess of Windsor. An instantly recognisable and intentionally American style that is skilfully op ulent, encompassing Mogol stylistic influences, deco inspirations, mythological themes, popular animal motifs, fantasy world references, and heraldic shapes – characteristics of The Quintessential American Jeweler. All the while playing on oversized volumes, big stones, and bright colours. «Today’s woman doesn’t just want a bracelet, a ring, or an earring. She wants a jewel that will say something about her personality,» wrote Webb in his only article entitled Why Not Hang Gems, published in 1963. And this is perhaps why his muse, great admirer, and loyal client Jacqueline Kennedy defined him as ‘a modern Cellini.’ The animal themes by David Webb, as still exemplified today by the enamelled zebra in the logo, undoubtedly represent his signature mark, which, still today, embodies a one-of-a-kind aesthetic. The first animal design was first introduced by the brand in 1957, and, up until 1963, the brand continued to feature animals, always playing on stunning colourful enamel and lots of yellow gold, which Webb used to define as ‘the more barbaric the better.’ The shapes are nonetheless essential, with subtle embellishments, but at the same time very structured, almost architectural and majestic, and designed to leave a mark.

A tangible mark which David Webb passed on to his new ‘treasurers,’ the co-owners Robert Sadian and Mark Emanuel, who during the last Couture Show in Las Vegas provided us with an interesting parallel between European and American genius: «As opposed to Italy and France, whose artistic genius is able to draw from a past that is rich with history and culture, America is the land of pioneers. Talented designers arriving in the big cities from the suburbs are charged with smug sensitivity. Often they have nothing, but they are full of ambition. If David Webb had not left North Carolina, his talent would have remained unexpressed.» Mark Emanuel knows what it means to inherit an archive of 40,000 designs, many of which are yet to be made into jewels. He knows the value of an artist such as Webb, and he knows how to safeguard an unrivalled heritage. «David Webb is a language, it’s a heritage brand that we must safeguard with love and passion. We know what ‘beautiful’ means, and what our clients like and dislike, because our mission is always to listen. We know that the bold, iconic David Webb style is still what our clients want and it’s up to us to make them happy. We still have a wonderful story to tell and we are enthusiastic about that. It’s like that feeling you get as a child when you walk into a candy shop.»