ARTIST PROFILE
DAVID WEBB
For more than 70 years, David Webb has been the quintessential American jeweler of highly original, modern jewelry. Best known for distinctive carved and enameled animal bracelets, dramatic gold necklaces, colorful sautoirs, Maltese cross brooches, dynamic use of pearls and diamonds, and exquisite rock crystal pieces. David Webb is one of the country’s most important, distinguished jewelers.
In 1948, at the age of 23, David Webb opened shop in Manhattan where he designed and produced all David Webb jewelry.
“I had a tremendous feeling of art in me. I wanted to be an archaeologist, a ceramicist, or a jeweler. Jewelry won out.”
David Webb was the Houdini of gold. His ambition was to make the new look old, and to do so he called on his own bag of tricks: he analyzed the composition of gold and came up with alloys that had the patina of ancient gold. Daytime visits to the Metropolitan Museum of Art helped him develop his craft and in 1962 he became First Lady Jackie Kennedy’s choice to make the official Gifts of State. His talents soared as his jewelry went on to adorn Hollywood’s major stars, important art collectors and fashion icons such as Diana Vreeland ultimately winning Webb the Coty American Fashion Critics’ Award.
David Webb died at the young age of fifty, a little more than a quarter-century after founding his company. Since that time, the company has returned to the archive of nearly 40,000 drawings and designs, faithfully restoring David Webb’s original designs and presenting them for today’s clientele. The constant from 1948 to the present is the enduring appeal of David Webb’s singular style and the careful craftsmanship of all the jewelry. Each David Webb jewel is still made in New York and in many cases by the hands of descendants of the original master jewelers originally hired by David Webb.
This is jewelry boldly created, boldly worn.
“I believe the things I make have museum quality and, hopefully, will last as long as the originals that inspired them.” – David Webb
In June 2019 Webb’s iconic Zebra bracelet went into exhibit at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art .
Cayen Collection is an authorized David Webb seller. Each David Webb jewel purchased at Cayen is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by David Webb which guarantees the authenticity of your jewel. As an authorized seller we are able to bring any item from the David Webb collection available at DavidWebb.com for viewing and purchase here in our Carmel jewelry salon
