Company History
David Yurman is recognized as America’s foremost luxury jewelry and timepiece brand. Founded in New York City in 1980 by David Yurman, a sculptor, and his wife Sybil, a painter, the company is inspired by a passion for artistry and innovation in the classic tradition with contemporary movement.
David Yurman is a timeless model of inspiration, innovation, and consummate quality in craftsmanship and material. The brand embodies rich yet subtle sophistication, and is the essence of American luxury. David and Sybil’s talents set the framework for a mastery over the discipline of fine jewelry and the creation of designs that incorporate a wide range of cultural influences. Artistic inspiration is at the core of the company’s foundation.
The company’s success began with an intimate gesture. David crafted several pieces of jewelry for his then girlfriend, Sybil. At an art opening in New York, the gallery owner fell in love with a piece Sybil was wearing and asked if it was for sale. David answered no but at the same moment, Sybil answered “yes.”
Sybil took the necklace off and left it at the gallery, and within a few hours, four necklaces were sold. This necklace called “Dante” marked the beginning of their artistic exploration within the art of jewelry, and a company was born.
The mark of intricate and sculptural artistry is integrated into Signature Collections using Cable details in the finest 18k gold and sterling silver; Renaissance-inspired, richly colored stones; brilliant diamonds; lustrous pearls and Swiss expertise in timepieces.
The JoUrney
David began his journey as a sculptor in the early 60s, immersing himself in the artistic renaissance of the beatnik generation. He apprenticed for masters Jacques Lipschitz and Theodore Rozak, perfecting his welding and developing his own vision. During this time, his own work focused on small, powerful and whimsical bronze angels that captured his imagination both creatively and symbolically.
In 1969, David was selling his sculptures in galleries and working as the foreman at sculptor Hans de Bovencamp’s studio when he met Sybil, who would become his wife, business partner and founder. Sybil ended up applying for a job at the studio and right away they liked each other.
David and Sybil discovered they were both born in New York leading surprisingly parallel lives until they finally met. As a painter, Sybil’s work was primarily abstract with an extraordinary use of color as emotion. In the early days of their relationship, David and Sybil would work together for hours in their Tribeca Studio in downtown New York City exchanging ideas, evaluating one another’s work, and defining themselves through the art they created.
Throughout the 70s, David and Sybil exhibited their designs, sculptures and paintings at various galleries and at hundreds of craft fairs a year, becoming key figures in the American craft movement.
The company was founded in 1980 at a time when David’s sculptural forms and Sybil’s color sensibility fully merged into a collaborative partnership.
Cable as design: one Motif, Many expressions
David Yurman’s fascination with ancient jewelry became the means to make historical forms contemporary. Cable is a universal form that resonates backwards through civilization. The jewelry, architecture and decorative arts of the ancient Greeks, Scythians, Celts and Renaissance Italians relied on twisted linear motifs. David was captivated by the antique torques at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. For the Cable bracelet’s launch in 1983, David names the complete collection “Renaissance” referring to its classical form, enlightened ideas, and innovations in technology.
Like its classical namesake, the bracelet collection was realized through exploration and working with wires, similar to those he used to make sculptures; bundling, twisting, and warping them. The Renaissance bracelet revolutionized the American jewelry industry. It became an icon, synonymous with craftsmanship, innovation, and design; and one of the most instantly identifiable jewelry designs. For the past thirty years, David Yurman has evolved the Cable motif in the jewelry, reinventing the twisted helix into a myriad of designs.
The Renaissance bracelet with gemstone-studded finial caps became the canvas on which David and Sybil explored color and infinite possibilities. In many designs, Cable provides a textural contrast to smooth, polished metal. When David mixes gold and silver, the striking combination of metals is united by Cable.
Cable appears in elements as small as a bead or a clasp, and it can be used as an elegant setting for a gemstone. As a subtle signature of the designer, it often appears on the inside of a ring or on the back of a pendant, where only the person wearing it will see it. David and his design team continue to explore and transform wire into Cable. It is the continuation of this inventiveness that makes every David Yurman design an original work of art.
The artistic expression that defined the origin of this brand has continued throughout the evolution of the company.
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