Discover David Yurman – the fine jewelry maison with New York soul
Heritage jewelry label DAVID YURMAN, famed for its iconic ‘Cable’ bracelets, was founded by two talented artists who turned their creative passions into an influential all-American brand with everlasting appeal
A little over 50 years ago, in New York city, a couple of young artists met and fell in love. It was the late ’60s – so far, so ordinary. But what came next, almost by accident, was an extraordinary fusion of craftsmanship, passion and talent that resulted in the birth of one of America’s most influential fine jewelry maisons – David Yurman. Born and raised in New York city, both David Yurman and Sybil Kleinrock were enthralled by art, sculpture and design, independently establishing themselves as creatives in Greenwich Village, Soho and Tribeca. The pair first met in the studio of Dutch-born artist Hans Van de Bovenkamp in 1969, and have one of the sculptor’s stainless steel sculptures in the grounds of their Amagansett estate, as a testament to their enduring partnership – both as husband and wife and as co-founders of a fine jewelry behemoth, which has family values at its core.
From the late ’60s and throughout the ’70s, the Yurmans were key figures in the American Studio Craft Movement, regularly exhibiting at numerous juried art shows from Rhinebeck to Baltimore, sometimes venturing as far as the west coast of America too. David was a skilled sculptor and Sybil was a talented artist, but it was their courtship that brought about their seminal jewelry brand, which even to this day they still describe as “one long art project”. David designed and made a striking necklace formed of bronze figurines for his then-girlfriend, Sybil, who wore the piece to an art opening, where the gallery owner offered to buy it outright. A few years later, in 1980, David Yurman the brand was born.
Much of the Yurmans’ original specialties are preserved by the house to this day – 35 master craftsmen produce all of their unique pieces from scratch – from prototype through to production – under the watchful eye of their co-founders, still operating from the company’s Tribeca headquarters. “For us, New York is a place of endless possibilities,” says Yurman, as he explains how the urban metropolis has always nurtured his family’s dreams and continues to be a constant source of inspiration and creativity. The brand’s 2021 campaign, My New York, is a love letter to the city. Collections take their names from iconic landmarks – Madison, Lexington, Metro, Empire – and embody the contemporary, sleek and sophisticated spirit that the city exudes.
“Cable is a universal form, very simple to manipulate and very strong, it has amazing strength and incredible fluidity - it feels feminine and yet it is the strongest form that we know.
”David Yurman
Fashion-forward fine jewelry enthusiasts will fall for the utilitarian charm of Yurman’s cable designs, which are the keystone of the brand, and can be worn just as easily with denim, linen or fine silks – because their charm lies in their chameleon-esque versatility. “Cable is a universal form – very simple to manipulate and very strong. It has amazing strength and incredible fluidity – it feels feminine and yet it is the strongest form that we know,” explains Yurman. Much like his sculptures, wires are spun into seductive silhouettes that he has continuously evolved over the last 40 years, reinventing the twisted helix for myriad jewels.
As with any form of design, jewelry trends come full circle in cycles, and right now the contemporary cool of cable bangles stacked up the wrist and ropes of finely crafted chains are at the top of every jewelry lover’s wish list – a zeitgeist that Yurman has been crafting for decades. Some of Yurman’s earliest chain designs mixed silver and gold in highly sculptural pieces that emphasized the simple beauty of metals without gemstones – designs that are as intensely craved now as they were then. “The pieces that were made 20 or 30 years ago are still relevant and can be worn with pieces designed today. We always describe our customers as collectors, and style our collections so they can be stacked and layered together,” Yurman explains. “The connective tissue is the creative mind, heart and soul of our family. It’s our DNA,” he adds. Now, with their son Evan as chief creative officer, and his own children learning to craft jewelry from the bench right next to their grandmother’s, it seems evident that David Yurman jewels will remain a family affair – each and every one a work of art, born out of love.
Discover David Yurman
4 items