David Yurman Designs
Posted by Rick Gonzalez on
David Yurman and his wife, Sybil, were both born in New York in 1942. Their lives would become intertwined with love, art, and design.
As a child David took an interest in art, as a teenager he was taught to weld by sculptor Ernesto Gonzales, he created 3-dimensional forms from molten metal rods. This led to an apprenticeship under renowned sculptor Jacques Lipchitz, eventually, David established his own studio.
PHOTO: davidyurman.com
In 1969 David met Sybil while working for sculptor Hans Van de Bovenkamp in New York City. She would become his co-creator – his partner in business and in life.
Their jewelry business began when David designed the sculpted bronze Dante necklace as a gift for Sybil. A gallery owner fell in love with it and placed a few in her gallery. They immediately sold out, and that was the just the beginning. David and Sybil sold their earliest collections at craft fairs around the country.
In 1979, David and Sybil married in New York. They headed straight into a business meeting where the plan was to sell the company. The offer was too low and the Yurmans walked away from the deal. A year later, David Yurman, the brand and company, was created. In 1980 he received the Jury Award from the World Gold Council for the Starlight necklace, a precursor to the iconic Cable design.
In 1982 David and Sybil welcome son Evan, and a new generation of jeweler is born. From a very young age, Evan showed an aptitude and love for design.
David introduces the iconic Cable bracelet in 1983.
The Cable motif soon becomes the connecting element in every David Yurman collection.
With the introduction of Silver Ice®, David Yurman is the first major designer to set diamonds in sterling silver, revolutionizing the world of fine jewelry. In 2010 the David Yurman flagship store opened on Madison Avenue in New York. The five-story converted townhouse honors the brand’s dedication to beautiful design and craftsmanship, from the cable-inspired staircase to door handles hand-sculpted by David Yurman himself.
In 2006, David Yurman opened a boutique on North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and introduced the Wedding Collection: unique engagement rings created with the eye and heart of a sculptor. Evan Yurman, David and Sybil’s son, collaborated on the design of Men’s, Wedding, Timepiece, and High Jewelry collections.