David Yurman Enterprises LLC is a privately held American jewellery company
founded by David Yurman (born October 12, 1942, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
) and Sybil Yurman (born December 10, 1942, in New York City). Its headquarters is situated in New York City. There are currently many David Yurman boutiques in the United States and internationally.
History
Early years
David Yurman grew up in
the Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
, a borough of New York City. At age 15 he met a Cuban welder and sculptor named Ernesto Gonzalez, who taught him welding techniques. After a year at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, Yurman left college and spent the next five years hitchhiking between New York's
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
,
Venice, California
Venice is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California.
Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, when it was annexed b ...
, and
Big Sur
Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...
, partaking in the
Beatnik
Beatniks were members of a social movement in the 1950s that subscribed to an anti-materialistic lifestyle.
History
In 1948, Jack Kerouac introduced the phrase "Beat Generation", generalizing from his social circle to characterize the undergr ...
and
San Francisco Renaissance
The term San Francisco Renaissance is used as a global designation for a range of poetic activity centered on San Francisco, which brought it to prominence as a hub of the American poetry avant-garde in the 1950s. However, others (e.g., Alan Watts ...
cultural movements. In the early 1960s, Yurman apprenticed for several years with modernist sculptor
Jacques Lipchitz
Jacques Lipchitz (26 May 1973) was a Cubist sculptor. Lipchitz retained highly figurative and legible components in his work leading up to 1915–16, after which naturalist and descriptive elements were muted, dominated by a synthetic style of Cr ...
.
He also established his own studio in Greenwich Village. Here, he worked for various sculptors, including
Theodore Roszak and Edward Meshekoff, doing large-scale public works. At Lincoln Center, Yurman helped create the railings of the promenade in the
David H. Koch Theater
The David H. Koch Theater is a theater for ballet, modern and other forms of dance, part of the Lincoln Center, at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and 63rd Street in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Originally ...
, designed by Phillip Johnson. He also worked on the eagle sculpture commissioned for the
James L. Watson Court of International Trade in New York City. In the late 1960s, Yurman became the shop foreman of sculptor Hans Van de Bovenkamp. In this studio, Yurman met the painter Sybil Kleinrock, his future wife, and business partner.
The transition to jewellery
In the early 1970s, Yurman and Kleinrock moved to Carmel in upstate New York. They formed a company called Putnam Art Works which specialized in sculptural jewellery.
Throughout the next decade they exhibited their jewellery designs, sculptures and paintings at various galleries and craft fairs. They became key figures in the
American craft movement. Through Putnam Art Works, the Yurmans learned about the marketplace for fine crafts and artisanal jewellery. They married in 1979 and founded the David Yurman company a year later, with Sybil Yurman acting as a co-creator and collaborator in all facets of the business. Their son, Evan Yurman, was born on January 31, 1982.
In 1977, Yurman was chosen as one of twelve jewellers to exhibit at the first New Designer Gallery at the Retail
Jewelers of America
The Jewelers of America (JA) is a trade association of professionals in the United States jewelry
Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry ( U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, ...
Show (RJA) in New York City. This exhibit is seen as a pivotal moment for the connection between traditional artisans and established merchandisers. During the 1980s and 1990s, the David Yurman company was at the forefront of the emerging category of American designer jewellery.
In 2003, Evan Yurman joined the company, and in 2004 he became the Design Director of the Men's and Timepiece Collections. In 2009, he launched an exclusive collection of high jewellery and began overseeing the company's Wedding Collection, which launched in 2006.
Creation of cable
In 1982, Yurman designed what became his signature piece, the cable bracelet: a twisted helix adorned with gemstones on its end caps. He called the bracelet and related designs "Renaissance," and it has become one of his most enduring collections. Created through an innovative process Yurman pioneered, the cable motif was awarded two rare design trademarks in the United States since his design was instantly recognizable. His cable design evolved to become the thread that connects all of his collections.
Collections and jewelry style
Yurman creates collections in sterling silver and gold and is notably recognized for his mixed metal designs. Many sterling pieces have pavé diamonds—notably, he was the first major jeweller to set diamonds in silver. He calls this category Silver Ice, where he shifted the luxurious use of diamonds to a more daily occurrence. Yurman is also known for inventive stone cuts, most notably the cushion cut for the Albion Collection. The men's division, unique in the industry, is known for featuring non-traditional materials such as
titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...
,
carbon fibre
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
, and meteorites.
An advertising revolution
In 2000, David and Sybil Yurman collaborated with the David Lipman advertising agency and photographer
Peter Lindbergh
Peter Lindbergh (born Peter Brodbeck; 23 November 1944 – 3 September 2019) was a German fashion photographer and film director.
He had studied arts in Berlin and Krefeld, and exhibited his works before graduation. In 1971, he turned to photo ...
for their first advertising campaign. The was shot in
St. Barts with
Amber Valletta
Amber Evangeline Valletta (born February 9, 1974) is an American model and actress. She began her career as a fashion model, landing her first of sixteen American ''Vogue'' covers at the age of eighteen. During the 1990s, Valletta reached the st ...
as the face of the brand.
It was a lifestyle campaign, arguing jewellery could be an 'emotional experience for the wearer. In the following years, prominent models and actresses such as
Kate Moss
Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is a British model. Arriving at the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her to fas ...
,
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is an English model, actress, singer, and businesswoman. She began her career at the age of 15, and established herself amongst the most recognisable and in-demand models of the past four decades. Cam ...
,
Naomi Watts
Naomi Ellen Watts (born 28 September 1968) is a British actress. After her family moved to Australia, she made her film debut there in the drama '' For Love Alone'' (1986) and then appeared in three television series, '' Hey Dad..!'' (1990), '' ...
,
Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Caroline Bündchen (, , born 20 July 1980) is a Brazilian fashion model. Since 2001, she has been one of the highest-paid models in the world. In 2007, Bündchen was the 16th-richest woman in the entertainment industry and earned th ...
,
Joan Smalls
Joan Smalls Rodriguez (born July 11, 1988) is a Puerto Rican supermodel and actress. In 2011, she became the first Latina model to represent Estée Lauder cosmetics. In 2013, she entered ''Forbes'' magazine's "World's Highest-Paid Models" list ...
,
Taylor Hill, and
Natalia Vodianova
Natalia Mikhailovna Vodianova ( rus, Наталья Михайловна Водянова, , nɐˈtalʲjə mʲɪˈxajləvnə vədʲɪˈnovə; born 28 February 1982), nicknamed Supernova, is a Russian model, actress and United Nations Goodwill ...
have also appeared in David Yurman advertising campaigns.
The cable book
In 2017, Rizzoli published ''David Yurman Cable'', the brand's first book.
The monograph explores cable as an archetypal form and Yurman's artistic use of it as his signature through essays by
Paul Greenhalgh
Paul Greenhalgh (born 1955) is a British historian, writer, museologist, and curator of art and design.
Training initially as a painter, Greenhalgh entered into academia through the Courtauld Institute of Art, later teaching at the Royal Colle ...
,
William Norwich, and
Carine Roitfeld
Carine Roitfeld (; born 19 September 1954) is a French fashion editor, former fashion model, and writer. She is the former editor-in-chief of ''Vogue Paris'', a position she held from 2001 to 2011. In 2012, she became founder and editor-in-chief ...
, and a foreword by Sybil and David Yurman.
Judgment against counterfeiters
In January 2019, the
entered a default judgment in favour of David Yurman, awarding the company $1,550,000 and a permanent injunction against 31 defendants. The defendants operated a network of websites infringing on the company's trademarks, selling counterfeit David Yurman goods.
Honors and awards
1980 – Intergold Award from the
World Gold Council
The World Gold Council is the market development organisation for the gold industry. It works across all parts of the industry, from gold mining to investment, with the aim of stimulating and sustaining demand for gold.
They frequently publish ...
for a gold wire and diamond necklace design that was the forerunner of the cable motif
1981 – Designer of the Year from the Cultured Pearl Associations of America and Japan for innovative use of pearls
2003 – Star Gazer award from
Fashion Group International The Fashion Group International (FGI) is a global, non-profit, professional organization founded in 1930 in New York City to benefit the fashion industry. FGI currently has over 5000 members in the fashion industry including apparel, accessories, b ...
2004 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the JIC Gem Awards
2007 – Style Etoile Award from
Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France.
Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Unit ...
2011 – Lifetime Achievement Award from the
American Gem Society
The American Gem Society (AGS) is a trade association of retail jewelers, independent appraisers, suppliers, and selective industry members, which was founded in 1934 by Robert M. Shipley.
The Society is based in Las Vegas, Nevada, along with th ...
, the first time a jewellery designer received this award
2013 – Couture Human Spirit Award from the Couture Show
2013 – Annual Visionaries! Award from the
Museum of Arts and Design
The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), based in Manhattan, New York City, collects, displays, and interprets objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design. In its exhibitions and educational programs, the mus ...
Giving back
The Yurmans formalized a lifelong commitment to charitable causes by establishing the David & Sybil Yurman Humanitarian and Arts Foundation in 2001.
The foundation presents David Yurman Angel Awards to individuals who support charities, and the arts through their donations and volunteerism. Past recipients include
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
,
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
, and
Leonard Slatkin
Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer.
Early life and education
Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...
. The foundation also provides support for a variety of charitable initiatives, including
The Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), ...
Studio In a School The Breast Cancer Research Foundation
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) is an independent, not-for-profit organization which has raised $569.4 million to support clinical and translational research on breast cancer at medical institutions in the United States and abroad. BC ...
, and the
Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in the United States that helps fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness between the ages of and 18 years old.
Make-A-Wish was founded in 1980 and headqua ...
. David Yurman also created a pin for th
Silver Shield Foundationbenefitting the families of New York City firefighters and policemen. An avid horseback rider, David Yurman supports several charitable equestrian initiatives as well including Gallop NYC therapeutic horsemanship and the Gleneayre Equestrian Foundation.
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yurman, David
Companies based in New York City
American jewellers
Fashion accessory brands
Luxury brands
Manufacturing companies established in 1980
Watch brands
1942 births
Living people
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American Jews