Beautiful vintage David Webb black enamel clip on earrings with detachable bottoms.
The earrings could easily convert to post and omega backs.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, David Webb’s staff expanded to many skilled men and women. Their expertise encompassed all the stages of jewellery making – from the design process to working with raw materials. Whether using carved gems or corals, setting diamonds and coloured gems, or enamelling – all worked by hand until they achieved perfection. The second constant in David Webb’s studio was the word “family.” On many occasions, if a father worked for the company, he would be followed into the business by his son or daughter. This means that there has been a legacy of inherited craftsmanship passed down from generation to generation over 70 years, determining the care and quality that distinguish the jewellery of the David Webb brand.
Today, in the workshop overlooking New York’s Madison Avenue, the second and third generation of David Webb jewellery makers are working, and each is – without exaggeration – indispensable within their craft. David Webb ring in white and yellow gold with emerald and diamonds. Photo by Simon Martner The workshop is a zone of quiet concentration, where magic happens every day.
The enameller paints with delicate dexterity, the carver cuts a tiger from a lapis lazuli based on one of David Webb’s original drawings, the jeweller skillfully sets cabochon rubies onto a gold base for a future bracelet with 8-inch tweezers, and a constant hiss can be heard from the polishing room… In a space like this, talent flourishes and unique pieces of art are born.
David Webb jewellery has been created in New York, including official gifts for the White House, and pieces for the Duchess of Windsor, Jackie Kennedy and many other iconic tastemakers. The vintage pieces by David Webb have already stood the test of time, and have become highly sought after investment pieces, just as the new pieces invariably become collectable in their own right. I met with Mark Emanuel, co-owner of the David Webb company, at the Doha Jewellery and Watch Exhibition to discuss the history and significance of the brand.
