David Yurman is arguably America’s most famous designer jeweler. In Sybil and David Yurman: Artists and Jewelers, a new monograph, David and his wife, Sybil, share the story of how they built the brand from a small NYC artists’ atelier into a global powerhouse.
Brimming with more than 400 images—including original artwork, never-before-seen archival materials, personal anecdotes, and photos—Sybil and David Yurman reads like an intimate biography of the brand’s founding couple.
The book traces the brand’s history, from its earliest days in the New York art scene—where David, a sculptor, and Sybil, a painter and ceramicist, committed to making beautiful objects to wear—to its commanding position on today’s fine jewelry landscape.
Sumptuous photos of Yurman’s iconic Cable bracelet, introduced in 1983, as well as the brand’s best-selling gem-set collections are interspersed with behind-the-scenes images of global campaigns featuring brand ambassadors such as Kate Moss, Amber Valletta, Naomi Campbell, and Gisele Bündchen.
The book celebrates the way Sybil’s talents as a painter have influenced the colors and shapes of their collections, while David’s sculptural handiwork, honed through his understanding of materials and welding processes, have given form and movement to the jewels. Indeed, the cover features one of Sybil’s paintings and title type in embossed gold foil designed to resemble David’s welding.
At the heart of this fascinating and gorgeous tome is an ode to the power of artistic collaboration—not only the Yurmans’ inspiring partnership but also the artistic relationships that have marked the couple’s journey, such as apprenticeships with the sculptors Jacques Lipchitz and Theodore Roszak and their work with photographer Peter Lindbergh.
“We’ve always chosen to bring the expression of our creations through the lens of art,” David said in a statement. “All of our key players have not just been business partners, but creative collaborators.”
“We wanted to integrate art into lifestyle,” Sybil added. “We wanted to give jewelry a personality, a relaxed way of wearing it, both daytime and nighttime.”
Edited by Thierry-Maxime Loriot, Sybil and David Yurman concludes with a section on the brand’s future as imagined by their son, Evan, now president and chief creative officer of the company. Also available: a luxury edition of the book in a clamshell box (250 of which will be signed by both Sybil and David).
Top: The cover of Sybil and David Yurman: Artists and Jewelers, a new monograph celebrating the history of jewelry’s famed power couple
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