Designer discusses roots of David Yurman collection

Ask David Yurman to name the most special design in his collection and he doesn’t hesitate to show one of the earliest pieces he crafted from silver and gold.

He’ll roll up his sleeve.

“I made this for myself in the late 1970s,” Yurman said as he tapped the handmade cable cuff around his wrist, before noting that he rides horses for leisure with his trail-riding companions. “I decided to give a bracelet to the ‘Best Dressed’ on the ride and this was a kind of merit award.”

The motif has become a recognizable signature of the American designer’s jewelry.

And to celebrate the brand’s dedication to design and craftsmanship, Yurman made a special appearance at an intimate reception at the David Yurman boutique at South Coast Plaza, feting with party guests for an exclusive discussion on the roots of each collection.

The private shopping event donated 10% of the evening’s proceeds to Childhelp, a nonprofit for the victims of child abuse that offers education, treatment and prevention programs.

The exhibition of his jewelry, featuring old and new designs — like the double-drop earrings with blue topaz and gray diamonds — glistened under lit showcases as the designer chatted with special guests about how the Yurman family is the unifying force behind all the house’s designs.

“You don’t find inspiration, it finds you,” Yurman said. “You try to be available for it and you hone your craft, tend to your business and find time to be relaxed.”

For more than three decades, Yurman has led the family-owned jewelry business based in New York City. Having opened six boutiques last year, including two in the San Fernando Valley, the company has undergone an expansive location spree, with debuts of international stores in Paris, Hong Kong and Basel, Switzerland.

Such a milestone in the company, Yurman said, roots back to the road of love, art and design that began in the early ‘40s.

Yurman and his wife Sybil were born only two months and a few miles apart — he in Manhattan, she in the Bronx. Before Yurman entered his junior year in high school, he spent the summer in Provincetown, Mass., a gathering place for bohemians and artists. There, he learned how to weld from sculptor Ernesto Gonzales and the learning experience piqued his interest in the fusion process.

His interest in the artistic movement during the 1960s had him to move to Greenwich Village, where he apprenticed for sculptor Jacques Lipchitz before he founded his own sculpture studio.

His passion for the art led him to Sybil while he was working for a sculptor in New York City. He gifted her with a bronze Dante necklace and a gallery owner asked to sell a few of the same pieces. The necklace sold out, launching Yurman’s first jewelry business in the 1970s.

After the two married, the newlyweds set off to create a new brand and company both given Yurman’s name and introduced the first cable bracelet. To promote the bracelet and watch collection, the Yurmans hired photographer Peter Lindbergh to shoot black and white images of models wearing the company’s signature pieces.

The brand set a new standard for shoppers to purchase an effortless American luxury, Yurman said.

For where we are, we make an incredibly high-quality piece of jewelry that’s affordable, said Yurman, whose bracelets can range from $750 to more than $3,000 depending on the precious metal and stones. “It’s an oxymoron, but women feel like they belong to an exclusive club.”

The Yurman’s son, Evan, acts as creative leader in the design of men’s wedding, timepiece and High Jewelry collection, which features rare gemstones.

The family-owned company runs with the help of employees who have been with the jeweler for over 30 years. Evan’s childhood nanny serves as head of design production and the head creative engineer is Evan’s godfather.

Asked if the company has plans for going public, Yurman glanced at the men and women shoppers pointing to coveted pieces under glass and smiled.

“No need to,” he said. “It’s a family business.”

Debra Gunn Downing, executive director of marketing at South Coast Plaza said David Yurman has been embraced by customers at South Coast Plaza since the boutique opened nearly 13 years ago.

“At David’s recent appearance at South Coast Plaza, the guests included customers who have been collecting his designs for decades,” said Gunn Downing.”There are not many privately-owned American jewelry companies that have the distinction of celebrating 35 years along with the kind of international brand recognition and loyal following that David Yurman has cultivated.”

And Yurman recognizes that loyal following whenever he travels or hails a cab in New York City.

“Every time I spot someone wearing one of the pieces, I always get excited,” he said. “Evan will also call me saying he had another ‘sighting.’ It’s always a warm and fuzzy feeling,” Yurman added. “We’re very proud and we love what we do.”