David Yurman makes art connection in multi-faceted retrospective

U.S. jeweler David Yurman is tracing its roots in the art world with a presence at The Art Show at the Armory in New York.

During the gala preview for the art fair, held on March 1, event leadership supporter David Yurman presented a one-night-only exhibit that illuminated the connection between the brand’s eponymous designer’s sculptural pieces and his jewelry. This first art exhibit for the brand enables David Yurman to showcase a part of its history that consumers may be unaware of.

"I think the word is heritage, it’s where you came from," said David Yurman, designer of his namesake jewelry line.

"It’s really important to know," he said. "Could you imagine if you didn’t know who your mother or your father are, you had amnesia? You would feel lost in the world, because we’re all rooted in something."

Wearable art
David Yurman began his career as a sculptor in the early 1960s. He first segued into jewelry when he crafted a few pieces for his then-girlfriend Sybil.

When the pair attended a gallery opening, the owner fell in love with a piece of his that she was wearing, and asked is it was up for sale. David said no, but Sybil said yes, and the necklace style sold four times in a matter of hours, establishing their jewelry brand.

Sybil and David Yurman

For awhile, Mr. Yurman did both sculpture and sculptural jewelry, unable to decide which he wanted to focus on. In 1979, he made his decision to build a jewelry business that had connections to his roots in sculpture.

David Yurman’s “The Voyage of Art and Jewelry” displayed sculptures alongside high jewelry pieces, allowing visitors to see the connection between both. Included in glass cases were pieces including a one-of-a-kind diamond pave sculpted cable cuff and an early Renaissance cable bracelet from 1982, just two years after David Yurman founded its jewelry house.

David Yurman's Voyage of Art and Jewelry; photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for David Yurman

The cable bracelet originated towards the beginning of David Yurman's jewelry brand, when the designer took bronze and brass rods he typically used for welding and twisted them, creating the now-familiar shape.

"I’m an artist, and my form of expression is jewelry, but before it was sculpture, and it was always jewelry, so it was sculpture, sculptural jewelry," Mr. Yurman said. "My cowboy friends say to me, 'I’ve got to say something about you, you came by it honestly.' It’s some merchandising—merchandising is a part, it’s important—but this is things that touch us."

David Yurman's Voyage of Art and Jewelry; photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for David Yurman

The Art Show, organized by the Art Dealers Association of America, is open March 2-6. Proceeds from tickets as well as an online auction via Paddle8 will benefit Henry Street Settlement.

Reaffirming heritage is only going to become more important.

A report by the Luxury Institute found that millennials scrutinize investment value and heritage of purchases more than Generation X’ers and Baby Boomers.

The study also found that millennials regularly search for one-of-a-kind items as a way to signal status. While brands often treat “showrooming” as a threat to brand integrity, the research that accompanies the trend indicates that improved customer service and responsive multichannel efforts can turn the phenomenon into a benefit and a source for more revenue (see story).