More than 50 years ago, sculptor David Yurman and his wife Sybil, a painter and ceramicist, founded a New York City design house with the simple goal of making beautifully designed objects to wear. From day one, they shaped their company with an openness to collaboration and a partnership rooted firmly in art. Today, David Yurman has become America’s foremost luxury jewelry brand, having redefined contemporary jewelry and revolutionized the industry across five decades of iconic designs and paradigm-shifting ad campaigns. Widely renowned through their own boutiques and along with retailers around the globe, David Yurman is one of the world’s largest privately held luxury jeweler.
Now, the dazzling new book SYBIL AND DAVID YURMAN: Artists and Jewelers (Phaidon; on-sale November 19, 2024) presents an intimate history of their creative journey. Much as the Yurmans have so beautifully fused their talents of painting and sculpture into signature designs, this new book combines their personal writings with exclusive, stunning images that together create an unforgettable meditation on an innovative business and artistic partnership.
SYBIL AND DAVID YURMAN amasses a treasure trove of never-before-seen material from the Yurmans’ archives, comprising more than 400 images—the majority of which are published here for the first time. These include striking jewelry portraits, original design sketches, family photographs, and behind-the-scenes images of global campaigns featuring brand ambassadors like Kate Moss, Amber Valletta, Naomi Campbell, and Gisele Bündchen. Encompassing the creation of their iconic Cable bracelet in 1982 and other world-renowned collections, the book’s visuals showcase the ways Sybil’s talents as a painter have influenced the colors and shapes of their collections, while the raw materials and welding processes of David’s sculptures have given form and movement.
Artistic collaboration has always been the lifeblood of the brand’s philosophy and identity, and this volume is filled with musings on some of the Yurmans’ most important partnerships, ranging from meeting the creative director David Lipman in the 1990s, to collaborating with photographer Peter Lindbergh.
Reflecting on the book’s upcoming release, David Yurman says, “We’ve always chosen to bring the expression of our art through other artists. All the key players have not just been business partners, but creative collaborators.”
“We wanted to integrate art into lifestyle,” added Sybil. “We wanted to give jewelry a personality, a relaxed way of wearing it, both daytime and nighttime.”
By turns a landmark monograph and an intimate biography, SYBIL AND DAVID YURMAN captures the critical moments in the brand’s history—from its earliest days in the underground art worlds of New York and California, through its emergence on the global stage. The book is expertly edited by esteemed curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot, and it concludes with a section on the brand’s future as imagined by the Yurmans’ son, Evan, now president and chief creative officer of the company.
ABOUT THE YURMANS:
Born two months and a few miles apart in New York City, David and Sybil Yurman led parallel lives and independently discovered their passion for art in their youth. Their chance meeting in 1969 ignited a lifelong partnership and, over half a century later, their jewelry is now available at 51 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, and France, and at over 300 locations worldwide through authorized retailers. Fusing their creative talents into signature designs, they have revolutionized the American jewelry industry and ignited a lifelong partnership through art, innovation, and business. Today with their son, Evan, they continue to evolve the company through a shared vision.
ABOUT THE EDITOR:
Thierry-Maxime Loriot is an independent curator, creative director, and author. He curated the globally record-breaking touring exhibitions Thierry Mugler: Couturissime, The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, and Viktor&Rolf Fashion Artists. He contributes to several magazines, luxury brands, and fine-arts museums around the world, working on projects dealing with fashion, music, and photography.