“Women are tired of jewelry-looking jewelry,” celebrated American designer David Webb once noted. In response, he created a menagerie of whimsical animals rendered as rings, brooches, earrings and, especially, bangle bracelets. This playfulness permeates all Webb’s work, which is characterized by brightly hued enamel and color-saturated semiprecious stones like coral, azurmalachite and turquoise, the notable exception being the clear, elegant rock crystal for which he had an affinity.
The North Carolina native apprenticed with his uncle, a silversmith, before moving to New York, where he established David Webb Inc. in 1948. He had no formal training in jewelry design. Instead, he culled inspiration from the ornamental styles of ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Americas, as well as the traditions of India and China — influences discernible in such pieces as his collar necklaces and talisman-like sautoirs.
Webb’s first animal bracelet was produced in 1957. His most famous, the zebra, took shape in 1963; its stripes now form the company’s logo. Although Webb died in 1975, his company continues to produce designs drawn from his extensive archives, and every piece is still made in the workshop above its Madison Avenue store.
Find an alluring collection of David Webb jewelry on 1stDibs, including earrings, brooches and other accessories.
| Average Sold Price |
| $20,416 |
| Styles |
| Related Creators |
David Webb 18K Yellow Gold Large Hammered Dome Clip Earrings
By David Webb
Located in Orlando, FL
David Webb 18K Yellow Gold Hammered Dome Clip Earrings David Webb's hammered gold work is among the most recognizable in American jewelry, and these earrings are a confident express...
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
David Webb Gold Nephrite Jade Panther Ring
By David Webb
Located in Palm Beach, FL
This David Webb vintage cocktail ring in 18k yellow gold features a whimsical carved nephrite jade panther head with bezel-set cabochon ruby eyes. Solid gold interior band with carve...
Jade, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
DAVID WEBB South-Seas Pearl Cocktail Ring In 18Kt Gold With Diamonds & Emeralds
By David Webb
Located in Miami, FL
A south-seas pearl cocktail ring designed by David Webb (1925-1975). An outstanding cocktail ring created in New York City at the atelier of David Webb, circa 1975. This bold and su...
Diamond, Pearl, White Diamond, Emerald, South Sea Pearl, Gold, Yellow Go...
DAVID WEBB Earrings Platinum 10.90 CTW Diamond & South Sea Pearl Drops
By David Webb
Located in Miami, FL
This extraordinary pair of estate estate drop earrings features two magnificent natural South Sea cultured pearls, masterfully suspended from an intricate, multi-tiered geometric wing motif. Bearing the definitive hallmarks of the iconic American high-jewelry house David Webb, these substantial 27.1-gram platinum earrings stand as an elite showcase of mid-century Hollywood glamour and sculptural jewelry engineering. The architectural tops are configured as mirrored, sweeping asymmetric feathers or scrolling ribbons densely paved with fine diamonds. Channeling sharp lines, rows of precision step-cut baguette diamonds cascade down the center curves, framed beautifully by multi-layered borders of marquise and round brilliant-cut diamonds. Transitioning into a kinetic, free-swinging drop, articulated cluster links of marquise diamonds hold two perfectly matched, large teardrop South Sea pearls...
Diamond, White Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Platinum
David Webb Ring 18k Gold White Enamel Turquoise Cocktail Ring
By David Webb
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
A vintage David Webb ring, made of 18k gold and white enamel, featuring a substantial oval cabochon turquoise. The vivid blue gemstone is framed by a textured pattern of glossy white...
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
David Webb 18k Gold Coral Diamond Cocktail Dome Ring
By David Webb
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
David Webb 18k yellow gold coral and diamond cocktail ring, circa 1960s to 1970s, designed with a dimensional cluster of oval coral cabochons accented by diamonds set in white gold. ...
Coral, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
David Webb Hammered 18k Yellow Gold Jade Drop Earrings
By David Webb
Located in Palm Beach, FL
David Webb hammered 18k yellow gold scroll drop earrings, each suspending a piece of carved green and white striped jade. Clip backs. Signed "DAVID WEBB" with "18K" gold mark. Ear...
Jade, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
David Webb Black Enamel, Pearl and Diamond Brooch, 1980s
By David Webb
Located in Roma, RM
Boldly sculptural and unmistakably iconic, this striking brooch by David Webb embodies the dramatic glamour for which the American house is celebrated. Created in the 1980s, the desi...
Pearl, Diamond, Enamel
| Sold Date | Sold Price | Category | Material | Creation Year | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| $20,416 |
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months |
| $3,000-$64,000 |
| Sold price range of items in the past 12 months |
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