David Yurman
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAmerican luxury jewelry company known for sculptural designs and its signature Cable motif.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile yet.
Overview
David Yurman is a privately held American luxury jewelry company headquartered in New York City. It was founded in 1980 by sculptor and jewelry designer David Yurman and painter Sybil Kleinrock Yurman, who developed the business as creative partners. The company is associated with an American approach to fine jewelry that combines precious metals and gemstones with sculptural form, artisanal techniques, and a recognizable design language centered on the Cable motif. David Yurman’s origins lie in the New York art and craft communities of the 1960s and 1970s. David Yurman grew up in the Bronx and encountered metalworking as a teenager through an association with Cuban welder and sculptor Ernesto Gonzalez. He later apprenticed with modernist sculptor Jacques Lipchitz and worked in the studios of artists including Theodore Roszak and Edward Meshekoff. His early work included large-scale public sculpture and architectural elements, including work connected with Lincoln Center and a sculpture commissioned for the James L. Watson Court of International Trade in New York. In the late 1960s, he became shop foreman for sculptor Hans Van de Bovenkamp, where he met Sybil Kleinrock. David and Sybil moved to Carmel, New York, in the early 1970s and created Putnam Art Works, a venture focused on sculptural jewelry, sculpture, and painting. Through galleries, craft fairs, and exhibitions, they became participants in the American craft movement and gained practical experience in presenting artisanal jewelry to consumers. They married in 1979 and established the David Yurman company the following year. Sybil Yurman has been described as a co-creator and collaborator across the company’s design and business activities. The company helped define the emerging American designer-jewelry category during the 1980s and 1990s. Its work translated an art-jewelry sensibility into a broader luxury business, with collections spanning jewelry, watches, men's products, wedding jewelry, and related accessories. The Cable design became the brand’s most recognizable visual signature, allowing different collections to share a common identity while incorporating varied stones, metals, proportions, and finishes. A first New York retail store opened in 1999. The brand expanded its public image through a 2000 advertising campaign created with the David Lipman agency and photographed by Peter Lindbergh, with Amber Valletta as the campaign face. Evan Yurman, David and Sybil’s son, joined the company in 2003 and became design director for the men’s and timepiece collections in 2004. He later launched a high-end jewelry collection and oversaw the wedding collection, which had debuted in 2006. Beyond commercial jewelry, the company has maintained links with art, design, and philanthropy. The David & Sybil Yurman Humanitarian and Arts Foundation was established in 2001 to recognize individuals who support charitable and artistic causes. The company and foundation have supported organizations and initiatives connected with museums, arts education, medical research, children’s charities, public-safety families, and therapeutic equestrian programs. A 2017 monograph, David Yurman Cable, examined the Cable form as both a design device and an artistic concept. The brand remains active as an independent luxury jewelry business. Its public profile combines founder-led design heritage, premium jewelry and timepiece collections, retail presentation, celebrity and model campaigns, and ongoing engagement with arts and charitable organizations.
History
David Yurman’s history began in the New York art world rather than in conventional jewelry manufacturing. David Yurman was raised in the Bronx and developed an early interest in metalworking after meeting sculptor and welder Ernesto Gonzalez as a teenager. After a short period at New York University, he traveled between New York and California and became involved with the artistic communities of Greenwich Village, Venice, and Big Sur. In the 1960s he apprenticed with modernist sculptor Jacques Lipchitz and established a studio in Greenwich Village. During this period Yurman worked with sculptors Theodore Roszak and Edward Meshekoff on large-scale public projects. His work included contributions to architectural and civic commissions associated with Lincoln Center and the James L. Watson Court of International Trade in New York. He later became shop foreman in Hans Van de Bovenkamp’s studio. There he met painter Sybil Kleinrock, who would become his wife and long-term creative and business partner. In the early 1970s, the couple moved to Carmel in upstate New York and formed Putnam Art Works. The enterprise produced sculptural jewelry as well as sculpture and paintings, and the pair exhibited through galleries and craft fairs. Their participation in the American craft movement gave them experience in both artistic production and the commercial presentation of handmade jewelry. This period also established the design philosophy that would later distinguish David Yurman: jewelry could be treated as wearable sculpture, combining material richness with strong three-dimensional form. David and Sybil married in 1979 and founded the David Yurman company in 1980. Sybil was involved as a co-creator and collaborator rather than functioning only in an administrative role. In 1977, before the company was formally established, David Yurman had been selected as one of 12 jewelers for the first New Designer Gallery at the Retail Jewelers of America Show in New York. That exposure connected the studio-based craft world with established jewelry merchandising and helped position Yurman within the developing American designer-jewelry field. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the company expanded its presence in American fine jewelry. Its collections used precious metals and gemstones in designs that retained an artisanal and sculptural quality. The Cable motif became the central recurring form in the brand’s visual vocabulary. Rather than limiting Cable to a single product, the company used it across jewelry categories and later developed related applications in watches and other collections. This approach created continuity between seasonal products and the larger brand identity. The opening of the first David Yurman store in New York in 1999 marked an important step toward direct retail. In 2000, the company launched its first advertising campaign with the David Lipman agency and photographer Peter Lindbergh. The campaign was photographed in St. Barts and featured Amber Valletta, helping establish a polished fashion image for a company whose origins remained rooted in art and craft. The next generation joined the business when Evan Yurman entered the company in 2003. He became design director for the Men's and Timepiece Collections in 2004, later introduced an exclusive high-end jewelry collection, and took responsibility for the Wedding Collection, which had launched in 2006. His participation extended the family’s design role into men’s jewelry, watches, and bridal products. The company has also maintained institutional relationships with the arts and charitable organizations. The David & Sybil Yurman Humanitarian and Arts Foundation was founded in 2001 to honor people who support charitable and artistic causes. The foundation and the company have supported organizations including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Studio in a School, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and Make-A-Wish, as well as initiatives connected with public-safety families and therapeutic horsemanship. The brand’s cultural history was documented in David Yurman Cable, a 2017 book published by Rizzoli. In the late 2010s and 2020s, the company continued to operate as a privately held luxury jewelry brand. Its public activities included legal enforcement against online counterfeiters, ambassador relationships with figures such as Michael B. Jordan, Shawn Mendes, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Iris Law, and Eiza González, and support for emerging designers through the David Yurman Gem Awards Grant announced in 2025.
- 2025
David Yurman Gem Awards Grant announced
[1]A grant and mentorship initiative for emerging jewelry designers was announced under the David Yurman name.
- 2019
Counterfeit enforcement judgment
[1]A federal court entered a default judgment for David Yurman against 31 defendants associated with websites selling counterfeit goods and infringing the company’s trademarks.
- 2017
David Yurman Cable published
[1]Rizzoli published David Yurman Cable, a monograph examining the Cable form and its role in the brand’s artistic identity.
- 2013
Visionaries! Award
[1]David Yurman received the annual Visionaries! Award from the Museum of Arts and Design.
- 2006
Wedding Collection debuts
[1]The company introduced its Wedding Collection, which Evan Yurman later oversaw.
- 2004
Evan Yurman becomes design director
[1]Evan Yurman became design director for the Men's and Timepiece Collections.
- 2003
Evan Yurman joins the company
[1]Evan Yurman joined the family business and later assumed design responsibility for men's and timepiece collections.
- 2001
Humanitarian and Arts Foundation established
[1]The David & Sybil Yurman Humanitarian and Arts Foundation was created to recognize and support contributions to charitable and artistic causes.
- 2000
First major advertising campaign
[1]The company worked with the David Lipman agency and Peter Lindbergh on a campaign photographed in St. Barts and featuring Amber Valletta.
- 1999
First New York store opens
[1]David and Sybil Yurman opened the company’s first retail store in New York.
Products and positioning
American luxury jewelry with an art-driven, sculptural identity and a recognizable Cable design signature.
Fine jewelry
Cable Collection
The Cable Collection is the brand’s defining design platform. Its twisted, rope-like form expresses David Yurman’s sculptural origins and appears in rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and other jewelry formats. The motif is adapted through different precious metals, gemstones, textures, and proportions, allowing the company to maintain a consistent visual signature across collections.
Men's jewelry
Men's Collection
The Men's Collection extends the company’s design language into jewelry intended for male customers. It forms part of the business’s broader move beyond traditional women's fine jewelry and includes sculptural treatments and recurring brand elements associated with David Yurman’s workshop-based identity.
Watches · 2004
Timepiece Collection
The Timepiece Collection applies David Yurman’s jewelry-oriented design approach to watches. Evan Yurman became design director for the timepiece category in 2004, linking the collection to the family’s broader emphasis on materials, ornament, and recognizable sculptural form.
Wedding jewelry · 2006
Wedding Collection
The Wedding Collection represents the company’s bridal and commitment-jewelry offering. It debuted in 2006 and was later overseen by Evan Yurman. The collection extends the brand’s luxury positioning into engagement, wedding, and related ceremonial purchases.
High jewelry · 2009
High-end jewelry collection by Evan Yurman
Evan Yurman launched an exclusive high-end jewelry collection after joining the company and taking on design responsibilities. The line represents the family business’s extension into more exclusive and elevated jewelry formats.
Marketing campaigns
- 2025Eiza González ambassador partnership
International markets
Eiza González was announced as a David Yurman brand ambassador, adding a prominent actor to the company’s ambassador and celebrity-marketing program.
Outcome. Expanded the brand’s public-facing ambassador roster.
- 2000First David Yurman advertising campaign
International luxury and fashion markets
Created with the David Lipman advertising agency and photographed by Peter Lindbergh in St. Barts, the campaign featured Amber Valletta and helped frame the company as a fashion-oriented luxury jewelry brand.
Outcome. Established a high-fashion visual language for the brand.
Brand decisions
2019
Trademark enforcement against counterfeit sellersOtherBackground
A network of websites was accused of infringing David Yurman trademarks and selling counterfeit David Yurman products.
Action taken
The company pursued litigation in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and obtained a default judgment, damages, and a permanent injunction against 31 defendants.
Aftermath
The judgment provided legal relief against the identified websites and reinforced the company’s protection of its trademarks and product authenticity.
Court-awarded damages. $1,550,000 (March 2019)
1999
Opening of the first company storeStrategyBackground
After operating through the designer-jewelry and artisanal craft marketplace, the company moved toward direct retail.
Action taken
David and Sybil Yurman opened the first David Yurman store in New York.
Aftermath
The move strengthened the company’s direct relationship with luxury consumers and gave the brand a dedicated retail environment.
1980
Formalization of the David Yurman jewelry companyStrategyBackground
David Yurman and Sybil Kleinrock Yurman had already developed sculptural jewelry through Putnam Art Works and craft exhibitions.
Action taken
They established a dedicated company under the David Yurman name, combining David’s sculptural design practice with Sybil’s creative and business collaboration.
Aftermath
The company became an important participant in the American designer-jewelry category and later developed retail, men's, timepiece, wedding, and high-jewelry offerings.
Recent events
Reported
David Yurman launches its Come Closer campaign[2]
David Yurman announced its 2022 Come Closer campaign, featuring Scarlett Johansson and Henry Golding as the jewelry brand’s first-ever celebrity ambassador duo.
David Yurman opened its New York flagship store[3]
David Yurman opened a three-floor, 5,000-square-foot flagship store on East 57th Street in New York. The location offers the brand’s products and services including same-day delivery, car services for top clients, and an on-site jeweler.
Sources3 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/david-yurman · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled