The American Jewelers Who Rewrote the Rules of Luxury
Oscar Heyman Sapphire and Diamond Double Clip Brooch. Sold at M.S. Rau.
Cultural institutions around the country are using America’s 250th anniversary to bring attention to American artists and designers in several creative fields, including jewelry. In New York, for instance, Sotheby's “250 Years of American Art & Culture” selling exhibition includes a special display of archival and contemporary creations from David Webb. The display will include a never-before-shown aquamarine suite from the 1950s, a newly conceived iteration of David Webb’s iconic Totem Necklace, vintage coral pieces and emerald and sapphire one-of-a-kind brooches from the 1960s. “We didn’t think but two minutes that it would be David Webb. They’ve been great friends for years,” Frank Everett, Sotheby’s vice chairman of jewelry, told Observer. “He is the quintessential American jew
Meanwhile, New Orleans antiques dealer M.S. Rau is hosting a virtual exhibition, “American Icons: Artists who Defined a Nation 1776-2026.” Elle Spurr, a researcher, writer and specialist at M.S. Rau, told Observer that American jewelers helped define a luxury identity rooted in ingenuity, ambition and self-invention: “From the artistic vision of Louis Comfort Tiffany to the legendary diamonds of Harry Winston, the exceptional gemstones of Oscar Heyman and the daring designs of David Webb, American makers proved that this country could produce objects of extraordinary refinement and originality. Their work reflects the rise of American wealth, taste and confidence on the world stage.”
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