David Yurman

Monday, May 20, 2002

By Patricia Sheridan, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Correction/Clarification (Published May 24, 2002): In the "Breakfast With" interview with David Yurman published May 20, 2002, we mentioned two local stores that carry Yurman's line of jewelry, but omitted the third -- Orr's Jewelry in Squirrel Hill.

David Yurman is just one half of a successful partnership that's grown into a multimillion-dollar jewelry empire. He and his wife, Sybil, married 32 years, both worked as successful artists before coming to the jewelry counter and hitting it big with the cable bracelet. With a flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York City and 425 authorized retail locations, including Louis Anthony Jewelers, Saks Fifth Avenue and Orr's Jewelry in Pittsburgh, the company celebrated its 20th anniversary last year.

Q. Why do you think your signature cable bracelet was so popular?

A. Well, I think we stayed very consistent with it, and at the same time, we gave it lots of variety. We made it in multiple sizes. We made it with color, and no color, and mixtures of color. At the time there was no big fun jewelry in the world that was real. When we wanted to enter the major market there was no category. All I heard was, "I buy diamonds, I buy gold, she buys silver, I don't buy semiprecious stones ..." We were the first to step in and say these are my designs and we sell them under a designer name and it's David Yurman. We still respect the heritage of cable. There is always a cable note somewhere, even if it's a cable hang tag.

Q. Are there any hard-and-fast rules that apply to wearing jewelry?

A. No, I think really, it's to be appropriate. Size and the sense of emotion you get from wearing something -- that is kind of an intangible. So, basically, you want to find a comfort level. One that's physically comfortable and in proportion to who you are, but not exactly. My wife wears a very large watch that we make. "It makes my wrist look thin," she said.

Q. Do you see any trends in jewelry?

A. All the time. Sometimes the creative trend in jewelry is so strong that you want to play down your clothing and show your gems. When things become very minimal and streamlined, it's a great background for jewelry. The trend now (maybe not in the work place) is hippie chic. Some people call it ethnic. We introduced something called bijoux du jour -- the jewels of the day. It's totally fashion-forward. It's incredibly versatile, because it's long chains mixed with chunks and faceted beads of amethyst, citrons and turquoise. You can wear it as a belt. It's very playful and all about being creative and having fun with what you want to wear.

Q. What is your spring couture line about?

A. The couture line is entirely different. The couture is one of a kind and very large (we're back to beads, we started with beads in the '70s). Like maybe a half-inch and an inch. There is not a lot of this around; it is very limited. That's the couture and it's very limited. I mean, no one makes a living on couture. I'm losing money and my CFO is going nuts on how much money I've spent on this stuff. He said, "You haven't sold one." I said, "Don't worry."

Q. Does it bother you that your designs are so knocked off?

A. Well it does bother me. I don't know who said imitation is the highest form of flattery, but they have no idea what they said. Imitation is an unfortunate factor in creative design. It's not flattery. It's thievery. We spend an enormous amount of time, effort and money on stopping knockoffs, and we have been rather successful lately. Over the last five years, we have spent over 3 1/2 million dollars in legal battles protecting our product. Our job is to give the customer a clear, clean original product and get rid of the pirates.

Q. How do you feel about pearls?

A. I'm loving them. I bought so many pearls. I haven't used them yet. But we have some wraparound lariats with the pearls. The merchandising committee voted down the soft pastel pinks, but I'm putting them in anyway. I'm always allowed at least one, or two over-rules. I came across huge volumes of the most lustrous pearls at market price. I said, "My God!" I bought everything I could get my hands on. That won't actually go with the couture. That will probably go mixed in the late spring, maybe summer, designs.

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