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"  There was something fierce in him. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis dubbed him, &amp;quot;a modern day Cellini.&amp;quot; All those untamed, double-headed animal cuffs, intensely brilliant gems and saturated enamels, a post-modern meditation on blending pav\u00E9 diamonds, rock crystal, and platinum -- a neutral palette that spewed fire in daylight. You can see it in the hundreds of the meticulously rendered drawings that remain after his all-too-brief life. A ring, the cabochon emerald sunk deeply within a generous pool of rock crystal and held there by baguette-cut diamonds; the whole set atop an engraved eighteen-carat gold shank like the arch of an ancient ruin. It was these masterpieces of jewelry design that compelled his devoted following. So much so that a client had her ashes spilled in front of his 57th Street atelier. David Webb was fearless, every bit the bold, bejeweled lion for which he would become famous.  Born in 1925, an old-school southern charmer from Asheville, North Carolina, Webb left home at seventeen and became an apprentice at his uncle&amp;#039;s silversmith shop. After moving to New York City a few years later, he met socialite Antoinette Quilleret, who immediately recognized his talents. The two started a business together in 1945, along with [then] accountant, Nina Silberstein. Silberstein and Webb formed a lasting business relationship, and bought out Quilleret shares a few years later. Silberstein and Webb then set forth on creating a renowned jewelry business, David Webb. A name that would out-live its namesake. After Webb&amp;#039;s death in 1975, Silberstein and her family presided over the designer&amp;#039;s legacy. In late 2009, the firm filed for bankruptcy. The following spring, the company was sold for eleven million dollars to a triumvirate of estate jewelry specialists: Sima Ghadamian, Robert Sadian and Mark Emanuel. Today, the firm is once again financially solid and ready to reassume its place in the upper echelons of fine jewelry. Mark Emanuel, one of the new owners, speaks to the transformative effect of Webb&amp;#039;s designs: The rich DNA found in his drawings is a marvel. His ability to create the perfect jewel, to transform shapes into wearable art, is remarkable. The opportunity to use these designs and create pieces that have never been made is incredible. And what hasn&amp;#039;t been done is just as intriguing as what has been produced. There were animal cuffs that were never made, which means the next generation will be able to buy pieces that their mothers didn&amp;#039;t have. To date, the jewelry house has tapped into a mere five percent of the archival material, leaving a treasure trove of original, never produced David Webb designs for Emanuel and his partners to develop as they position the brand for a high profile revival. David Webb is perhaps best known for his bejeweled animal forms, a menagerie that began in the 1960s, while Webb, bored and bedridden, was recovering from illness. Downtime became a new opportunity for discovery. When his crystal chandelier fell and broke into a million pieces, he began using the shards in his designs. The effect dazzled him and became the inspiration for crystal creations that would literally rock the worlds of jewelry and daytime fashion. Wearing fine jewelry with &amp;quot;sportswear&amp;quot; was unheard of, and an idea so new, it needed a formal introduction. In the 1970s, syndicated fashion columnist Marian Christie proclaimed the designer&amp;#039;s crystal and diamond collection as, &amp;quot;...the perfect answer of what to wear with sportive clothes...Crystal looks like glass.&amp;quot; David Webb&amp;#039;s impact in the world of jewelry design was no less influential than that of couturiers Charles Frederick Worth, Coco Chanel and Christian Dior. Each expanded the notion of ready-to-wear, ushering in new ideas for women to explore how to dress. The privilege of preserving an iconic piece of cultural history is not lost on Emmanuel: We knew we were buying an identifiable portion of the lexicon of twentieth century jewelry. David Webb and his idiom is instantly recognizable. It dominated the 1960s and `70s, almost more than any other brand; it has its own syntax and vocabulary. Webb&amp;#039;s jewelry is infused with world iconography. Mughal references, clean Art Deco lines, and bejeweled fauna are frequent themes in his sketchbooks. The ultimate presentation, however, always moved from the literal to something Webb-finessed: refined, seductive and modern. Under its new ownership, David Webb is experiencing a rebirth. Emanuel and his partners are developing a new department for the sale of estate Webb pieces. The team is also establishing an authentication process to help identify vintage Webb and ensure the integrity of any new pieces produced. All of this is being done to protect the house&amp;#039;s legacy, and to maintain the high standard of quality for which the firm has become known. It is important to Webb&amp;#039;s new ownership that, as Emanuel explains, &amp;quot;every newly manufactured jewel will be signed and numbered. We have setters and jewelers who have worked for the firm for forty-two years. The resources are in place.&amp;quot; The most anticipated feature of the brand&amp;#039;s re-launch is the opportunity to produce a range of never, or, rarely produced designs. The menu of choices is varied, but will closely follow Webb&amp;#039;s aesthetic. According to Emanuel, the newly expanded New York workshop has about forty or fifty pieces proposed for production. &amp;quot;These will include carved and faceted crystal, and articulated coral pieces -- materials that have been warehoused by David Webb for years. There are several important carved crystal bangles and bracelets planned, including the famed platinum and diamond Chimera bangle, several longer black enamel, gold, platinum, and diamond carved crystal hoop earrings, fluted and faceted crystal dome rings, and two long crystal and diamond-link sautoir necklaces.&amp;quot; Webb continued to draw new designs until his passing in 1975, and now his prolific legacy will finally, and more fully, see the light of day. Now that&amp;#039;s fierce. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/fashion/accessories/tips/a11337/david-webb-456021/>