Stephen Webster | |
---|---|
Born | Stephen Webster Gravesend, Kent, England |
Nationality | British |
Education | Medway College |
Occupation | Jewelry designer |
Labels |
|
Website | http://www.stephenwebster.com |
Stephen Webster MBE (born 1959 [1] ) is a British jewellery designer best known as founder of his eponymous jewellery brand.
Born in Gravesend, Kent, Stephen Webster was educated at Gravesend Grammar School and later at the Medway College of Design (now the University for the Creative Arts, Rochester). [2] [3]
After completing his training under Tony Shepherd (himself a former Prime Warden of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths), Webster worked as a craftsman for several established London design houses. Among many highly regarded commissions was the honor, on two occasions, of setting the De Beers Diamond Stakes Trophy. [4] After receiving the De Beers honour in 1982 (an accreditation that marked Webster's official passage into the fine jewellery trade) [4] Webster relocated to Canada to design for an independent jeweler. Following a brief return to the UK in 1984, Webster identified a potential market for his jewelry in California.
Webster returned to London in 1989 to establish Stephen Webster Ltd. The brand currently has over 200 points of sale worldwide and flagship stores in London, Beverly Hills, Moscow, St Petersburg and Kyiv.
In 2007, Webster was awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree from the University for the Creative Arts, [2] and in 2013 Webster was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year Honours for services to training and skills in the British jewellery industry. [5]
In 2015, Webster published his autobiography Goldstruck: A Life Shaped by Jewellery. The book features photography by Rankin and Amelia Troubridge. [6]
Birmingham City University is a university in Birmingham, England. Initially established as the Birmingham College of Art with roots dating back to 1843, it was designated as a polytechnic in 1971 and gained university status in 1992.
Cartier International SNC, or simply Cartier, is a French luxury-goods conglomerate that designs, manufactures, distributes, and sells jewelry, leather goods, watches, sunglasses and eyeglasses. Founded by Louis-François Cartier (1819–1904) in Paris in 1847, the company remained under family control until 1964. The company is headquartered in Paris and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Swiss Richemont Group. Cartier operates more than 200 stores in 125 countries, with three Temples in Paris, London, and New York City.
Victor Mayer founded the jewellery manufacture Victor Mayer in Pforzheim in 1890. In the time of Jugendstil / Art Nouveau, the company created pieces based on the designs of well-known artists such as the jewellery designer Professor Georg Kleemann or Anton Krautheimer of the Munich Secession. In the art deco period and in the 1950s the manufacture focused mainly on fine gold and silver ware. From the 1970s onwards again more jewellery was manufactured. Until 1988 the company produced Fabergé jewelry for Fabergé & Cie in Paris with the label 'Fabergé Paris'. From 1925 until 2009, the company continued to produce Fabergé jewelry under license from Unilever New York until the brand license was sold. The manufacture Victor Mayer is well known for its high-end jewellery and the preservation of historical artisan techniques such as authentic fire enamel or guilloché.
Art jewelry is one of the names given to jewelry created by studio craftspeople in recent decades. As the name suggests, art jewelry emphasizes creative expression and design, and is characterized by the use of a variety of materials, often commonplace or of low economic value. In this sense, it forms a counterbalance to the use of "precious materials" in conventional or fine jewelry, where the value of the object is tied to the value of the materials from which it is made. Art jewelry is related to studio craft in other media such as glass, wood, plastics and clay; it shares beliefs and values, education and training, circumstances of production, and networks of distribution and publicity with the wider field of studio craft. Art jewelry also has links to fine art and design.
John Hardy, established in Bali in 1975, creates artisan handcrafted jewelry. Each of John Hardy’s distinctive collections conveys evocative symbolism and honors the transmission of creative energy from the artist to the wearer. Since inception, the company has been deeply rooted in the essential values of community, artisanship, and sustainability.
Andrew Grima was an Anglo-Italian designer who became known as the doyen of modern jewellery design in Britain.
David Yurman is a privately held American jewelry company founded by David Yurman and Sybil Yurman. Its headquarters is situated in New York City.
Elizabeth Gage MBE is a British jewellery designer and trained master goldsmith who has been creating collectable jewellery for over 50 years. She has been described by the trade as someone "whose large rings, historical references, gorgeous stones and elaborate craftsmanship set the tone for a whole generation".
Annoushka Ducas MBE is a jewellery designer, creative director and entrepreneur who founded British jewellery companies Links of London and Annoushka.
Selim Mouzannar is a French-Lebanese jeweler and civic activist. He is the founder and CEO of Selim Mouzannar, his eponymous jewellery house and artisanal manufacturing corporation based in Beirut, Lebanon.
Astley Clarke is a British jewellery brand that was founded in London in 2006 by Bec Astley Clarke. started as an online retailer, selling designer jewellery In 2009 Astley Clarke started designing their own jewellery, after employing a creative director, Lorna Watson. In 2014, following the appointment of a new CEO, Scott Thomson, Astley Clarke pivoted from being a pure play jewellery marketplace to a jewellery brand, selling jewellery designed only in-house in their London Studio. Astley Clarke is known for having contributed to the creation of the demi-fine category of jewellery and uses only Noble metals with coloured gemstones and 14k gold with diamonds.
Dirce Repossi is an Italian jewellery brand founded in 1929, during the Art Déco era, by Camillo Repossi and Giusto Zeme.
Shaun Leane is a British jewellery designer best known for his sculptural pieces created for Alexander McQueen. His eponymous jewellery brand is a four-time winner of the UK Jewellery Designer of the Year award.
Maxim Leonidovich Voznesenskiy is an artist jeweller, art collector, creator of art projects, and promoter of Russian art.
Azza Fahmy is an Egyptian jewellery designer, and the founder of the design house Azza Fahmy Jewellery. Fahmy was the first woman to train in Egypt's jewellery quarter, Khan El Khalili. In 2013 Fahmy founded ‘The Design Studio by Azza Fahmy’, in partnership with Alchimia, Contemporary Design School in Florence.
Ana Khouri is a New York-based jewellery designer.
Forevermark is a diamond company and subsidiary of De Beers Group.
Fernando Pires Jorge is a Brazilian jewellery designer. He launched his eponymous fine jewellery brand in 2010, after completing an MA in design at Central Saint Martins (2008–2010).
Jordan Askill is an Australian jewelry designer and sculptor.
Feng J or Feng Ji is a Paris-based Chinese jewelry designer and artist. She established her own eponymous jewelry brand in Paris and set up showrooms in Place Vendôme and Shanghai. In December 2015, she founded Fengji Jewelry (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. in Shanghai, serving as its executive director and general manager. The company has a registered capital of only RMB 1 million.