STEPHEN WEBSTER / Rocking Jewellery
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“ You have to be price-sensitive and you have to be different. The industry has been full of people that just sell stones in a nice way ”
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THE MONTEBURY: HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INTO JEWELLERY?
STEPHEN WEBSTER: Well, I went to art school in 1976 and I kind of had a loose idea that I wanted to be a fashion designer, but I had never really thought about it apart from the fact that I was always into fashion. I just wasn’t quite prepared for what fashion design was and it felt all wrong for a regular guy who had been to an all boys school and who arrived in a class full of women and a flamboyant, gay teacher. Everything about it, for a sixteen year old who wasn’t exposed to any of that, was frightening. It was all sowing machines and I had never really thought about that.
So, I was in the art school and I could pretty much pick what I wanted to do, so I saw jewellery as something totally intriguing, fascinating. It was workshop mixed with design and actually making these precious things. I got extremely excited about that as a possibility for my career, and I loved it. That was thirty four years ago.
WHAT WAS THE NEXT STEP?
SW: I did an apprenticeship at Hatton Garden, which was a pretty normal thing to do, that was for five years. Even though the design side of it had not really been the focus of my training, I felt like I had my own ideas and I wanted to create my own ideas, which is everybody's dream. It was really difficult, times were really hard and I think that designer jewellery was not what it is today. Trying to find where you fit was complicated and I was naive. I went with great enthusiasm and very quickly realised that there were not many places to go, so I quickly went back to conforming. I needed to pay some bills because I had gone and got myself a studio, where I was doing diamond setting and ordinary things for the trade.
After a period, a guy came from Canada and offered me a job with an amazing salary. I was still only twenty two. He had been recommended to come and see me because he was looking for somebody to live in Canada (in a ski resort) who could be self-sufficient, which meant designing, making, the lot. I went and worked for him, because he was a real gem adventurer. He spent his whole time in Brazil, Africa or wherever gems were being mined. He would come back and give me all of these rocks and that was a great place to learn. I very quickly began to adapt to these big, colourful, exotic rocks, which were not being used in England. That set me off in the roots of the design philosophy that we have at Stephen Webster today. I love colour - it is impossible for me to think about jewellery that does not have colour in it. So, from there he sold that business and I moved back to England. He started again in California and asked me to go back and work for him, which I did, doing the same thing as I was doing in Canada. This was in the eighties, and things were getting crazy. Jewellery was in its element and I was in the perfect place - California, where I had clients who were open to anything. I came back to England at the end of the eighties and started up my own business, but I knew where to go this time. I knew that if I made jewellery in my style, which was very colourful and very bold, that I would have a client for it. |
Eminent designer jeweller and current Creative Director of fine jewellery house GARRARD, STEPHEN WEBSTER has revolutionised the jewellery industry. At GARRARD’s London offices, STEPHEN spoke to THE MONTEBURY about big gems, original designs and what men really want.
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SO, THE EIGHTIES WAS THE PERIOD FOR JEWELLERY? WHAT WAS THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY IN ENGLAND BEFORE THAT?
SW: Well, the jewellery business was a desperate place. There was quality there but it was very rigid. The thing that I supposed I had come to terms with, which I was able to change in this country, was that a jeweller had no place for a designer. We were really one of the very first designers that found a place in a retail jeweller. It was quite tough and was slow but towards the mid-nineties, people slowly started to become more interested. They would buy some bits from me, and there was an enthusiasm for the fact that it was a designer piece. Through that, all the best jewellers around the country started to carry a Stephen Webster collection. That changed our whole business and allowed us to grow within the country. There needed to be an attitude change, because America was quite forward and was not steeped in tradition. Jewellers in America could still be quite conservative, but there wasn’t quite the same barriers and you could find people who were enthusiastic to carry different things, which is what they wanted. Within every city of America, there would be a jeweller that would be known for carrying designer jewellery. Later on in the early part of 2000/2001, it exploded and became ridiculous. Everybody was a designer jeweller. You had influencers and then the rest who were migrating towards what they thought was the way to go.
WHAT DO YOU THINK CAUSED THIS?
SW: Well, it suddenly wasn’t good enough anymore to be ordinary. But, it all kind of imploded. A lot of what was being done was ordinary, but was just going under the guise of being designer, with a designer name.
A DIFFICULT TIME FOR AUTHENTIC JEWELLERY DESIGNERS?
SW: Yes, because in thirty four years I have been through a lot. There were long periods where I would get bored out of my brains because I would constantly ask what is going to change in the business. There were some key things that happened to me about ten years ago that really did change our business. One particular friend, who manages the band Radiohead, said to me ‘your business lacks personality - it is the most anonymous business. You should play on your personality’. So, we started to think of it that way, even if I didn’t know how to start. But through advice, I started to put myself out there, rather than just my product. That started to become a different thing, and was during a time when suddenly jewellery was being written about. It was being written about because there were designers involved. In fashion, people knew the names but nobody knew the names in jewellery. The moment I put my name forward and made myself available, there were journalists who wanted to write about me because nobody knew what a jeweller looked like. So, it was a brilliant ride. Madonna was a very early client of mine and she was very influential. She was walking around wearing my jewellery and it was very distinct, so people wanted to find out about it. For me, it was New York. In New York, they wanted to know. Places like Bergdoff Goodman and Neiman Marcus were very early stockists and very enthusiastic. The network went out very quickly and that was part of us becoming a business from a one-man band. |
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DID THE NEW IDEA OF ‘CELEBRITY’ HELP?
SW: This was on the early side of the power of ‘celebrity’. I guess it has always been there a bit, but it wasn’t as mental as it became. We started to pick up all of these celebrities as our clients and you realise that it has a big effect on your business, especially if you get some that are prepared to talk about you and your business. It made it exciting.
WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR ORIGINAL INSPIRATIONS FOR YOUR JEWELLERY?
SW: I suppose that the ‘gem-guy’ started a fascination with gems. One of the things that I felt able to do was to make a design where the gem was part of the piece. Instead of buying a ruby and putting it into a design, I could buy a piece of rough material and fashion it to fit into the design. That again wasn’t exclusively mine, but was a more novel approach. That was quite an inspiration in itself, and I would try to play on that approach as much as possible. As far as the design side, one of my very early collections, I took gun engraving. It seemed that it was only used for weaponry, and I thought it would be really cool if we could incorporate that into the design of the jewellery. My first collection was called ‘Cloth of Gold’, which incorporated this technique. It went down really well, and was very intricate work with very specific patterns. I was working with a gun engraver, so it was almost like a tapestry into the gold. Mixed with gems that were cut to fit into the design, that gave us something that was completely original. That was one of the first collections where I took the concept and ran it through a whole collection. All I needed to do was every now and again add some new pieces to this look.
“ Most guys now would accept that they know it is cool to have a bit of jewellery ”
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WAS THIS NOT HAPPENING AT THE TIME?
SW: No, it wasn’t. I am not going to say that I was the first designer jeweller, but I had my concepts and my original ideas. Jewellery is all about the detail, so your detailing is what gives your jewellery a character. Every now and again you come with a whole new concept. Now, I have complete fun with my collections, they are so selfish. Years ago, I made a ring for one of my close friends, Mick Jones from The Clash. The first one I did was called ‘I Fought the Law’. That was a big difference, because the first time anyone sees that, they think of The Clash. I then made a whole collection called ‘London Calling’. Some of it had ‘London Calling’ written on it but sometimes that was only on the back, and was based on the iron work that you would find around London. So, the pieces were very ‘London’ but I called it ‘London Calling’ to give it a bit of a story. That works like you can’t believe. With experience, you know what your clients are going to respond to. |
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Above: Antler link pendant in silver with white and black diamonds, Hunting dogs ring in blackened gold with rose gold plated fox with ruby eyes by STEPHEN WEBSTER for GARRARD.
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WERE YOU EXCLUSIVELY DESIGNING FOR MEN?
SW: I was pretty much designing for women, because the business was for women. About eight years ago, I did my first full men’s collection. This was the next thing I had to overcome with the jeweller. Firstly, the jewellery would be in a Stephen Webster counter, but it would be predominately women. I had one ring called ‘The Rockstar’ ring and another called ‘Sex & Drugs & Rock n’ Roll’, which I originally made for Ozzy Osbourne. I made that part of my collection, but I just had the two rings and some cufflinks. There wasn’t the need for whole men’s collections. Men weren’t quite yet buying from collections, because that is a new concept. Eight years ago I designed a collection called ‘Rayman’, which was a stingray skin texture into silver, similar to the gun engraving. I then put this collection out, which was about a thirty-piece collection for men. American stores bought it but nobody else bought it, because they didn’t have a men’s section. They had cufflink sections and some pens, but not a men’s jewellery section. They all have one now. I got loads of press, but there was virtually nowhere for it go. I carried on, because I knew that you couldn’t have that much press without it being worth something. It took a couple of seasons and then it started to become a business. At the moment, it is twenty percent of my business, which is a big chunk. I have a men’s designer working for me who was a tattoo artist who loved jewellery. He and I work on all of the men’s jewellery. It is a full on category that I personally love and that it still evolving. For example, we have had to design a completely different collection for japan, because Japanese men are quite interesting. They can be excruciatingly fashionable but they are quite small and love detail. The small, detailed jewellery you have to do for Japan.
DO YOU THINK MEN LIKE A STORY BEHIND THEIR JEWELLERY?
SW: They like things that are manly, which can go across all markets. Somebody like Michael Stipe, who is gay, loves my jewellery because it is very manly. It is interesting, because I have given him a choice of jewellery that is designed for men as opposed to taking women’s jewellery and ‘manlying’ it up a bit. The whole bling thing, i avoided it. Beads are quite interesting, because they are huge for men. Men have suddenly found that beads are o.k. and we can’t make enough. I was just in California and we had a delivery of men’s beads and the first guy who came in bought the lot of them. They are not expensive, about $350, but they have a beautiful clasp and beads. A couple of years ago, surfer guys would have bought them but now, bankers feel that they can wear them. From a design point of view, it is very easy. It is the same as everything else, as long as your product does not look like everyone else’s, you have a customer for it. A dog tag, a cross, a rosary, bleeding hearts, they are all very easy sales to a man because they look cool. These are very important things for a successful men’s collection. We have just shown in Paris, which we had never done before and we had a whole new audience, but they were still going for the skulls and the bleeding hearts. |
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WHAT ABOUT SOME YOUR COLLABORATIONS?
SW: I am the Creative Director at Garrard at the moment, which is very interesting for me. I have got my head around it now, which has taken me about a year. At first I didn’t have enough information. What is interesting is that in 1996, when nobody would buy my jewellery, Garrard was the first shop that ever bought my jewellery in England. The shop used to be on Regent Street and for a month, they gave me a Stephen Webster show, which was great. Various things happened to Garrard over the years, and I always kept a loose relationship. When you are Creative Director, you have to find a place that is nearly lost and you have to find out what people would come to Garrard for, which takes a bit of time. One of the most amazing things is the archive here. Once you start to get into it, it is fascinating because some of the greatest people in the last two hundred and seventy five years have been customers here. The Duke of Wellington used to turn up on his horse. You can use all of that and then you have to try and work out what somebody would want from it now. People love stories and you somehow have to communicate that with a contemporary product. My first men’s collection for Garrard was called ‘Hunter’, because I wanted to take the sporting references found in the archives. Men’s jewellery in the 1850s to the turn of the century was very sporting. I took things that I thought would be for a modern man, and to be honest, I have been pushing it a bit. I have given Garrard a collection that people will need to get used to. I believe it is the right thing to do because we need to be pushing the boundaries.
IS THIS VERY MUCH AN ENGLISH JEWELLERY TRAIT, ARE WE TOO CONVENTIONAL ABOUT DESIGN?
SW: I think things have changed a lot. Bond Street is not the perfect place to go and see a good collection of men’s jewellery, which is why having the ‘Hunter’ collection at Garrard is quite unusual. If you go out further, you are going to find great collections. Some of the best collections of jewellery at the moment will be in more fashionable places. My shop on Mount Street gives a lot of space to men and a lot of guys are surprised about how much we have on offer. For sure you will see some men’s jewellery now but not the depth that we offer. That is cool, because a man has a reason to come to our shop. Most guys now would accept that they know it is cool to have a bit of jewellery. They can be quite timid about where to go with it and often ask my advice. A pendant is very easy and so is a bracelet. One of the harder things is a ring. Guys are more prepared to wear a bracelet, which I think has to do with watches. There is still a big cufflink business, but you can go to a lot of places and find good cufflinks. For Halloween, I did a collection of Hammer Horror characters (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy), and to walk in and find a collection like that is quite cool. If I was doing ‘avant-garde’ men’s jewellery, I think I would be sat here with a lot of jewellery that I couldn’t sell, because that market is so tiny and it is not my market. I enjoy designing something that is going to be successful. I think men like something that is brought back, designed completely differently but has a reference. |
“ These stones are not glamorous, they are fascinating. This is the fundamental difference between men’s and women’s jewellery ”
WHAT MATERIAL DO YOU PERSONALLY LIKE TO WORK WITH?
SW: Well, I have always worked in metal. I like metal, especially heavy metal. I like things with a substance to them and I am not too crazy about jewellery that feels too light. I love mixed metals and we still incorporate this philosophy of exotic stone. I use some things that not everybody is using, such as Falcon’s Eye which is blue tiger’s eye, which is beautiful and very manly. I will use Tiger’s Iron which is a tiger’s eye and pyrite, which looks like gun metal. They are perfect things for men. These things sound manly, and they are the right sort of thing. I found a stone by chance called Spiderman Jasper, which is a brown stone with a red vein running through it. I bought all that I could find.
DO YOU THINK THAT MEN NEED THE DETAIL IN THE STONE?
SW: Yes, because these stones are not glamorous, they are fascinating. This is the fundamental difference between men’s and women’s jewellery. Most women want glamorous things. There is always the woman who wants dark, but generally the women who want dark, want it glamorous.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE MEN’S JEWELLERY INDUSTRY AT THE MOMENT?
SW: This time around, it is the best it has ever been. It is more adventurous and there is a lot more on offer. If you are guy who is interested in buying some jewellery, you are going to find something for you. It is now part of the look, because you could be considered to be incomplete if you do not have a bit of jewellery. All it means to me is that it is worth all the effort we make. When we did our first collection, it was a bit hit or miss, but the investment in development and the amount we sold was not worth it, but it was a stepping stone to where we are now. For example, in Japan, we probably sell more men’s jewellery than women’s. It is an essential ingredient, and even though it is a recession time our men’s jewellery business in America is rocking. The one area that I found is growing is men’s jewellery. This is because our jewellery is specific for almost one type of guy and is completely different. You can feel cool without having to be a rock star.
“ You can feel cool without having to be a rock star ”
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THERE ARE A LOT OF JEWELLERY COMPANIES FALLING INTO THE RED AT THE MOMENT. WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS?
SW: I think it has been a very difficult period. Somebody like Garrard has been hit very hard. My first men’s collection and my first big full women’s collection starts with silver, and I think silver with diamonds is the way forward. It is about being flexible and not being fixed on one thing, because that one thing, let’s face it, is not moving anymore. I find a lot of excitement in our industry still, because there may not be as many, but there are still a lot of luxury buyers. They are very discerning and I think they are looking for an emotional process to buy something, because it is now not about going out and buying something for the sake of it. It has got to be something and people are looking for very creative things and price-sensitive things. You can still find a customer for your diamond necklaces, but the customer has to feel that the product is somewhat bespoke, completely creative and a real conversation piece. It is not just about having big diamonds, it is about being glamorous through design. Three years ago, I had this crazy idea when I was drunk with Christina Aguilera, that I was going to do this collection that was going to be completely affordable and she was going to be the face of it. That is now nearly half of my business, and the stuff really started to sell. If we had only been focused on one area, because for years my average price point was $5000, it would not have worked. As long as you keep producing beautiful designs and keep things moving, it is fine. I love to sell a necklace for one hundred thousand, but instead of sitting their panicking we now have a lower price point collection that is our bread and butter. You have to be price-sensitive and you have to be different. The industry has been full of people that just sell stones in a nice way.
HAS THERE BEEN MORE OF A DEMAND FOR BESPOKE SERVICES?
SW: We have always had a lot of that and my jewellery feels like you can come to us and ask for a bespoke piece, which doesn’t happen so much in Cartier. It is still very strong, but I do not know whether it has got better or worse because it is still there. That customer may have been very happy to have bought an expensive off the shelf product before but maybe feels that they now need something special in order to purchase. If you are offering a bespoke service, I think it is the right thing to do.
WHAT PUBLIC FIGURE DO YOU THINK LEADS THE WAY FOR MEN’S JEWELLERY?
SW: For me, it’s Mickey Rourke. Russell Brand is great for us because he wears nearly all of our jewellery and he is a funny character. He has a lot of my beads and he likes a lot of jewellery. He is slightly camp and yet all the women love him. He is probably better for me than David Beckham, because he is very influential but I don’t know whether men would look to him for their accessory influences. The only thing I ever see him wearing is a really stupid watch, but maybe he has some other ones. He used to have some of our jewellery, but with someone like Russell Brand, you feel that you can experiment a bit more. We made him the West Ham hammers in purple and blue which looked really cool.
WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR STEPHEN WEBSTER?
SW: I feel very ready for whatever is going to come next. We are doing so well in the Russian market and in Europe. I think that some of the markets like Dubai have been tough but there is always enough going on. I just did a collaboration with grey goose, where we made big vodka buckets for night clubs which were very Stephen Webster in style. That is kind of fun and I like that, venturing out into something that sits on a table. It is not that far removed from jewellery, but in a way it is also a million miles away. We have done a few motorbikes and I just did a vespa for a woman. That is really a business. They have been bespoke jobs, but actually, for a jeweller to do it is a natural progression. Anything that is outside of jewellery is always interesting to me. We just made a short film, which looks great. I write a lot of columns, such as for Rolling Stone magazine in Russia. I tie my life into my jewellery and where it takes me.
Above: Antler cuff links in white gold with African rubies and black diamonds by STEPHEN WEBSTER for GARRARD.
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AS A DESIGNER, ARE YOU EVER FOLLOWING TRENDS?
SW: No, we are always looking to create new ones. If you are a designer and are following trends, you are not a designer. We have managed to do that, and if you look in my counters in Sachs Fifth Avenue, I can honestly tell you that we have the edgiest look in there. People notice it and they know it is not just another collection of jewellery. My biggest selling bracelet this year is a shark’s jaw set with grey and white diamond teeth. You don’t look at that and think that it is following a trend. That type of imagery in fine jewellery feels ordinary now but it wasn’t very long ago when people would call me an idiot for designing something like that. Over ten years ago, my inspiration was tattoos and I was using tattoo designs for women in jewellery with diamonds, which was completely off the chart. The attitude was so rigid and nobody could think that there would be a luxury buyer who would buy women’s diamond jewellery inspired by tattoos. Now, it is just ordinary. |
— December 2009
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