Skip to main content

David Webb Books

American, 1925-1975

“Women are tired of jewelry-looking jewelry,” celebrated American designer David Webb once noted. In response, he created a menagerie of whimsical animals rendered as rings, brooches, earrings and, especially, bangle bracelets. This playfulness permeates all Webb’s work, which is characterized by brightly hued enamel and color-saturated semiprecious stones like coral, azurmalachite and turquoise, the notable exception being the clear, elegant rock crystal for which he had an affinity.

The North Carolina native apprenticed with his uncle, a silversmith, before moving to New York, where he established David Webb Inc. in 1948. He had no formal training in jewelry design. Instead, he culled inspiration from the ornamental styles of ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Americas, as well as the traditions of India and China — influences discernible in such pieces as his collar necklaces and talisman-like sautoirs. 

Webb’s first animal bracelet was produced in 1957. His most famous, the zebra, took shape in 1963; its stripes now form the company’s logo. Although Webb died in 1975, his company continues to produce designs drawn from his extensive archives, and every piece is still made in the workshop above its Madison Avenue store.

Find an alluring collection of David Webb jewelry on 1stDibs, including earrings, brooches and other accessories.

to
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1,068
92
79
69
36
Creator: David Webb
David Webb The Quintessential American Jeweler Hardcover Book by Ruth Peltason
By David Webb, Assouline Publishing
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
David Webb The Quintessential American Jeweler hardcover book by Ruth Peltrason c 2013. This large heavy hardcover luxury book is an amazing archive of Webb's extraordinary 20th cent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Hollywood Regency David Webb Books

Materials

Paper

Related Items
David Netto Book by David Netto
Located in New York, NY
David Netto By: David Netto Illustrations by Mita Bland The first monograph of a distinctive voice in American design whose work, a blend of sophisticated...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary David Webb Books

Materials

Paper

David Netto Book by David Netto
David Netto Book by David Netto
$75
H 12 in W 10 in D 3 in
David Hockney, A Bigger Book
By David Hockney
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Hardcover, 50 x 70 cm (19.6 x 27.5 in.), 498 pages, 13 fold-outs, with an adjustable bookstand designed by Marc Newson, plus an illustrated 680-page chronology book A Bigger Book, TASCHEN’s SUMO...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary European David Webb Books

Materials

Paper

David Hockney, A Bigger Book
David Hockney, A Bigger Book
$5,500 / item
H 27.5 in W 19.6 in D 4 in
Ferrari by Pino Allievi. XL hardcover book with Leatherette binding.
By TASCHEN
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Il Fascino Ferrari - A monument to Italy’s driving force. Few men, women or brand names have come to define a century. For seven decades and counting, the Italian powerhouse founded...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian David Webb Books

Materials

Foil

The International Book of Lofts, Slesin Cliff, Hardcover 1986
Located in Philadelphia, PA
The International Book of Lofts Hardcover – 1st Edition, 1986 – by Suzanne Slesin, Stafford Cliff, and Daniel Rozensztroch A visual feast of some of the most spectacular and inge...
Category

1980s American International Style Vintage David Webb Books

Materials

Paper

The Country Houses of David Adle by Stephen M. Salny (Book)
Located in North Yorkshire, GB
Hardback book with dust jacket, in good condition, 220 pages profusely illustrated with photographs and drawings. Considered to be one of America's premier "great house" architects, ...
Category

20th Century David Webb Books

Materials

Paper

Billy Baldwin: The Great American Decorator by Adam Lewis (Book)
Located in North Yorkshire, GB
The definitive book on the legendary decorator Billy Baldwin, known as the "Dean of American Decorating," famous for his classical taste, streamlined modernism, and brilliant use of colour. In the tradition of Rizzoli’s Albert Hadley and David Hicks, this is the first fully illustrated account of the career of Billy Baldwin (1903–1983), one of the most important decorators of the twentieth century, whose work has influenced contemporary designers from Bunny Williams to Jeffrey Bilhuber. A native of Baltimore, Baldwin’s work caught the eye of eminent New York decorator Ruby Ross Wood. She invited him to join her firm, saying his work stood out "like a beacon of light in the boredom of the houses around it." Baldwin’s style was a revelation—simultaneously classical and modernist, tailored and clean, yet dramatically coloured, and above all American. An enemy of clutter and conspicuous wealth, he favoured natural materials and comfortable furniture. The drama in his rooms often came from colour, as seen in the dark brown lacquered walls of Cole Porter’s library or the scarlet cotton print that covered Diana Vreeland’s apartment. Immensely charming, Baldwin was a popular addition to the high society of New York. His clients included Bill and Deeda Blair, Babe and Bill Paley...
Category

20th Century David Webb Books

Materials

Paper

Antique Art Book, The Masters Masterpieces, Hardcover, Illustrated, Edwardian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique copy of The Masters' Masterpieces, a superb Edwardian art reference book published in 1903. Beautifully compiled with 60 high-quality reproductions of major painti...
Category

Early 20th Century British Edwardian David Webb Books

Materials

Paper

Men Too Wear Clothes by Dorothy Stote Hardcover Book
Located in Stamford, CT
Men Too Wear Clothes by Dorothy Stote Hardcover with original dust jacket. Frederick A. Stokes Company. 1st edition with introduction by Lucius Beebe and Drawings by Nina Granada.
Category

1930s American Modern Vintage David Webb Books

Materials

Paper

Antique Art Book, The Hundred Best Pictures, Hardcover, Illustrated, Edwardian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique copy of The Hundred Best Pictures by C. Hubert Letts, a superb Edwardian art reference book dating to circa 1902. Elegantly bound and presented in intact, original...
Category

Early 20th Century British Edwardian David Webb Books

Materials

Paper

Reference Book Chinese Art - Chinese Art Hardcover, 1961
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Bronzes, pottery, porcelain, ivories, jades, sculpture and paintings-all these mediums of the Chinese creative genius are presented in this volume in full color. Rarely has such a co...
Category

20th Century David Webb Books

Materials

Paper

Britwell House: The David Hicks Residence. Sotheby s (Book)
Located in North Yorkshire, GB
The sale catalogue for the contents of Britwell House, sold by direction of Mr David and Lady Pamela Hicks. A collection put together between 1960 and 1979, while they owned and live...
Category

1970s English Vintage David Webb Books

Materials

Paper

White by Design by Bo Niles First Edition Hardcover Book
Located in New York, NY
A first edition hard cover with cloth binding and dust jacket of "White by Design" by Bo Niles. Forward by Ralph Lauren. "White by Design" focuses on a world of white rooms and white houses. Features a Richard Meier house in Connecticut, Ralph and Ricky Lauren...
Category

1980s American Vintage David Webb Books

Materials

Paper

David Webb books for sale on 1stDibs.

David Webb books are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of paper and are designed with extraordinary care. Many of the original books by David Webb were created in the Hollywood Regency style in italy during the 21st century and contemporary. Prices for David Webb books can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $595 and can go as high as $595, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $595.
Questions About David Webb Books
  • 1stDibs ExpertSeptember 23, 2024
    To identify David Webb jewelry, search the piece carefully for a maker's mark. The luxury jewelry maker stamps its pieces with the word "Webb." By comparing your piece to pictures shared on trusted online resources, you can then determine when your piece was produced, find out its name and learn further information. David Webb also offers an authentication service, though there is a fee to use it. Information about how to request an authentication is available on the brand's official website. On 1stDibs, explore an assortment of David Webb jewelry.

Still Thinking About These?

All Recently Viewed