Designer Spotlight: Stephen Webster

Photo copyright EraGem Black diamonds set in a platinum bone co-joining two brushed silver skull heads with hollow ruby eyes. This Double Skull & Bones ring was designed by cutting-edge jewelry designer, Stephen Webster. {1} This Goth-style ring was likely made in 2011, as part of Mr. Webster's Boyfriend Collection. The Boyfriend Collection features jewelry designed for men, but sized for women. The trend in sharing jewelry between the sexes emerged in 2011, on the heels of Gap ads featuring baggy shirts for girls and gender-neutral clothing. Stephen Webster said of the collection, "It's beyond his and hers. It's about jewelry with no gender--a jewelry box that's now for sharing." {2} While marketed to both sexes in the Boyfriend Collection, a nearly identical ring with diamond eyes also found its way into Webster's Thorn Collection, a selection clearly made for men (though women still purchase from it*), with its masculine metallic thorns, black sapphires, and bold designs. Bold designs with rocker-like themes are the defining elements of Stephen Webster's designer jewelry. However, Mr .Webster is far from stuck in the bygone days of Ozzy Osbourne and Kiss. Although he has been called "the rock god" and "the cool-jewels Kaiser", {3} Mr. Webster's philosophy of work, his commitment to excellence in craftsmanship, and his "flamboyant and striking...ultraluxrious" {cited} designs have set his work in a class of its own. Stephen Webster's designs tread the line between fine and designer jewelry. The brand offers a line of high fashion jewelry right alongside designer collections for Nieman Marcus and Saks. Most recently, Mr. Webster was invited to design the jewelry for actress Berenice Marlohe, who played Severine in the latest Bond thriller, Skyfall. Mr. Webster and his team infused the Skyfall jewels with allure, mystery, danger, and glamour. In speaking of the opportunity, Mr. Webster relates, "Wow--a Bond girl! Our perfect client: seductive, glamorous  beautiful, dangerous...The perfect match!" {cited} And Mr. Webster has worked with more than his fair share of perfect matches. His magnificent jewels have been worn by the seductive and glamorous Sharon Stone, the beautiful and sometimes dangerous Madonna, as well as Hollywood's ultra-glam movie stars, Charlize Theron, Cameron Diaz, and Kate Beckinsale. The designer has also collaborated on pieces with edgy and glamorous men, including Rock-and-Roll legends Ozzy Osbourne and Axl Rose, as well as the intriguing Johnny Depp. In all accounts it is clear that Mr. Webster thoroughly enjoys his work and the fame that goes with it. In fact, it seems as if he was made for it. His launch parties are astonishing in their genius, replete with legendary theatrics (including 'life-like' dead bodies), outrageous luxuries (including a stretch Hummer equipped with two roaring log fires) {4}, and stunning, edgy jewels inspired by anything from mystery novel covers from the '30s and '40s, real-life femme fatales, or cliff-top vistas near his home in the UK. When he's not busy making jewelry, having fun with his kids, and planning blow-your-mind launch parties, Stephen Webster can be found traipsing about in the mines of Tanzania and Peru, connecting with those who make it all possible--the miners who bring the gold and jewels to the surface. While his edgy designs and his bold presence define him in the upper echelons of high fashion, it's his commitment to fair trade in gold mining coupled with his willingness to share his knowledge and experience with up-and-coming jewelry artisans that gain him distinction among his peers in the trade. "Renowned for his fearless creativity... enthusiasm, commitment ...exquisite craftsmanship," {cited} Stephen Webster has continually "rebranded the jeweler as an artist rather than an artisan. a chap of flair and wild imagination," as opposed to "a chap in brown overalls with a lens screwed into his eye... attach diamonds and sapphires on a circlet of gold." {6} NOTES *Singer Cheryl Cole was captured on film wearing Webster's Thorn Noir 3D Diamond Earrings 1. "Rocks and Roll." Belfast Telegraph, December 31, 2011. 2. Theobald, Stephanie. "Unisex: A jewellery box you might like to share with the boyfriend." Financial Times, March 25, 2011. 3. "Rocks and Roll." Belfast Telegraph, December 31, 2011. 3. Fedorova, Nath. "Swarovski Skyfall James Bond Jewellery by Stephen Webster." Local Spotter, posted in London, Fall 2012. 4. "Rocks and Roll." Belfast Telegraph, December 31, 2011. 5. Ibid.