Extraordinary gemstones, impeccable crafting and creative design, are all hallmarks of David Morris jewelry. David Morris started his eponymous jewelry design house in 1962, during a time of great social and fashion upheaval. However, his use of rare gems and opulent designs captured the imagination of clients from Elizabeth Taylor to the Sultan of Brunei.
While founder David Morris and his wife Suzette, who played an integral role in the business, are retired, his son Jeremy continues the legacy of making high jewelry. Two of Jeremy’s daughters, Cecily Morris and Phoebe Morris, have also joined the firm marking the third generation to be part of the business. A new 256-page slip cased tome, “The World of David Morris: The London Jeweler”, published by Rizzoli, chronicles the company history. The book is written by Annabel Davidson, editor of Vanity Fair on Jewellery, who has also written for British Vogue, Telegraph, New York Times and others.
The foreword is written by Cecily Morris and Phoebe Morris. The sisters preview the book by giving us a glimpse into their thoughts on the family jewels and by promising to lift the curtain to show what is happening behind the scenes when creating a spectacular piece of high jewelry. To that end, the book is filled with personal anecdotes that bring us closer to the family. Jeremy Morris also offers his unique business perspective to the narrative.
Meet David Morris
Chapter One, A Family Portrait, introduces readers to David Morris, who at 15 left school to apprentice with a jeweler in London’s Hatton Garden jewelry district. After starting the firm in 1962 David and his design partner won the coveted De Beers Diamond International Award the following two years. It was those wins that really helped put him on the map. Since that time David Morris jewelry has been featured in four James Bond movies and on Hollywood celebrities, royalty and collectors. One of the most unusual pieces mentioned in the book is the diamond dragon hood bonnet, created by David Morris, that Queen Elizabeth II gifted then Prince Charles on his twenty first birthday for his Aston Martin.
The next chapter focuses on sourcing the extraordinary gemstones used in the jewelry. It’s not just about finding the perfect gem, but also refashioning overlooked gems to bring out their beauty. In this chapter we find out that the David Morris gemstone inventory is so vast that it fills up a two ton safe. And it is the job of one person to count, weigh and record every gem in the safe every two months. One of the interesting points in this book is that at the beginning of each chapter, images of gemstones decorate the pages and there is a gemological explanation about the stones.
Inspiration and Innovation
The remainder of the book takes a deep dive into the design and manufacturing process. Jeremy Morris talks about being inspired by everything from museum exhibitions to the Sunday Kensal Market. But the story doesn’t stop there, designers in the atelier are interviewed and give their unique perspective on the creative process, which has been known to include drawing a necklace, then cutting it out and placing it on a bust to see how it sits on the body.
One of the more unusual tales of jewelry design recounted in the book involves sheet music. The firm had a cache of rubies that were oval shaped and looked like musical notes. Sheet music was acquired and the stones were placed on the musical notes with diamonds filling in the white space, before you know it the Melody bracelet was born. While David Morris jewelry is made by hand, the artisans use Computer Aided Design (CAD) to create a three-dimensional version of a piece, which is then recreated in precious materials and made by hand. By using CAD, clients can also see a design more easily.
Getting Personal
The final chapter focuses on how personal relationships with clients helps to fully develop the design process. According to Jeremy Morris, it’s not just about understanding your clients, but really knowing them and what they have in their jewelry collection and what they may need to expand their collections. He notes that learning what a client likes from a design point-of-view helps to sell the jewelry.
The sparkling world of David Morris is beautifully captured in this coffee table tome that is filled with glorious imagery of his innovative creations that will leave you wanting more.
Top of Page: Cover: The World of David Morris: The London Jeweler, published by Rizzoli, © 2024.
Authored by Amber Michelle