Unpredictable, cheerful and talkative ... Unbearably creative, unrecognized and particularly impudent to set new standards in the world of luxury, in its modern sense. Meet STEVEN WEBSTER - an artist, jeweler, innovator, arrived in Dubai to present here his new series of jewelry - FINE JEWELERY and SILVER JEWELERY, as well as ASTRO BALLS pendants and rings from the “haute couture” collection of “The Seven Deadly Sins”
Stephen, you boldly combine seemingly incompatible things - silver with diamonds, precious stones with semiprecious ones, experimenting with forms, images, volumes. When did it first occur to you to break the rules accepted in the jewelry industry, which many adhere to for centuries?
This is funny, really. One of the famous Russian magazines called me a "jewelry bully", and I liked this definition. Then I thought wow, cool! When I was about 22 years old, I met a Canadian who spent his whole life in mines where precious stones were mined. Once he brought and showed me a large piece of colored rough stone, almost a rock, I, looking at it, thought, why not jewelry like this. Then I decided to use all the beauty of large stones. At that time, stones such as tourmaline or aquamarine, for example, were not particularly readily used by jewelers, as they were considered semiprecious. Since I was a beginner in the high jewelry industry, I decided that many of the rules probably didn’t particularly concern me, and began to experiment. I did not buy ready-made faceted stones, but came up with my own facets. Much of what I could offer was very different from the frozen forms of classic jewelry.
Today, the style of clothing has changed dramatically. You will almost never meet women fully dressed in a suit from Chanel. No, few of these, of course, still remain. But, basically, people began to combine things in their own way, reflecting their inner world and style. A woman can go with a Chanel bag in her hands and even have a Chanel jacket on her, but complemented by jeans and a Top Shop shirt. It used to be an absolute taboo, but today it’s the order of things.
So you decided to make a collection of jewelry precisely from silver with precious stones?
Yes, that was one of the reasons. I wanted to create jewelry that would fall into the luxury segment, and at the same time continue to be impudent, memorable, recognizable and, most importantly, accessible to a wide range of people. And when you consider that gold is getting more expensive all the time, I decided to imagine luxury in silver. For people who will wear these jewelry, they will carry a certain chic and gloss. I want this to be so.
In America, for example, my collections are extremely popular. A new trend appeared in large multi-brand boutiques - customers ask for something similar to Stephen Webster jewelry, as it is not refined “high” jewelry art and not cheap public jewelry, but something that stands in the middle and offers exactly the style of jewelry that is needed today , as it matches their style.
It seems to me that you already have a lot of fans. After all, many Stephen Webster jewelry are produced in limited editions based on a certain group of connoisseurs ...
As a designer, I am obliged to segment my approaches to the buyers of my jewelry, or in other words, I must know exactly what to offer and to whom. For the elite, for famous people you need to make such jewelry that would be status and desirable for each of them, and of course, not massive. To the others - a completely different approach, and from this, completely different types, forms, materials of jewelry. This is my philosophy. And believe me, this is such a joy and such a pleasure! Especially when you see that young and not very young people who cannot afford too expensive jewelry buy and wear no less stylish and daring items from my silver collections.
I know that Stephen Webster jewelry is very fond of Russian customers. What was your reaction when you first presented your collections in Moscow? And what was the first reaction of Russian buyers to your "jewelry provocations"?
ABOUT! I'll tell you now! It was one of the greatest events in my life when we opened our first Stephen Webster boutique in Moscow seven or eight years ago. On the opening day, I remember very well that some people representing other brands came to our presentation. They all asked each other, they say, who is this guy. And already on the very first evening we sold one-third of our entire stock of jewelry brought to Russia. It was beyond my comprehension! People stood in line! And my Russian partners at that time explained: "What did you expect, Stephen? People want to support you. You brought new and interesting jewelry that you have never seen before ...". That was awesome!
And you know what is especially valuable? Russian people usually know exactly what is fashionable and what is not, what is prestigious and what is not. And they make purchases in full accordance with this knowledge. And when everyone around me said that you would never sell silver jewelry to Russian fashion designers, this was fundamentally wrong! We sold an incredible amount of silverware. And one of my most popular jewelry - a ring in the shape of a crab - became such thanks to the Russians! For me, the Russian market is one of the most important, and the volumes of silver jewelry sold there are simply phenomenal. And this is one of the most striking examples.
How will your jewelry from silver perceive the Middle East, where the love of gold is traditionally high?
I have high hopes for this market, although I think it will take some time for local customers to begin to perceive silver jewelry as an integral part of the modern luxury market. Because the situation is changing, and many brands today are trying to find a worthy replacement for gold, because not all buyers are getting richer every day. I personally do not want to make my jewelry smaller, which means that gold is not suitable for translating my ideas. Need to look for new ways. Therefore, I also started making jewelry from titanium, and this would also not have been possible two or three years ago, because the processing technologies of this metal did not allow us to make jewelry collections from it. And today - this is another alternative in the luxury segment.
Your collections are simply riddled with mythical characters, themes of love and rock and roll. Where do you find sources of inspiration? Where are the unique stones mined for your creations?
Pretty funny, but most of the diamonds I use in my jewelry are Russian. Some phenomenal and very specific, in my opinion, stones, such as alexandrite, also come from Russia.
The multi-colored and black spinels mined in Russian mines look absolutely stunning. In general, I really like working with spinels, they are very inexpensive, but they have an amazing shine and color. For example, scarlet spinels are no worse than rubies, and you understand the prices yourself, and they look as they should in the product. I must say that since the process of globalization is going on in the world, Russia is not the last to take it. I am married to a Russian woman (Anastasia Webster - ed.), My children speak Russian, my whole life is connected with Russia. As for myths and fairy-tale characters, yes, this topic is close to me. Gargoyles, chimeras, bats become excellent images in certain jewelry. If we talk about Russian characters, then I would probably think of Grigory Rasputin. In my opinion, it is very interesting. But I'm lucky, honestly! I visited many historical places in Russia - this is an endless source of inspiration for the artist. Believe me!
They say you even have a Russian motorcycle. It's true?
Pure truth. I have a branded boutique in Yekaterinburg, and I really like big and powerful motorcycles. I used to have both Harley Davidson and British bikes, but in Yekaterinburg I found, you won’t believe, the Ural motorcycle with a sidecar in 1957! Asya, my wife, bought it for my 50th birthday, and he was taken to England directly from the Urals! I completely redid it, almost disassembling it into molecules. I want to make an inscription in Russian “No regrets!” On his stroller. And I will ride it in London, despite the fact that the stroller on my motorcycle is on the right side with left-hand traffic. Is it great?
Of course, great. Stephen, please tell me which of your collections do you recommend taking a closer look at on the eve of the Christmas and New Year holidays?
To all! (laughs). No, the truth is that Stephen Webster lines present such a variety of jewelry, for every taste and budget, that you can choose for yourself or as a gift something incredible. In all countries of the world my pendants with the image of the zodiac signs are selling well, because now almost everyone watches their horoscopes. And you look at them ...
What awaits us ahead?
I am currently working on a new collection on the topic of "crime and punishment", which will appear on the markets only next year. It will be jewelry on the theme of "purely English murders", like those of Agatha Christie, not scary, but to some extent even comical. In general, I want people who want to buy jewelry at Stephen Webster boutique to not feel that they are not of age or status. Include a sense of humor, and each decoration will bring you joy!
Thanks, Stephen. We look forward to your new collections.
