fantasy friday: david yurman.

If I could wear one jewelry designer for the rest of my life, it would undoubtedly be David Yurman.

There is something about his pieces that are just eternal to me. They’re classic without ever looking tired, and they seem to go with just about everything. I actually did a summer internship in the DY Corporate Offices when I was in college, so I learned a lot about the story behind the jewels and Mr. Yurman himself, of course. I loved my experience there; everything happened in the same building, so on some floors, jewelry was actually being made – and on the top couple of floors, was the office space. Getting a sneak peak into those forbidden floors where the jewelry was created was like a little taste of heaven; imagine bin upon bin overflowing with candy-like stones, and the constant possibility that just maybe some new iconic piece was being created right there, in front of your eyes. And then there was Mr. and Mrs. Yurman’s private office, of course, which was breathtakingly beautiful. It was clean, open, and modern, and had a gorgeous staircase that led up to the rooftop terrace, where – as I’m sure you can imagine – countless fabulous parties took place.

The above photo features Kate Moss in an old ad campaign for DY. I love Kate Moss, but even more I love her as a spokesperson for this brand. She epitomizes everything it stands for. Do you see how she looks in this photo? Stunning – but almost in a disheveled way. This is DY, in a nutshell – pure elegance, with a tiny bit of roughness around the edges. I will never forget the picture he painted in my head when he described the woman who wears his jewelry. He said it was jewelry that you can throw on with jeans and be glamorous, in a cool and casual way, or you can wear it with your ballgown to your next gala. That is the David Yurman woman. She always looks perfectly put-together, but never in a I-tried-way-too hard kind of way. Always alluring, she probably just rolls right out of bed looking totally glam. She’s the woman you love to hate.

The rings – I D.I.E. for them. Always. I have a giant cocktail ring with a pale green stone, trimmed with diamonds, that I always throw on whenever I want to feel glam or sexy, even if I’m only wearing cutoff shorts and a tee. I also adore their more casual pieces; there’s nothing like rings of layered rope or crossover bands {they may or may not be lined in pave diamonds} to take your everyday jewelry up a notch. Or three. And I am also loving these hoops – hoops are always a favorite staple of mine, and these them to the next level. LOVE the black pave diamonds.

Ah yes, and there are always the bracelets. You already know he’s famous for that striking combination of silver and gold and the cable rope, of course. Today the cable bracelets are made in endless varieties, from diamonds to gold to buckles, but the original was the silver cable with the jewels and a touch of gold on the end caps. Now, I did say these pieces were timeless, and this is what I like to call an investment. I still have an amethyst cable bracelet that my grandmother once gave me from years ago, and I still wear it all.the.time. Perfect on its own, but I’m partial to wearing it piled high with other bangles, some DY and some not. Yes, everyone is into the layering right now, but mixing DY in with your layers just adds something that no other piece can. You know – it’s got that je ne sais quoi factor.

I have to know – do you love DY as much as I do? Who makes YOUR favorite baubles?

Images via David Yurman