Rock the stars
'I'M NOT MAKING wacky, funny jewellery, but there's definitely a bit of humour in it,' says British designer Stephen Webster, holding up a puffer fish brooch with green, red and yellow gemstones glittering across its bloated belly. 'I designed this because it was the most ridiculous thing I could think of. But then one of my female customers had a puffer fish that died, and she commissioned me to make one to commemorate him. Talk about unusual pet portraits!'
Webster is no stranger to the unusual. Long before Jade Jagger and others started making funky jewellery, the London-based artist was producing hip and edgy couture pieces. Since establishing his own label and workshop in 1996, he's been creating bold, challenging designs.
Along the way Webster has collaborated with organisations such as Sotheby's, Wedgwood and Dom Perignon, and won numerous awards (including Luxury Jeweller of the Year in Britain for three years running) and unwavering loyalty from his clients. He made the wedding bands for singers Madonna and Christina Aguilera, and Ozzy Osbourne and Pink often commission him to make one-off pieces. British entertainer Robbie Williams asked him to design a pendant for the British music/fashion show Fashion Rocks!, based on the singer's Maori tattoo.
The last time Webster was in town was a few years ago, when he attended a lunch at the Kee Club, and charmed everyone. Back in Hong Kong to check on plans for his store opening at the end of the year, he reveals a more serious side - although the rock'n'roll vibe is still there, with his long unruly hair and earrings.
'I want my jewellery to be provocative,' he says. 'It's glamorous, and you can muck around with the colours and it's very arty. I start the design process from a different point of view than other designers.'
Pointing to one of his diamond necklaces, he says: 'I want this to be worn like any other diamond necklace. The profile is edgy, but it's elegant when you put it on. It's really about what I want to achieve from a collection.'
Webster's interest in the craft began at the age of 16, when he attended a pre-apprenticeship course at Medway College of Design in London. After training under Tony Shepherd, he went on to work under John Donald, one of Britain's most respected jewellery designers during the 80s.
He began specialising in commissions for prestigious jewellery houses, as well as his own clients, working hard to establish himself as a jeweller, although the market in Britain was limited and underdeveloped.
'I don't think 30 years ago there were even jobs designing jewellery,' he says. 'There were jewellery designers, but it was a discipline - being able to illustrate jewellery, rather than creating it. I eventually went to the US because it wasn't working for me in Britain. Over there, I learnt that jewellery could be fun. It wasn't tight. They were very open to it. We could use gemstones, colours, all sorts of things. You could make it and sell it. That was the key. That kicked things off for me.'
While based in the coastal town of Santa Barbara, California, Webster had the opportunity to work with America's rich and famous, who loved his flamboyant designs. Elizabeth Taylor was one of his first celebrity clients and others quickly followed. Although the industry boasted plenty of high-end jewellers such as Cartier and Piaget, women had yet to be exposed to pieces that weren't traditional. Webster's fitted the bill, with their bold, semi-precious stones, bright colours and rock'n'roll designs that embodied the designer's personality.
Webster has about 18 jewellery collections under his name, including his popular Attention Seeker and Diamond Focus collections, and he adds four lines each year. He designs each piece himself, although he stopped making jewellery about five years ago.
The Webster style is to give traditional materials and design elements a modern, edgy update, creating a look that's different yet glamorous. For example, the Crystal Haze collection features exotic gemstones that are covered by a high dome of multi-faceted rock crystal, creating a holographic effect. The Tattoo collection is inspired by different tattoo motifs encrusted with diamonds and sapphires. The most recent collection, Vintage, mixes a vintage look with a modern sensibility. Each collection features Webster's signature use of coloured gems, including tsavorite, ruby and tourmaline.
'I think I'd be considered much more creative than other designers,' he says. 'It's stupid because if I wasn't I could sell a lot more. Obviously, you do safe things and I have some safe stuff, but they're not my favourites. I had to do them. Then I got over it. That's not what my jewellery is about. There are plenty of pieces out there that are like that. Mine aren't. My jewellery is a bit edgier and makes a different statement.
'Ultimately, the biggest reward is seeing the enthusiasm of the people who wear my jewellery. It always happens with anything that you go out on a limb to make. You always get a response to it.'
Today, Webster has his sights set on Asia. His designs are available locally at Lane Crawford, and will be at his new boutique when it opens.
'We needed to get America right,' he says. And he did. 'We're so set up there now. Asia was the natural progression.'
Webster sells his collections throughout the US and Europe and has free-standing boutiques in Moscow and London, as well as two already in South Korea. These last two 'cost a fortune but they look fantastic. Hong Kong is a stepping stone to China. I have yet to visit Shanghai. I'll take it as it comes. We're not a big brand. If we get established here, it will be good. Look at what's happened with Russia. Within five years it will be exciting.'
Webster is excited about the future, and says he's committed to charting new territory with his work.
'I'm proud of what I did. I'm happy I have a business - that's more fun than anything else.
'I've not made it completely, but at least there's a receptiveness to what you do. I'd like to think that somewhere down the line I changed something.'
