Jeweller David Morris' secret to sparkling success

Looking at David Morris today, surrounded by his bejewelled creations in the presidential suite of the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, it's hard to imagine him as a teenage drop-out with no real career aspirations. That was more than half a century ago, and it wasn't until a diamond cutter named Posh John took Morris under his wing that the boy's career took off.

Today, David Morris is one of the most renowned British jewellers in the world, having created pieces for clientele that includes the Sultan of Brunei and the Prince of Liechtenstein. Nevertheless, he's not too busy to pass on the wealth of knowledge to his son - just as Posh John did to him so many years ago.

"At 15, I'd just left school and really didn't know what to do or which career path to follow," the jeweller reminisces. "I enjoyed drawing and sketching, and one of the family suggested I become a diamond cutter, so off I went and I ended up as an apprentice diamond mounter and goldsmith with a tiny firm - there were just three of us when I joined the workshop."

The teenage Morris had only been there a few years when he met Posh John, a diamond setter from the floor below, so named for coming to work every day with a bowler hat and a rolled umbrella. "He said, 'You've got a good reputation as a craftsman, shall we go into partnership together?'" Morris says. "And the rest, as they say, is history."

The British jeweller was in Hong Kong last year for the brand's new spring collection and high jewellery launch. Since then, the company has opened a boutique in Abu Dhabi, adding to its impressive collection of stores worldwide, with boutiques reaching from Florida to Riyadh. "The jewellery industry has changed significantly since the 1960s … clients are far more mobile nowadays, something we have mirrored by opening stores in strategic locations such as our Dubai store, our Hong Kong store, and our new Abu Dhabi store, with more to come in Asia," Morris says.

"Why have we done this? Because we have clients who visit our London store on Monday, Dubai on Wednesday and stop off in our Peninsula Hong Kong store the following weekend."

Business is clearly flourishing, and it's no surprise given the company's steadfast eye on variable industry trends and consumer interests. "In the same way a particular handbag is this season's must-have, so it is with gemstones," Morris explains. A few years ago, for example, there was a surge in interest in conch pearls, and the company promptly started crafting pieces using the rare material. The jeweller has also started to pair the pearl with jade - the first time the brand has worked with this traditional Chinese stone - and last month launched a pair of earrings and a bracelet featuring these materials with diamonds.

The jeweller's beautiful and often extravagant creations are well known. Morris' friendships with actor Roger Moore and Maurice Binder, a film-title designer known for his extensive collaborations with the James Bond movies, mean that David Morris jewels have sparkled across numerous 007 productions over the decades. Oprah Winfrey, whom Morris describes as "lovely to work with", is also a fan, having chosen a pair of the brand's white gold and diamond chandelier earrings for an Oscars event. The jeweller has enjoyed the patronage of royals as well. "The sultan of Brunei and his wife are absolutely charming … it is always a privilege and a pleasure to interact with them," Morris says.

"[They have] excellent taste and an incredible knowledge of stones and jewellery."