David Webb and Sotheby’s spotlight American jewelry in summer exhibition

Sotheby’s and David Webb will open “Sotheby’s X David Webb: Mavericks On Madison Avenue” at Sotheby’s at The Breuer, 945 Madison Avenue, New York, from July 1 to August 16, with public viewing hours set for Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The exhibition arrives as part of Sotheby’s “250 Years of American Art & Culture” programming, pitched to the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence on July 4, 2026, but its real interest lies in how Webb’s most recognizable signatures still read as contemporary design language.

Founded in New York in 1948, David Webb built a distinctly American voice in fine jewelry after moving from Asheville, North Carolina, to New York at 17 and starting the company at 23. That origin story still matters because the house’s strongest work has always balanced spectacle with craftsmanship: textured gold, saturated color, carved coral, enamel, and animal motifs that turn jewelry into a kind of portable emblem. Those are the codes that feel most current now, especially as bold, character-driven pieces return to the center of the conversation ahead of the semiquincentennial.

The exhibition will gather current and archival pieces, including the Delacorte Suite, a late-1950s aquamarine-and-diamond suite, along with the Couture Coral Collar and Brooch and the Emerald Cross River Ring. The emerald ring had never been photographed before, and the coral choker had never been seen publicly before, giving the show the feel of a first look rather than a retrospective. In a season crowded with heritage branding, Webb’s archive offers something sharper: motifs that are unmistakably American without relying on nostalgia.

That strength comes from the house’s own working method. David Webb’s current brand says its workshop remains above its Madison Avenue flagship boutique, and its archives still drive the design process, with more than 40,000 original renderings, records, and design ideas. The brand’s jewels also sit in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Museum of Arts and Design, the Newark Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, a museum trail that underscores how deeply Webb’s language of zebra stripes, coral, and sculptural gold has entered the canon.

Tara Rowghani, co-owner of David Webb, said the partnership carries extra resonance because the two businesses are neighbors on Madison Avenue and because the jewelry is still handcrafted in New York. Levi Higgs, head of the David Webb archives, said the pieces were chosen for their summery palette and bold design, while Sotheby’s vice chairman of jewelry, Frank Everett, singled out Webb’s zebra bracelets as a perennial draw and the Anchor brooch as his personal favorite. The message is plain: emblematic jewelry with cultural memory attached is back in view, and Webb still knows how to make it look immediate.