Stephen Webster Thorn Bracelet

Iconic British jeweler Stephen Webster MBE shook everything up when he introduced his Crystal Haze rings in 1995.

The jewelry landscape was almost barren during the 1990s. Fashion dictated minimalism, and stars treading the red carpet wore Armani gowns in earth tones with very few sparkling accessories. Elsa Peretti’s little diamond solitaire necklace for Tiffany & Co. was in vogue. And the gold Cartier Panthère watch was the only item many female stars wore.

The seismic shift was sparked in 2000 when Madonna attended a party for the premiere of her movie The Next Best Thing wearing the Crystal Haze ring. She had purchased it directly from Webster, to whom she’d been introduced by a friend. Pictures of the star singer’s outing popped up seemingly everywhere — on her index finger, Webster’s Crystal Haze ring was so much bigger and bolder than the styles most celebrities were wearing at the time. The press coverage snowballed in the months and years to come as other celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera and Pink, were spotted in the now-immediately recognizable jewel.

This massive success came to Webster when he was in his 30s, not long after he launched his label, in 1989, but the design was the culmination of a lifetime of experience. At the tender age of 16, Webster found his calling when he toured Medway College of Design in Rochester, England, with a career counselor. He was immediately attracted to the jewelry department, which was “noisy, slightly grubby and lit with orangey, naked flames.” After graduating, he worked for a few years as a bench jeweler in London and the resort town of Banff, in Alberta, Canada, finally settling in Santa Barbara, California.

The luxurious, laid-back style of the city, nicknamed the American Riviera, opened Webster’s eyes to the possibility of a kind of jewelry different from the traditional designs that defined the field in England. He began working with semiprecious stones, an integral element of the Crystal Haze line. The Santa Barbara community embraced the colors and was open to lesser-known gems in fine jewelry, such as apple-green chrysoprase, lavender chalcedony and Peruvian pink opal.

The idea for the Crystal Haze ring came to Webster when he was having lapidaries in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, cut rock crystal into special shapes for big brooches. He wanted to create statement jewels in which two gems cut into a narrow arc would curve over the finger in a gold ring. The contour and connecting of the stones required a couple of years of development, some innovative thinking and plenty of expertise.

Today, Webster’s stores dot the globe, and he has a long list of illustrious collectors. The many lines he has produced over the years — from Vertigo and Dynamite to Fly By Night and Jewels Verne — display the same qualities that characterize Crystal Haze: bold, edgy designs, beautifully manufactured.

Find Stephen Webster rings, earrings, necklaces and other jewelry on 1stDibs.

Today, antique and vintage bracelets are versatile and universally loved accessories that can add polish and pizzazz to any ensemble.

Bracelets were among the jewels discovered to have been buried with Pharaoh Tutankhamun when his tomb was unearthed in 1922, and wrist and arm bracelets were allegedly worn by Queen Puabi in Sumer, southern Mesopotamia. But preceding the adornments of Ancient Egypt and elsewhere, the people of prehistoric times likely wore the decorative accessory, fashioning it from shells and fish bones. When the Bronze Age allowed for more durable materials and semiprecious stones to be incorporated into jewelry, bracelets became a treasured symbol of wealth.

In the thousands of years following the debut of the world’s first bracelets, the artistry behind this common accessory has only broadened, with designers at popular jewelry houses growing more venturesome over time. David Webb looked to nature for his Animal Kingdom bracelets, and for her best-selling bracelets and more at Tiffany & Co., Elsa Peretti would frequently do the same. From bangles to tennis bracelets, the modern age offers plenty of options.

Internationally acclaimed bracelet designs have on occasion become powerful symbols of status, style and, in the case of Cartier's iconic design, love. The Cartier Love bracelet can be found on the wish list of most jewelry lovers and on the wrist of some of the world’s biggest stars. Its arrangement of mock screwheads and distinctive functionality — it was initially locked and unlocked with an accompanying vermeil screwdriver — is an enduring expression of loyalty, unity and romance. (Do you know how to spot a fake Cartier Love bracelet?)

While the Love bracelet has played a role in the skyrocketing popularity of cuff-style bracelets, they are far from the only glamorous option for collectors. Make a statement with an Art Deco design, a style that sees all kinds of iterations fitted with studded cuffs, one-of-a-kind shapes and dazzling insets. A chunky vintage gold bracelet in the Retro style will prove eye-catching and elevate any outfit.

One of the best things about bracelets, however, is that you never have to choose just one. Style icon Jacqueline Kennedy stacked her Croisillon bracelets — designed by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co. — with such frequency that the ornate bangles were eventually dubbed “Jackie bracelets” by reporters. Contemporary silver pieces can easily complement each other, rendering a layering of luxury almost a necessity.

Find a diverse collection of bracelets that you can sort by style, stone cut and more on 1stDibs.