David Webb Tiger Earrings
Late 20th Century American Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold, Enamel
Vintage 1970s Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Enamel
Vintage 1980s American Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1980s American Brooches
Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Late 20th Century American Modernist Dangle Earrings
Tiger's Eye, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
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20th Century American Modern Link Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Italian Clip-on Earrings
Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Italian Dangle Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Clip-on Earrings
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Hoop Earrings
18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Hoop Earrings
Vintage 1970s Italian Retro Fashion Rings
Tsavorite, Sapphire, Diamond, White Gold, Rose Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Dome Rings
14k Gold
Vintage 1980s Hoop Earrings
Vintage 1970s Dome Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Stud Earrings
Amethyst, Gold
Vintage 1970s Drop Earrings
20th Century French Modern Pendant Necklaces
18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1980s Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1980s Hoop Earrings
Recent Sales
Late 20th Century American Contemporary Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, Tiger's Eye, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Artist Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s American Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Late 20th Century German Modern Clip-on Earrings
Crystal, Enamel
American Dangle Earrings
American Clip-on Earrings
Multi-gemstone
Vintage 1980s American Dome Rings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Platinum
David Webb for sale on 1stDibs
“Women are tired of jewelry-looking jewelry,” celebrated American designer David Webb once noted. In response, he created a menagerie of whimsical animals rendered as rings, brooches, earrings and, especially, bangle bracelets. This playfulness permeates all Webb’s work, which is characterized by brightly hued enamel and color-saturated semiprecious stones like coral, azurmalachite and turquoise, the notable exception being the clear, elegant rock crystal for which he had an affinity.
The North Carolina native apprenticed with his uncle, a silversmith, before moving to New York, where he established David Webb Inc. in 1948. He had no formal training in jewelry design. Instead, he culled inspiration from the ornamental styles of ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Americas, as well as the traditions of India and China — influences discernible in such pieces as his collar necklaces and talisman-like sautoirs.
Webb’s first animal bracelet was produced in 1957. His most famous, the zebra, took shape in 1963; its stripes now form the company’s logo. Although Webb died in 1975, his company continues to produce designs drawn from his extensive archives, and every piece is still made in the workshop above its Madison Avenue store.
Find an alluring collection of David Webb jewelry on 1stDibs, including earrings, brooches and other accessories.
Finding the Right Earrings for You
In the United States, ear piercing didn’t really become popular until the 1950s and ‘60s, but our desire for a dazzling pair of vintage earrings has deeper roots than that. In fact, wearing earrings actually goes back thousands of years, and you can find many tangible connections between now and then in how we continue to talk about these treasured accessories.
Women wore ornamental earrings — studs and hoops at the very least — in Ancient Egypt, which is home to mines that are among the earliest sources of emeralds in the world. Emerald earrings are highly prized today, and their quality lies in their rich, saturated color. The highest-quality emeralds are green or bluish-green. Earrings worn by the affluent in early Roman civilizations were set with precious stones such as diamonds and pearls, and a clean-looking pop of pearl on the front of the lobe is as timeless as ever. Hoop earrings are imbued with symbolism and cultural significance for many, and on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Near Eastern Art Gallery is a pair of simple gold hoops from Mesopotamia dating to between 2600 and 2500 B.C.
Today, ear piercing is very popular all over the world, and, as a result, it is difficult to overstate how much everyone pines for a good pair of earrings — modernist drop earrings, glamorous Victorian hoops, geometrically complex chandelier earrings, you name it. Sure, jewelry trends and the fashion darlings of social media come and go, but earrings have a staying power that seems impenetrable: The still-strong love affair between British royals and Cartier earrings is more than a century old, glossy 1970s hoops from legacy houses such as Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels remain the statement makers they’ve always been and although people have been stacking earrings for many moons, the allure of an expertly mismatched stack of charms and studs still feels fresh and new.
While there is no shortage of modern earring designs to choose from, the classics, like coral earrings, Art Deco–style earrings and diamond drop earrings are still heavy hitters. On 1stDibs, find a wide range of antique, new and vintage earrings today.