Renowned for innovative designs that combine traditional craftsmanship with contemporary style, London jeweler David Morris has been a favorite among discerning jewelry buyers, European royalty and Hollywood stars for the past 60 years.
Morris was born in North London in 1936. He apprenticed as a teenager under a leading jeweler in Hatton Garden, London’s jewelry quarter, and later attended the Central School of Arts and Crafts, where he studied goldsmithing.
In 1962, Morris opened his first atelier. His jewelry designs, which featured valuable gemstones like Colombian emeralds and Kashmir sapphires, soon attracted the attention of London’s wealthy and elite. In 1965, actor Richard Burton purchased for Elizabeth Taylor a heart-shaped diamond necklace that Morris designed. For Prince Charles’s 21st birthday in 1969, Morris was commissioned to design a gold dragon hood ornament for his Aston Martin convertible — the same car driven by Prince William and Catherine Middleton on their wedding day in 2011.
One of Morris’s most famous associations is with the James Bond films — indeed, the franchise’s relationship with jewelry isn’t simply about watches alone. In 1971, Morris created the lavish diamond jewelry prominently featured in the opening credits of Diamonds Are Forever. He also designed the jadeite pendant necklace worn by Bond girl Maud Adams in The Man With The Golden Gun, the Burmese sapphire ring and the diamond scoop necklace worn by Teri Hatcher in Tomorrow Never Dies, and, of course, Denise Richards’s rose-cut and micro-pavé adornments in The World Is Not Enough.
Morris’s company expanded from its initial Mayfair location to its flagship store on New Bond Street in London (established in 1996). The brand has opened several boutiques worldwide. David Morris cocktail rings, drop earrings, studs, pendant necklaces and brooches feature a glittering array of flawless diamonds, vibrant colored gemstones and luminous pearls. Today, the jewelry business is family-run, with his son Jeremy having been at the helm since 2003.
Morris’s jewelry has been featured in exhibitions such as “Designing 007 — Fifty Years of Bond Style,” which opened in 2012 at the Barbican in London. His pieces are also part of the permanent collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
On 1stDibs, find a range of David Morris jewelry that includes rings, earrings and necklaces.
