Vintage David Yurman Necklaces
Antique Early 19th Century Classical Roman Choker Necklaces
South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Choker Necklaces
2010s More Necklaces
Yellow Gold, Silver
Early 2000s American Link Necklaces
Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Silver, Sterling Silver
1990s Choker Necklaces
14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Chain Necklaces
Topaz, Blue Topaz, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
20th Century Pendant Necklaces
Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
20th Century Link Necklaces
Garnet, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Sterling Silver
1990s Chain Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Modern Chain Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold
1990s Pendant Necklaces
Blue Topaz, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Pendant Necklaces
Peridot, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
1990s American Contemporary Lever-Back Earrings
Peridot, 14k Gold, Silver
Early 2000s Chain Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1980s Italian Brooches
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chain Necklaces
Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s Italian Pendant Necklaces
Yellow Gold
1990s French Contemporary Bangles
18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
2010s Chain Necklaces
Early 2000s Turkish Contemporary Rope Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century French Modern Bangles
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold, Enamel
1990s American Choker Necklaces
Pearl, 14k Gold, Silver
20th Century American Modern Chain Necklaces
Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Bangles
Diamond, Yellow Gold
2010s Bangles
2010s Contemporary Choker Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
20th Century French Modern Bangles
Onyx, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Wrist Watches
Yellow Gold
2010s American Chain Necklaces
Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver, 18k Gold
Recent Sales
Late 20th Century American Rope Necklaces
Citrine, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Link Necklaces
18k Gold
1990s Retro Choker Necklaces
14k Gold
1990s Italian Chain Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Retro Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Silver, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
20th Century Choker Necklaces
Chrysophrase, Garnet, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
20th Century Choker Necklaces
Chrysophrase, Garnet, Sterling Silver, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Choker Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
20th Century Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Onyx, Sterling Silver
20th Century Pendant Necklaces
Peridot, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Chain Necklaces
Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver, Gold, 14k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Chain Necklaces
Amethyst, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver
1990s Chain Necklaces
Sterling Silver
1990s Chain Necklaces
Sterling Silver, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Garnet, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Choker Necklaces
Garnet, Rhodolite, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
1990s Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold, Sterling Silver
20th Century Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Hematite, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Unknown Contemporary Chain Necklaces
14k Gold, Sterling Silver
20th Century American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Peridot, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklace Enhancers
Garnet, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Pendant Necklaces
Citrine, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
2010s Chain Necklaces
Sterling Silver
20th Century Pendant Necklaces
Amethyst, Silver
Late 20th Century Chain Necklaces
Blue Topaz, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Amethyst, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Link Necklaces
18k Gold
Vintage David Yurman Necklaces For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Vintage David Yurman Necklaces?
David Yurman for sale on 1stDibs
Perhaps the ultimate artistic couple, sculptor David Yurman (b. 1942) and his wife, painter Sybil Kleinrock (b. 1942), couldn’t have imagined they’d build an internationally renowned fine jewelry empire when they met in 1969 at a sculpture studio in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village.
Eleven years later, in 1980, the duo established the David Yurman brand and it boomed almost instantly, a by-product of the pair’s love for and commitment to making art. (They’ve been known to call their business as well as their relationship “one big art project.”) In fact, Yurman’s most recognizable piece, the Cable bracelet, was inspired by his background in metalworking and direct welding, skills he learned when he was just a teenager. It is a marvelously modern accessory rooted in everything from jewelry motifs of ancient Syria to the natural formations of tree branches that would yield the Cable ring, earrings and other items.
When Long Island, New York–born Yurman was in high school, he spent a summer visiting his sister in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he met Cuban sculptor Ernesto González, who taught him how to heat and fuse metals. After that fateful summer, Yurman experimented feverishly with bronze sculpture and, eventually, minimalist jewelry design.
Yurman studied briefly at New York University, opting to drop out after a year to hitchhike across the United States, ending up in an artist colony on California’s Big Sur coastline. The bustling artists’ scene in New York during the 1960s eventually drew him back to the East Coast. There, he trained under Cubist sculptor Jacques Lipchitz, and, by 1969, he was a foreman in sculptor Hans Van de Bovenkamp’s Greenwich Village studio. It was in the studio that he met Kleinrock.
Kleinrock and Yurman began a romantic relationship, and he designed her a sculptural welded bronze necklace to wear to an art gallery opening. The gallery owner was so enchanted by the design — Yurman called it the Dante — that she wanted to buy it on the spot. Yurman refused because he considered the gift too personal, but his partner left it with the dealer. Within hours, four necklaces were sold and a brand was born.
A year after the two married in 1979 — the ceremony included simple gold rings Yurman had soldered from gold in his workshop — they officially launched David Yurman. Three years later, one of his most popular designs, the Cable bracelet, hit the market.
Today, David Yurman engagement rings, bracelets, rings, necklaces and earrings are widely treasured, distinctive works of American jewelry design.
Finding the Right Necklaces for You
We are fortunate to know much of the world’s long and dazzling history of necklaces, as this type of jewelry was so treasured that it was frequently buried with its owners.
Lapis lazuli beads adorned necklaces unearthed from the royal graves at the ancient Iraqi civilization of Sumer, while the excavation of King Tut’s burial chamber revealed a sense of style that led to a frenzy of Art Deco designs, with artisans of the 1920s seeking to emulate the elegant work crafted by Ancient Egypt’s goldsmiths and jewelry makers.
In ancient times, pendant necklaces worn by royalty and nobles conferred wealth and prestige. Today, wearing jewelry is about personal expression: Luxury diamond necklaces exude confidence and can symbolize the celebratory nature of a deep romantic relationship, while paper-clip chain-link necklaces designed by the likes of goldsmith Faye Kim are firmly planted in the past as well as the present. Kim works exclusively with eco-friendly gold, and these fashionable, fun accessories owe to the design of 19th-century watch fobs.
For some, necklaces are thought of as being a solely feminine piece, but this widely loved accessory has been gender-neutral for eons. In fact, just as women rarely took to wearing a single necklace during the Renaissance, men of the era layered chains and valuable pendants atop their bejeweled clothing. In modern times, the free-spirited hippie and counterculture movements of the 1960s saw costume-jewelry designers celebrating self-expression through colorful multistrand necklaces and no shortage of beads, which were worn by anyone and everyone.
Even after all of these years, the necklace remains an irrefutable staple of any complete outfit. Although new trends in jewelry are constantly emerging, the glamour and beauty of the past continue to inform modern styles and designs. In a way, the cyclical history of the necklace differs little from its familiar looped form: The celebrated French jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels found much inspiration in King Tut, and, now, their Alhambra collection is a go-to for modern royals. Vintage necklaces designed by David Webb — whose work landed him on the cover of Vogue in 1950, two years after opening his Manhattan shop — were likely inspired by the ornamental styles of ancient Greece, Mesopotamia and Egypt.
On 1stDibs, browse top designers like Cartier, Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari, or shop by your favorite style, from eye-catching choker necklaces to understated links to pearl necklaces and more.