Welcoming Iconic Jeweler David Webb to Montecito

The newest happening this season is the historic jewelry brand David Webb opening its freshest retail location at Rosewood Miramar. It joins the brand’s locations in NYC, Doha, Qatar, and One Rodeo in Beverly Hills (by appointment only). The finely appointed 460-square-foot Montecito store is managed by Meredith Austin Brown, previously with Tiffany & Co., Martin Katz, and Harry Winston.

David Webb jewelry is known and worn internationally by the most elegant women and men, from red-carpet icons Scarlett Johansson, Helen Mirren, and Beyoncé, to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, and Webb’s first backer (in 1948), French socialite Antoinette Quilleret. The brand has created Gifts of State for Kennedy, Nixon, and Obama; the Vatican; the Moroccan Royal Family; and the Prime Minister of Japan.

The flagship store on Madison Avenue recently hosted a grand soirée during NYC Fashion Week, February ‘26. I couldn’t help but wonder… is Montecito Fashion Week in the mix for Spring/Summer ‘27?

David Webb features sixteen collections: Ancient World, Bastille, Brocade, Colors, Crescent, 57th Street, Kingdom, Manhattan Minimalism, Motif, Nail, Repoussé, Streamline, Stud, Totem, Twilight, and Zodiac. Webb arrived in NYC at the tender age of 17 and crafted his animal line in 1957. The Zebra Bracelet, made of cabochon rubies, brilliant-cut diamonds, black and white enamel, 18K gold, and platinum, is the company mascot. Webb famously wrote in 1963, “…jewelry deserves to be regarded as art and collected by museums.” Indeed, in 2018, the Zebra Bracelet entered the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Acquired in January 2025 by Middle West Partners (an investment platform founded in 2022), David Webb now boasts its first-ever CEO, James Weiss. Weiss has served as an advisor to David Webb since 2017. He holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an AB in Economics from Princeton University.

This week, I had the honor of interviewing Weiss about his new appointment and what we can expect from David Webb Montecito.

Q. As the brand’s first-ever CEO, you are in a unique position to define your role and the company’s mission going forward. Kindly share. (Spoiler alerts allowed!)

A. David Webb has always been exceptional – exceptional design, exceptional craft, exceptional clients, and of course, its exceptional history. I’ve inherited something magical, and I don’t take that lightly. My role, as I see it, is to be a steward of everything that makes David Webb irreplaceable – the New York workshop, the handcrafted techniques, the bold use of color and form that you simply don’t find anywhere else in jewelry – while building the operational and strategic infrastructure that will allow us to share that with a few more people, in a few more places. We’re expanding internationally, deepening our presence in the U.S., and telling this story more intentionally than ever before. The spoiler alert is that the next few years are going to be quite transformative, in the best possible way.

How did the brand decide on its fourth location being in Montecito, given the Beverly Hills location close by?

Beverly Hills is Beverly Hills – it’s a destination in its own right, and we have exceptional, long-standing relationships there. Montecito is altogether different. It’s a community of people with deep roots, strong taste, and a real appreciation for things made with intention and longevity. People here invest in pieces that mean something, and that’s very well aligned with David Webb.

When you look at Rosewood Miramar Beach as a setting, it’s simply magical. It attracts exactly the kind of client who responds to David Webb, whether locals or visitors who have traveled from around the world. And honestly, the proximity to Beverly Hills is a plus; beyond the ability to manage the business regionally, these are two very distinct communities, and our client in Montecito is likely very different from the client walking into our Beverly Hills location, even if they’d love both locations!

Which of the brand’s 16 collections are available at the Montecito store?

As with all of our locations, Montecito carries a curated, rotating edit of our collections. We thought carefully about the local environment and selected pieces that speak to that context. You’ll find core David Webb pieces – our Nail Ring our Zebra Bracelet – as well as extraordinary color, such as our Totems, which make David Webb so unique. Of course, the full breadth of our collections is available through our flagship on Madison Avenue, and using our digital tools, our team in Montecito can access anything for a client who falls in love with a specific piece.

Kindly provide the top five signature pieces available for purchase in the Montecito store. Are you including pieces for men?

I’d point anyone toward our enamel cuff work first; that’s perhaps the most iconic expression of what David Webb does that no one else can. The combination of color, scale, and quality of the enamel work is unmatched. Beyond that, our animal pieces – the Zebra Bracelet, the frogs, the creatures Webb himself became famous for – are conversation pieces in the truest sense. I’d also want to share our Totems, Nail Ring, Lasso Necklace, and Shoelace Cuff.

And yes, absolutely, for men. David Webb has always made extraordinary pieces for men, and that’s an area we’ll be leaning into more deliberately in the coming years. (Yes, brooches absolutely are back!!)

Will there be pieces specifically designed for or inspired by Montecito?

It’s something I’m excited for us to consider. David Webb was always steeped in the world around him – nature, art, culture. I wouldn’t want to get ahead of ourselves on specifics, but Montecito’s natural environment – the coastline, the light, the botanical richness – is the kind of place that inspires. Whether that manifests in bespoke pieces for clients (which we love designing) or inspired additions to our collections, I think the location will leave its mark on our work in one way or another.

Who is at the helm of the design process and workshop in NYC? Are there new collections in the making?

The workshop in New York, which has operated continuously for more than 75 years, is led by master craftspeople who, in some cases, have been with David Webb for decades. That continuity of hand and knowledge is not something you can replicate, and it’s one of the things I’m most proud of as we grow. The design vision is being developed carefully and intentionally, and yes, there is always work in progress. I’ll save the specifics for when we’re ready to share them properly, but what’s coming is very much in the spirit of everything that has made David Webb exceptional.

I’ve noted (pun intended) your keen interest in music…

As you’ve noted, music has been an important part of my life for a long time. I’m familiar with the Music Academy of the West because years ago I spent a magical summer studying at the Aspen Music Festival, which shares similarities with the Academy’s summer festival. That experience stayed with me. It’s part of what led me to join the board of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and why getting my own kids engaged with music is something I care about deeply.

What would you love to share that we have not covered?

I’d want people to understand, particularly readers encountering David Webb for the first time, that this is not a brand built on marketing. It was built on the work. David Webb himself was obsessive about the quality of what left his workshop, and that obsession has been inherited by everyone who has carried the brand forward since his passing. People don’t usually fall in love with David Webb until they put it on. Sometimes they’re intimidated by the scale or form, but once they do, they realize this is real jewelry. The craftsmanship, the materials sourced at the highest level, the pride of the artisans – all of it comes through immediately. In a world where “luxury” is applied to almost anything, David Webb is real jewelry. And that matters to people more now, not less.

Are you planning a visit to the Montecito store?

Absolutely. Rosewood is gorgeous, and our team there is exceptional. I visit each of our locations regularly because you learn things on the floor with clients and staff that you simply can’t learn otherwise. That said, I genuinely love Montecito and don’t need much convincing to make a trip.  

Till next week, loves – happy shopping! Xx,

JAC

411: www.davidwebb.com
Instagram: @davidwebbjewels
Store Hours: Monday-Saturday (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.); Sunday (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
Boutique: (805) 698-4537