What do Jason Bourne–the Robert Ludlum protagonist–and our jeweler
have in common? Are they both spies? Do they both sit patiently at
their benches creating fine jewelry pieces of art? Nay nay sweet
boids of yute. It ain’t none a doze. But I will tell you here and now
what it is… because I am a wild and daring guy… and because I do
not think any of you are going to guess. Of course… this is based
on the fact that if I don’t know something… I figure no one else
knows it either. A little egomaniacal, I know. But I yam what I yam
what I yam. Ready? They both have the same real names. For Jason
Bourne–you see–is not the real name of Jason Bourne.
Our jeweler was born in Asheville, North Carolina in 1925. He moved
to New York when he was seventeen. After three years
apprenticeship… he opened his first shop on Madison Avenue. He is
mostly known for his enameled animal jewelry–which I personally
love–featuring zebras, lions, crocodiles, and dragons and such.
He first began selling his jewelry through Bonwit Teller and
Bergdorf Goodman and through the years maintained his relationship
with them.
By 1960s he had established himself as the quintessential American
jeweler. He then relocated to Fifty-Seventh Street and began selling
his designs to society’s upper crust. He was an innovator and a
talent supreme. Nature was his inspirational garden. His clientele
included the likes of the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts, Andy
Warhol, Princess Grace, the Duchess of Windsor, Merle Oberon,
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Ava Gardner, Elizabeth Taylor, and on
and on and on and on.
And so now we come to the nitty gritty of things. Jason Bourne. What
is his real name? And why did Ludlum call him Jason Bourne instead of
the name originally given him by that same author. I admit I have
never read Ludlum… and since Bourne is a spy… this is perhaps an
alias used to shield him from fashion hungry society women who might
otherwise chase him the world over for his golden trinkets. This is
only a guess mind you. I can not be sure. For Jason Bourne’s real
name is David Webb. Can you believe that? Who woulda thunk it?
Alas… he–the real David Webb the jeweler–died from pancreatic
cancer in 1975.
But I have a sapphire and diamond suite of his that will live on
long into the future. It is nothing short of magnificent and was
worth back in 1995 around $50,000. Today… who knows? The necklace
contains three detachable clusters which can be worn as brooches and
is set in platinum and 14 karat white gold.
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at http://www.tyler-adam.com where you
will scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that
says Current Tidbits… click it… and you will see represented on
our pages… a magnificent David Webb Suite.
And there ya have it.
That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark