A J.Lo and Meghan Markle fave, jewelry designer Dean Davidson opens his first boutique in Toronto

It was that, and more, at a recent shimmering shindig celebrating the opening of Dean Davidson, on Berkeley Street in Cabbagetown South. A party for the jeweller’s first eponymous boutique, it also marked the 15th anniversary of a brand that has become one of the most coveted in the country.

“For the first time, you can find our entire collection in one place and see how everything works together,” says the man behind the bijou, whose designs have adorned such luminaries as Oprah, J.Lo and Meghan Markle. The 1,000-square-foot space – near Davidson’s home – is airy and modern, with windows all around, and once housed a men’s clothing store that Davidson himself used to frequent. “I often thought it would be amazing to have a store there one day.”

Just the latest move, indeed, for the jeweller who was raised on a dairy farm in rural Manitoba. The youngest of four – with a twin sister – he was always good with his hands, he tells me, and constantly creating. His work ethic was clearly formed by his family (his mother became the mayor of their small town) and those days on the farm.

It was a journey to South Africa, in his 20s, however, that would lead to his creative awakening. His first big international trip, and the sensory overload overtook him. “The energy, the people, the scenery and the sounds – everything about South Africa was inspiring,” he remembers. A bracelet he came across in a Cape Town market spurred him to launch his first collection in Calgary, where he was then living.

Bling ring

How has Davidson evolved, design-wise, over the years? While the focus is still on “quality, uniqueness and comfort,” he says, “the Dean Davidson customer is someone who carefully curates their style, selecting pieces that reflect their sophistication and complement their uniqueness.” Some of the staples in his collections include a milky-white rainbow moonstone and a bluish green labradorite.

He adds that he’s very fortunate to work with a family-owned factory in Jaipur, India, where pieces are crafted by the hands of artisans with a 100-year tradition of jewelry making. “It took some time to perfect the brushed finish you see on my work, which has become our signature,” he says. “I created the effect in my studio in Toronto and it was a challenge for the factory in India to replicate it – but they succeeded.”

The materials and production, he says, have evolved: “Today we work with sustainable, brilliant, man-made gems as well as natural semi-precious stones. It can take up to six hours to facet a single stone.”

Express yourself

Talking influences, he name-drops Elizabeth Taylor in “Cleopatra”: “the epitome of jewelry inspiration in a movie – every scene a feast for the eyes.” In fact, Davidson recently visited a flea market in Europe where he stumbled across a vintage collector who owned several of the film’s original pieces. “I held the emerald serpent brooch she wore as a belt,” he says. “This inspired the gemstone I used in our recently launched Eterna collection, inspired by ancient Rome.”

The original “Sex and the City” series is another eternal yardstick. “It aired right around the time I started with jewelry design.”

Inspiration can come from anywhere, at any time, he says. “I do find myself unexpectedly drawing sketches on paper napkins or receipts when stumbling upon objects, buildings and sceneries,” he says. “We will be seated at a diner in Paris, and I will notice a beautiful wall sconce and think, ‘Wow, that silhouette would make an exquisite stud or a beautiful clasp.’”

Travel, of course, is always a touchstone. Destinations that have inspired him include Kyoto, Bali, Marrakesh and the Lençóis Maranhenses park in northern Brazil. A few places he is still dreaming about, and itching to visit: Kenya, Peru and Sicily.

When I ask if making jewelry has bled into other parts of his life, he responds enthusiastically: “Another passion of mine and my partner Fernando’s is interior design. We have an Airbnb property called North Lake Treehouse, which we designed the same way we approach a collection: every last detail is thought out.”

As for the pieces he wears every day, Davidson tells me that they typically include a sterling silver cuff from a men’s collection he designed about seven years ago, a Rado watch, and a bracelet from a brand called Title of Work. “These pieces make me feel good when I wear them – I have a connection with them,” he says. “That is what we strive to provide for our customers with the jewelry we create.”

Courtesy: Toronto Star