Stephen Webster Jewelry
Iconic British jeweler Stephen Webster MBE shook everything up when he introduced his Crystal Haze rings in 1995.
The jewelry landscape was almost barren during the 1990s. Fashion dictated minimalism, and stars treading the red carpet wore Armani gowns in earth tones with very few sparkling accessories. Elsa Peretti’s little diamond solitaire necklace for Tiffany & Co. was in vogue. And the gold Cartier Panthère watch was the only item many female stars wore.
The seismic shift was sparked in 2000 when Madonna attended a party for the premiere of her movie The Next Best Thing wearing the Crystal Haze ring. She had purchased it directly from Webster, to whom she’d been introduced by a friend. Pictures of the star singer’s outing popped up seemingly everywhere — on her index finger, Webster’s Crystal Haze ring was so much bigger and bolder than the styles most celebrities were wearing at the time. The press coverage snowballed in the months and years to come as other celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera and Pink, were spotted in the now-immediately recognizable jewel.
This massive success came to Webster when he was in his 30s, not long after he launched his label, in 1989, but the design was the culmination of a lifetime of experience. At the tender age of 16, Webster found his calling when he toured Medway College of Design in Rochester, England, with a career counselor. He was immediately attracted to the jewelry department, which was “noisy, slightly grubby and lit with orangey, naked flames.” After graduating, he worked for a few years as a bench jeweler in London and the resort town of Banff, in Alberta, Canada, finally settling in Santa Barbara, California.
The luxurious, laid-back style of the city, nicknamed the American Riviera, opened Webster’s eyes to the possibility of a kind of jewelry different from the traditional designs that defined the field in England. He began working with semiprecious stones, an integral element of the Crystal Haze line. The Santa Barbara community embraced the colors and was open to lesser-known gems in fine jewelry, such as apple-green chrysoprase, lavender chalcedony and Peruvian pink opal.
The idea for the Crystal Haze ring came to Webster when he was having lapidaries in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, cut rock crystal into special shapes for big brooches. He wanted to create statement jewels in which two gems cut into a narrow arc would curve over the finger in a gold ring. The contour and connecting of the stones required a couple of years of development, some innovative thinking and plenty of expertise.
Today, Webster’s stores dot the globe, and he has a long list of illustrious collectors. The many lines he has produced over the years — from Vertigo and Dynamite to Fly By Night and Jewels Verne — display the same qualities that characterize Crystal Haze: bold, edgy designs, beautifully manufactured.
Find Stephen Webster rings, earrings, necklaces and other jewelry on 1stDibs.
Early 2000s Unknown Artisan Stephen Webster Jewelry
Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Stephen Webster Jewelry
Crystal, Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Stephen Webster Jewelry
Yellow Gold
Early 2000s British Modern Stephen Webster Jewelry
2010s Stephen Webster Jewelry
Diamond, Tanzanite, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Stephen Webster Jewelry
White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Stephen Webster Jewelry
White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Chrysophrase, Quartz, Sapphire, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary British Stephen Webster Jewelry
Quartz, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary British Stephen Webster Jewelry
Black Diamond, Quartz, Ruby, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Crystal, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
Early 2000s British Modern Stephen Webster Jewelry
Black Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s British Modern Stephen Webster Jewelry
Crystal, Sapphire, Rock Crystal, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Stephen Webster Jewelry
Agate, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Stephen Webster Jewelry
Crystal, Diamond, Hematite, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Silver
2010s Unknown Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Diamond, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Pearl, Quartz, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Diamond, Black Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s British Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Diamond, Crystal, Hematite, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary European Stephen Webster Jewelry
Topaz, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Stephen Webster Jewelry
Crystal, Diamond, Quartz, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary English Stephen Webster Jewelry
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Green Sapphire,...
Early 20th Century British Stephen Webster Jewelry
Amethyst, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary English Stephen Webster Jewelry
Diamond, Quartz, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Stephen Webster Jewelry
Black Diamond, Quartz, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s British Modern Stephen Webster Jewelry
Black Diamond, Opal, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Amethyst, Rose Gold
2010s Stephen Webster Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Hematite, Crystal, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Diamond, Quartz, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Crystal, Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Pearl, Quartz
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Hematite, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Coral, Quartz, Silver
1990s American Modern Stephen Webster Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Stephen Webster Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, Ruby, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Amethyst, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s British Stephen Webster Jewelry
Tsavorite, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Stephen Webster Jewelry
Diamond, Hematite, Quartz, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Black Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s British Stephen Webster Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary British Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Agate, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Unknown Contemporary Stephen Webster Jewelry
Agate, Crystal, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Stephen Webster Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s British Stephen Webster Jewelry
Diamond, Black Diamond, White Gold