American Luxury, Chinese Labor: David Yurman and the Made-in-China Controversy

Pictured here is the small tag that is sometimes strung to
David Yurman jewelry (depending on place of purchase).

Buy David Yurman from a stand-alone DY boutique, and receive a gift box, a receipt, a polishing cloth, and, of course, the piece or pieces themselves. Buy David Yurman from an authorized retailer or from DavidYurman.com, and receive the same... and, perhaps, two additional small tags (which boutique salespeople evidently remove). On one are printed item details and a barcode. On the other are three small but, for some, very significant words: made in China.

So what's the deal? Does DY produce all of its collections in China? Does it matter from where the company's designer jewelry comes? Should it matter? I've done some sleuthing, and here are the best answers I could find to some of the most commonly-asked questions regarding DY and those little gray tags (see left).

Does David Yurman produce all of its collections in China?

Personal experience and non-scientific research tell me DY produces approximately two-thirds of its jewelry in China. I've ordered, to date, some eighteen (18) pieces from DavidYurman.com. Twelve (12) of the eighteen, or 66.7%, arrived on my doorstep with made-in-China labels. Facebook user Lynnette Cook Struggles has also had a 2/3 experience, which she recounts in this message posted to David Yurman's Facebook wall on March 30, 2013:

DID love David Yurman, until I ordered two items ($2,000 value), when they arrived, both had 'Made in China' tags attached and the quality was poor - I could go to a reputable store and buy similar pieces in the costume jewelry section' PLUS when I called customer service, the first person was very unprofessional - second was great and informed me that all of the pieces are made in many different countries - Italy, Switzerland, China - she checked 3 items for me and 2/3 were made in China - very, very disappointed....

Does David Yurman have an official statement? 

David Yurman has maintained in the past that its lines are crafted by skilled artisans around in world, including those in the country of China.

Does it matter that pieces from David Yurman collections are made in China?

Perhaps not but, as Paul Midler of The Telegraph asserts, the made-in-China label is "tainted with a huge number of shoddy and dangerous products." When most think made-in-China, they don't think high-end, luxury jewelry. They think toy cars with lead paint. They think contaminated milk. They think dollar-store miscellany that is designed to exist but not necessarily last.

Then, of course, there is the outsourcing-takes-American-jobs complaint, which HuffPost Super User RosieRetro put like this:

I love how some women are determined to spend money on designer shoes and purses with outrageous prices that are being made by cheap Chinese labor. I stopped buying some designer purses like Coach, due to their "Made in China" tags. Coach used to be made in New York until it packed up its manufacturing operations and moved to China, thus resulting in New York losing jobs. Designer goods are not worth the prices unless the product is actually being made by crafters in the designer's country of origin. Stop paying ridiculous [sic] prices for cheap designer assembly-line output.

Finally, should it matter David Yurman produces in China?

This is where I want to hear from you. What's your take on DY's decision to take much production to China? Is this something about which consumers should be concerned? Should it have no bearing on one's perceptions of David Yurman? Sound off, and have your say. Post a comment or write me an E-mail.