Feast Your Eyes on David Yurman's Regal Willow Collection -- Images, Video (Updated)

At an inconveniently late hour on a Friday night, Twitter user @peterjprins posted a link to a site on which a David Yurman Willow Collection promotional video had been uploaded. The clip, which is 2:11 in length and classic Yurman in aesthetic, is everything the F/W '13-14 campaign videos should have been and more. Beguiling, seductive, and characteristically artful, it is not to be missed. Click through for additional screen captures and a link to the clip.

At Last, a David Yurman F/W '13-14 Men's Collection Preview (Now with Tag Necklaces!)

Late last night Instagram user @burniebear shared these (see below) images, which were captured, it seems, at a DY fall preview event at/for Nordstrom Perimeter in Atlanta, Georgia. Revealed are three bracelets and several rings, mostly band-style, from David Yurman's F/W '13-14 Men's Collection. Revel in the artistry. (My impressions are posted as image captions.)

Of the three designs showcased here,
my initial preference is for the middle one,
though I suppose I should see all in their full glory
before making any verdicts.

Hi-Res Photos of New Additions to David Yurman Meteorite Collection Emerge

In a Robb Report sidebar titled "Heaven Sent," the following two high-resolution images of soon-to-be-released pieces from David Yurman's Meteorite Collection were featured. (Do note that the latter was previously teased by Instagram user @gregmaczko.)

Image Credit: RobbReport.com

Get a Glimpse at the David Yurman F/W '13-14 Women's Collection

Instagram user @emilylkane was in Menlo Park, New Jersey earlier today previewing the David Yurman F/W '13-14 Women's Collection and was kind enough to upload for public consumption these collages of sumptuous new product:

I absolutely adore--ADORE--the ring in the middle frame
on the right, which is from, if I'm not mistaken,
the soon-to-be-released Willow Collection.

How to Best Clean David Yurman Jewelry (with Pavé Settings)

Whenever you take jewelry with pavé settings to a David Yurman boutique to have them cleaned, what you receive is a lightning-fast ultrasonic treatment. Your pieces are dipped in water and exposed, only for a moment or two, to a high-frequency wave "bath" through which particulate matter is pulled away. Your jewelry comes back to you looking better but not entirely like new. The approach detailed below, however, gets one markedly better results. Cheap, quick, and easy, this proven-effective treatment (of DYguy's own design) restores David Yurman jewelry with pavé-set gemstones to showcase form. Let's get started.

Dos & Don'ts
The following four-step process was designed for use on/with David Yurman jewelry whose base is primarily sterling silver and which feature pavé-set gemstones, such as rubies, diamonds, or black diamonds. Designer jewelry should be treated with care and cleaned on a regular basis (i.e., once every month or two months, depending on frequency of wear). NEVER use harsh chemicals or silver cleaning solutions and/or dips on David Yurman product and especially not on those boasting inlays, mixed metals, and/or set stones.

Materials
This treatment calls for the following items:
everyday dishwashing liquid (such as Dawn)
a linen dish towel or cloth
a sterling silver polishing cloth (Connoisseurs brand recommended)

How to Best Clean David Yurman Jewelry (without Pavé Settings)

Whenever you take your jewelry to a David Yurman boutique to have it cleaned, what you receive is a simple ultrasonic treatment. Your pieces are dipped in water and exposed to a high-frequency wave "bath" through which particulate matter is pulled away. Your jewelry comes back to you looking better but not like new. The approach detailed below, however, gets one markedly better results. Cheap, quick, and easy, this proven-effective treatment (of DYguy's own design) restores David Yurman jewelry to showcase form. Let's get started.

Dos & Don'ts
The following five-step process was designed for use on/with David Yurman jewelry whose base is primarily sterling silver. Do not complete this procedure on DY pieces with pavé-set gemstones, such as rubies, diamonds, or black diamonds. (Clean these pieces using this alternative system, specifically designed for product with pavé settings.) Designer jewelry should be treated with care and cleaned on a regular basis (i.e., once every month or two months, depending on frequency of wear). NEVER use harsh chemicals or silver cleaning solutions and/or dips on David Yurman product.

Materials
This treatment calls for the following items:
a kitchen bowl
everyday dishwashing liquid (such as Dawn)
a soft-bristled toothbrush (the cheapest available)
a linen dish towel or cloth
a sterling silver polishing cloth (Connoisseurs brand recommended)

What Can't Come Quickly Enough

The store's usually-enticing displays
looked, on this visit, a little rough.

This weekend brought, among others things, a trip to the David Yurman Chicago boutique on Oak Street. While my visit was, overall, a positive one (is it ever not?), it was also, unfortunately, an unremarkable one in three ways, which I will now enumerate below. These are, officially, The Three Things That Can't Come Quickly Enough:

1. Removal of Bündchen, Posting of Upton (or Menghia... or Mali or Hemingway)
Hasn't Fall 2013 launched? Why is an oversize Gisele still featured to the left of the store's front doors? Don't get me wrong; I love the model and her work for DY, but that image is from the Fall 2012 campaign. Out with the old. In with the new, right?

2. Demotion of Griffin Collection
Yes, I solemnly declare I seek the withdrawment of the Griffin line. I've now inspected thoroughly most of the rings in the collection and can say they are as I've all along thought--that is, average at best. Being such, they should not occupy a half of a display case (as they presently do), not in a boutique with only four men's collection cases! According to the sales professional with whom I spoke, the designs are only selling "OK" due to their being crafted for a "very specific customer" and having not all the "kinks [in design] worked out." Enough is enough, I say. Feature one piece--my vote goes to the red jasper signet ring--and place the rest in back stock.

3. Release of New Men's Product
Part of me really believed F/W pieces had debuted, just not online. That part of me was wrong. There are, at this time, no new men's arrivals in the DY boutiques either. And so we continue to wait. I've heard rumblings of a mid-September release. As always, I'll keep you posted.

That's all for now. DYguy over and out.

DY Ay!

Whatever you do,
DO NOT purchase this piece...
at least, not at this MSRP.

While checking the David Yurman e-commerce site this morning in search of new product roll outs (I told you: when they emerge, you'll be the first to know), I noticed this exorbitantly-priced "new arrival"--a sculpted but unadorned sterling silver men's ring from the Armory Collection. The price is, as you can see, an anything-but-reasonable $2800. Now, understanding that some diamond-encrusted DY goes for less than that, I think it is safe to say this is an "oops!" on site management's part... that or this is some very special Ag. (See what I did there? "Ag" is the chemical symbol for silver. Yes, that high-school science comes right back to one, doesn't it?)

Anyway, I'll creep on this product for the next couple days. If there is a drop in the list price, I'll let you know.

UPDATE: While there have been no changes to this product listing on DavidYurman.com, I have received in-boutique confirmation that the lofty price point is intended for a version of this ring that is loaded with black diamonds. The piece pictured here should retail for no more than $300-400.