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Stephen Webster photo

Rapture ring with green amethyst by Stephen Webster

Rock and roll jewelry

Stephen Webster's goth glam

Stephen Webster has been called the rock 'n roll jeweller for so many years you would think he fronted a band, rather than a brand. His forte is the gothic style, with motifs like tattoos, crosses, scorpions and skulls, and collections with edgy names like Rocks Off, Chrystal Haze and Fashion Rocks. His pieces are favorites of the rock crowd, including Madonna, Elton and Sting. Christina Aguilera is a pal, and stepped out in a diamond spider web necklace for New Year's Eve at the Tao nightclub in Las Vegas. She also co-hosted his party at the JCK jewellery trade show in Vegas one year - it's the must-go-to party of the show, but wise to have a nap first, as it begins at 11 p.m. and goes to the wee hours. Webster was one of the guests in the audience at the Beacon Theatre in New York for the 2008 filming of Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones docu-concert, Shine a Light. His pal Christina, the muse of this year's advertising campaign, performed a song with Jagger in the film.  

         Rock star status aside, Webster is no celebrity hanger-on and his jewellery is not fly-by-night rock-glam bling. He attended Medway College of Design in the UK, and paid his dues working for several jewellers, including a two-year stint at an independent jeweller's in Calgary in the 1980s, before setting up on his own in 1998. His designs not only push creative boundaries, but are made as couture pieces, with hand picked gems, hand craftsmanship and perfect finish. In that sense, he is very much a traditional jeweller. This, and the fact that he is rather a jolly guy, tend to disqualify him from true bad-boy rock star status. It might also account for his recent appointment as creative director at Garrard, the exclusive London jeweller, in addition to 20 Stephen Webster boutiques and 120 points of sale worldwide.