David Morris (b. 1936)

David Morris is a British jewelry designer. He was born in England in 1936 and began an apprenticeship with a leading London jeweler at age 15. He studied goldsmithing at London’s Central School of Arts and Crafts qualifying as a goldsmith in 1959, and opened his own company, David Morris Jewels, in 1962. He received 2 DeBeer’s Diamond International Awards in 1963 and 1964.

The jeweler’s work is characterized by his use of colorful semi-precious stones and his intricate, organic gold work. Morris was also commissioned in 1972 to redesign the crown awarded in the Miss World competition. His lapis, turquoise, and diamond crown is still in use today.

Morris’s work has been featured in numerous films, including Diamonds are Forever and The Man with the Golden gun, from the James Bond series. His notable clients have included Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Oprah Winfrey and the Sultan of Brunei. Morris’s work also resides in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Along with his son, Jeremy, David Morris continues to run his eponymous jewelry house.

Read more about David Morris and his contemporaries in our catalog, London Originals, available for sale here.