The 1960s youth quake triggered yearning for a refashioned society – one abounding with hope, love, and peace. In the midst of that movement, the flower loomed large as the preeminent symbol of changing times, encompassing fragility, beauty and reverence for nature and renewal.

To David Webb co-owner Mark Emanuel the current moment is ripe for revisiting florals and the hopeful mood they inspire. “Design follows culture and social events,” he said. “There’s an urge to reject darkness, much like in the golden age from 1963 to 1975 when the world awoke and love blossomed.” The new Asheville Collection embodies today’s burgeoning impulse to embrace optimism and light.

Asheville is the first collection since the founder’s time to introduce entirely new elements to the House’s lexicon. The name Asheville – referencing David Webb’s birthplace of Asheville, North Carolina – is a clear nod to the House’s heritage; it is also a subtle nod to Asheville’s Black Mountain College, where many of the progenitors of the 1960s counterculture movement taught and studied.

The floral motif that is central to Asheville is a stylized rendition of a flower; a cluster of cabochon gemstones and beads form its petals. “We meant to express an archetypical flower,” explained Emanuel. It is an ideal easily recognized and understood across cultures, geography and time.

Beyond the novel floral design, the House created a unique chain after exhaustively revisiting more than 100 existing styles. Weighty, curvy and bold, the chain is a clear descendant of the David Webb lineage. Juxtaposing flowers and chains underscores the qualities of each, and reinforces one of the House’s, and David Webb himself’s, motivating ideas: the empowerment of women. “Together they reveal the combinatory power of strength and femininity,” said Emanuel.

The collection encompasses a full array of jewels varied in scale, shape and composition. Lengths of 18-karat gold chain, with a polished finish or coated in white or turquoise enamel, are one of the unifying elements of the collection’s core pieces. They are the foundation for jewels dotted with the floral motif: a pendant necklace, drop earrings, cuff bracelets, a choker and open band ring. The pieces are available in two harmonious colorways. They exude a fresh, easygoing vitality in pink opal with rubies, emerald beads, turquoise, diamonds and white enamel.

Meanwhile, the palette of blue chalcedony with sapphires, turquoise, diamonds and white and blue enamel evokes serenity and bright horizons. Their complementary hues make it effortless (and advisable) to wear them together.

The jewels are a collage of signature David Webb traits: lively enamel, precious gems and hardstones in tantalizing hues and supple chains. These essential ingredients reaffirm the David Webb DNA even as the brand evolves.

Like all jewelry that bears the David Webb name, each piece is made in the brand’s New York City workshop, situated above its Madison Avenue boutique. Its placement recognizes the essential role of the artisans who craft each jewel. Their talents make ethereal design into wearable treasures.

Just as David Webb believed in the 1960s that “today’s élégante wants her fashion to say something,” the same is true today. The Asheville Collection reveals the everlasting power of love and optimism, grace and artistry.