David Allen’s approach to goldsmithing and design elevates his work beyond mere ornament. His designs are featured in private collections throughout the world, most notably among Silicon Valley’s techno elite. Which should not, for a moment, suggest a strictly contemporary milieu.David Allen’s portfolio includes traditional designs worthy of the Shah Jahan’s beloved Mumtaz... delicate bijous which enhance even the most beautiful women of the West Coast... works inspired by the harmony and beauty of the natural world... and contemporary pieces reflecting the dynamic California lifestyle.   

David Allen’s design career has indeed been paradoxical; a modern day virtuoso, he was initiated into goldsmithry much in the old world tradition. Trained at the benches of the world’s reknowned masters--including Adolpho Mattiello, George McClean, Allan Revere-- David apprenticed in silver at an early age. He steadily mastered fabrication techniques, advancing to lost wax casting, and eventually expanding his media to gold, and platinum.  

Threaded through this vastly diverse design portafoglio...is a common theme: a deep appreciation and respect for the materials with which he works. David’s unwavering philosophy is that when you begin a design with a rare and beautiful gem, the design simply creates itself as you approach and study the materials with respect for the awesome process from which they were born. "A design concept should never dominate a piece...but should instead...allow the character of the precious metal, the fine natural gemstones, and the interplay of light ...to shine through. The lasting impression should be one of a piece’s totality, in which no one element... gem, design, metal, mounting... no one element overshadows the other." Perhaps Salvador Dali’s protest was only half right. 

What sets David Allen’s work apart from his peers is his creation of what can best be described as a goldsmithing paradigm. While some jewelry designers find their inspiration in the world of nature, or the pages of history, David honors both nature and history and takes his cues from something else: the geo-political climate of the world around us. "In the weeks following the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington...I felt compelled to create designs that would capture the hopes of the nation... pieces that could speak to the very tenor of what it means to be an American." 

Thus, began a limited design line of pendants, earrings and bracelets enhanced with sparkling fine natural gems... incorporating peace symbols... and nuances suggesting peace, harmony, strength, and global trust. "This had less to do with selling or marketing... than it did with a sense I hoped to convey...to the world, and--in particular--to my 13 year old daughter”. I wanted her to see that jewelry design can be much more than a frivolous artistic outlet. I wanted her to understand that art can communicate feelings... even when words and gestures sometimes fail. It’s more important than ever to maintain a sense of perspective." David Allen’s lesson to his daughter shows us all...that there is room for social context... even in the sometimes fantastical world of fine jewelry design.