Q&As

David Yurman

by Joy Pecknold

He had difficulty reading and sitting still as a young lad, so David Yurman turned to sculpture, and that turned out to be a brilliant idea. Along with his wife Sybil, a painter, they parlayed their creativity into a wildly successful jewelry business, now in its 36th year. While in Vancouver to showcase his new shop-in-shop at Holt Renfrew, David gave our travel questionnaire a go.

Q Which in-flight film do you hope for?
A

Silly high school romance. Anywhere from the ’60s to the ’80s, even now, because culturally you see how the kids view their early relationships. Like Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Q What's the last book you took on holiday?
A

Rising from the Plains by John McPhee. It’s about a famous geologist, John Love, who moved to Wyoming in 1901. It goes between being very technical — the Proterozoic period, how the mountains moved, how things were formed — and then it went into this love story of he and the schoolmarm. It was incredible. I was out riding horses in Wyoming while I’m reading this book. It’s one of the geologic regions in the world that has almost everything happening there — tar pits, volcanoes, sulfur bubbling up.
“
I researched and you can take truffles back, but it doesn’t mean the border guard will agree with you.
”
Q You tend to pack too many...
A

Shirts. Definitely too many shirts.
Q What's your idea of travel happiness?
A

No agenda.
Q What's your idea of travel misery?
A

Flying commercial.
Q What's your favorite quality in a hotel?
A

Great concierge, great service, fluffy beds and a terrace.
Q What do you appreciate most in a travel partner?
A

Patience.
Q What is your greatest extravagance while abroad?
A

Overeating, just stuffing myself.
Q What is your favorite journey to take?
A

I have two. Going to an area in Italy, Monferrato, it’s like the Napa of Italy. And the other is probably trail riding somewhere in Montana.
Q What is your greatest fear abroad?
A

That the plane is going to crash.
Q Which historical world traveler do you most identify with?
A

Anthony Bourdain. I think he’s really on a journey — he’s focused on food, but the food is just the vehicle.
Q What is the travel habit you most deplore in yourself?
A

Overpacking.
Q What is the travel habit you most deplore in others?
A

Lateness.
Q In what travel situations do you lie?
A

Crossing the border? I researched and you can take truffles back, but it doesn’t mean the border guard will agree with you. Bringing food things back that aren’t going to bring a blight or agricultural ruin. Parmesan cheese? Come on, I don’t think so. I’ve had millimeter gauges taken. Why?
Q When and where were you last happiest?
A

A luncheon with a client who was hilarious, fearless and funny. She said she wears King Baby, and I asked when and she said on the motorcycle. I said, ‘You ride motorcycles?’ and she replied, ‘No, I ride a motorcycle like I ride a horse… my husband rides and I whip him, ‘Go faster, faster!’
Q What is your most treasured take-along?
A

My music.
Q What is your travel motto?
A

Don’t stick to the plan.

Follow David Yurman on Instagram @DavidYurman and Twitter @DavidYurman.