Everyday is Like Halloween with Jeweler Henri David

Forget Jack Skellington. The real king of Halloween isn't the beloved Tim Burton character. It's Philadelphia jeweler Henri David.

Every year since 1968 David has thrown The City of Brotherly Love's best Halloween bash, attracting thousands of costumed revelers.

And his profoundly funky jewelry boutique that's so successful it doesn't need a sign out front, advertising, or even a website? It's named Halloween.

When asked why he named his store after everyone's favorite spooky holiday, David simply replies, "Halloween is my favorite day."

Baubles for the Bigwigs

Halloween, which opened in its rowhouse home in 1990, has long snared celebs looking to treat themselves to some bling. Dick Clark, who David met as a teenager when he danced on "American Bandstand," was a client. So is Stevie Nicks and Elton John - according to David, "a very fun guy and very, very sweet, just super shy."

The appeal of David's work is obvious. Unless he's designing to a client's specification, his pieces are emphatically one-of-a-kind. He keeps an array of gems and pearls in-house, perusing them until something, as he describes, "talks" to him. "I work backward if I'm making something for the store," he says. I'm so easily swayed if something catches my eye."

He creates his charming, fanciful "whimsies" this way. A man dancing in harem pants, a mama pig with a piglet - David sees a detail in the pearl or stone that reminds him of something and he crafts a piece of jewelry around it. Halloween is filled with cases of whimsies, as well as more traditional adornments. Between the two floors there are 152 handmade showcases, and to make shopping easier, they're themed. For romantics, Halloween offers a massive case filled with more than 1,000 pieces of heart-shaped jewelry, but there are quirkier themes, too, like skulls. Or snakes.

Everything Old is New Again

David, who is as fascinating as his jewelry (he was actually at Stonewall and counts John Waters as a good friend) says he and his staff make about 40 percent of Halloween's stock and 40 percent consists of jewelry he purchases from small makers overseas. The other 20 percent is comprised of antique jewelry, which he adores. That makes him especially pleased about a new trend he's noticed.

"I don't know if it's a generational thing, but I am coming across more beautiful antique pieces on the market that I love," David notes. "I'm very interested in looking at fine old things and seeing how they were made. They don't have to be expensive. They just need to be well done to make me happy. I really want to have them here. They're for sale, but I'm perfectly happy keeping them around. I don't care if they sell."

Words From the Wise

For anyone looking to purchase a big-ticket piece of jewelry, for example, an engagement ring, David has a few tips. To start with, don't even think about buying it online. David spends a lot of time redoing things that people bought online, only to find it doesn't look nearly as good in front of them as it did on their computer screen.

"And also," he details, "people have a bad habit of buying something that they'll wear everyday without thinking about what their everyday life is like. So, if they buy a diamond in really high prongs - which I always recommend people don't do - maybe they shouldn't wear it to the gym, or bike riding. People also make the mistake of buying something and not taking into consideration the size of his or her finger, wrist or neck, and then it doesn't really work for them."

One thing David isn't willing to dish on are the costumes he'll be wearing to his Halloween ball at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel come Tuesday night. "I never tell what I'm going to wear," he explains. "I change three to four times, sometimes five times in the course of the night, and no one knows what I'm wearing beforehand!"

For more information about Halloween the store, phone 215-732-7711.

Jill Gleeson is a travel and adventure journalist based in the Appalachians of Central Pennsylvania. Find her on Facebook and Twitter at @gopinkboots.

This story is part of our special report: "10 Days of Halloween". Want to read more? Here's the full list.