Verdura Lapis Lazuli Turquoise Gold Necklace
View Similar Items
Verdura Lapis Lazuli Turquoise Gold Necklace
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:
- Stone:
- Stone Cut:
- Weight:213 g
- Dimensions:Length: 19 in (482.6 mm)
- Style:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 21st Century
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Palm Beach, FL
- Reference Number:Seller: EJNEC471261stDibs: LU2467217028672
Verdura
Fulco di Verdura (1898–1978) is not exactly a household name, except for those who know a thing or two about highly original, often eccentric handcrafted jewelry and, even more so, for those fortunate enough to own some. In that exclusive group, Verdura is regarded as the most gifted and coveted designer of his time.
Verdura was born in Sicily in 1898, the scion of a noble family related to the Lampedusas. (His cousin, Giuseppe di Lampedusa, wrote the great Italian saga The Leopard). His life was charmed from birth. Raised in his family’s villa, he grew up during a time when Sicily, and Palermo in particular, were meccas for well-born and highly cultured European travelers.
A bona fide duke with no clear ambitions but creative leanings aplenty (he could draw and paint), the young Verdura was part of the wandering social circuit — the so-called beau monde — that went from capital to capital, resort to resort.
Verdura, though small in stature, had that indefinable quality called charm. As a result, he was the life of every party he attended. When he finally started designing jewelry under Coco Chanel in the late 1920s, many of his friends became his clients (or received the pieces as gifts). Elsa Maxwell took him under her ample wing when she was hired to do public relations for the Lido in Venice and introduced him to the local and visiting cognoscenti. Chanel, whom he met in Venice, hired him to work in the textiles division of her fashion house. But it was his flair for jewelry that soon caught Coco’s eye. Eventually, he rose to become her personal designer of fine jewelry.
In 2002’s Verdura: The Life and Work of a Master Jeweler (Thames & Hudson), Vanity Fair’s Amy Fine Collins describes the sensation of wearing pieces by Verdura, who drew inspiration from nature for his signature gem-studded seashell brooches and honeybee earrings. “They were ingeniously calculated to flatter the wearer,” writes Collins. “Earrings undulated to complement the convolutions of an earlobe, rings seductively followed the phalanges of a finger, and necklaces gracefully traced the anatomy of the throat.”
In 1934, Verdura left Chanel and together with two friends, aspiring actress Princess Natalia Pavlovna Paley and Baron Nicholas de Gunzburg, moved to the U.S. After several stops, he found a job through Diana Vreeland in Hollywood with Paul Flato, then the “jeweler to the stars.” Soon he was signing his work and helping Flato cultivate the crème de la creme of the silver screen — those both on it and behind it.
Verdura left Los Angeles for New York and opened his own salon, first on Fifth Avenue in 1939, just as World War II was beginning in Europe. His backers were Vincent Astor and Cole Porter, for whom he made bejeweled boxes and cigarette cases — gifts from Porter’s wife, Linda — to commemorate the opening nights of several musicals. Verdura began to expand both his repertoire — he became much more daring and flamboyant — and his clientele. The Duchess of Windsor, Daisy Fellowes, Greta Garbo and others routinely gave him commissions. In 1941, Verdura collaborated on a collection of six pieces with Salvador Dalí to accompany a Dalí exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. Verdura retired in 1972 and left the care of the company to his partner, Joseph Alfano. He later moved to London, where he died in 1978 at the age of 79.
Among the most prized pieces on display in a 2014 Verdura jewelry exhibition in New York were Greta Garbo’s curb-link bracelet watch, which Verdura designed for her in 1939; Coco Chanel’s pair of Maltese Cross cuff bracelets (she wore one on each wrist); and Diana Vreeland’s duo of Byzantine brooches.
Find a range of authentic Verdura jewelry today on 1stDibs.
- Carved Lapis Lazuli Rock Crystal Gold Bead NecklaceLocated in Palm Beach, FLBead necklace, composed of twenty half carved lapis lazuli and half carved frosted rock crystal beads, the halves joined by a central flat yellow gold disk. In between each of these ...Category
2010s Modern Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsLapis Lazuli, Quartz, Crystal, Rock Crystal, Gold, 14k Gold
- Verdura Citrine Diamond Pearl Byzantine Long NecklaceBy VerduraLocated in Palm Beach, FL"Byzantine" long necklace, featuring a single-strand comprised of polished citrine beads accented by gold beads, silver and diamond pierced beads, and cultured pearls. 18k yellow go...Category
2010s Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsCitrine, Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
- 18k Gold Turquoise Lapis Diamond Leaf PinLocated in Palm Beach, FLLeaf pin in 18k yellow gold, featuring larger pear-shaped cabochon turquoise and lapis interspersed with round-cut aquamarine accents, the stem of the leaf set with round brilliant-c...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Brooches
MaterialsDiamond, Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Seaman Schepps 18k Gold Pearl Citrine Amber Baroque NecklaceBy Seaman ScheppsLocated in Palm Beach, FLSeaman Schepps "Baroque" bead necklace, featuring cultured pearls, citrine, amber and 18k yellow gold filigree beads connected by gold wire. Including ten 9-9.6mm cultured pearls wi...Category
2010s American Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsAmber, Citrine, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Buccellati 18k Gold Rete Pearl Collar NecklaceBy BuccellatiLocated in Palm Beach, FLThis 'Rete' pearl collar necklace by Italian designer Buccellati has a triple row of cultured pearls set in a braided woven design. The flexibl...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Choker Necklaces
MaterialsPearl, 18k Gold
- Jacob & Co. 18k Black Gold Diamond Lace Long NecklaceBy Jacob & Co.Located in Palm Beach, FLJacob & Co. Lace Collection ball long necklace crafted in 18k gold with black polished finish and pave-set with round brilliant-cut diamonds creating a stunning yet subtle effect. T...Category
2010s Unknown Modern Link Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Gold, 18k Gold
$11,600 Sale Price20% Off
- Marina J. 14k Yellow Gold, Turquoise & Lapis Lazuli NecklaceBy Marina J.Located in Los Angeles, CABeautiful multi shaped and multi colored necklace by Marina J. This piece features gorgeous Turquoise and Lapis Lazuli stones all adorned by sol...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Artisan Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsLapis Lazuli, Turquoise, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
$720 Sale Price20% Off - Vintage Eagle Necklace in 18K Gold, Coral, Lapis Lazuli, and Turquoise MosaicsLocated in London, GBNative rural symbolic eagle necklace,set in 18 ct yellow gold, turquoise, lapis lazuli and a beautiful coral. This divine necklace comprises a stunnin...Category
Vintage 1970s Egyptian Retro Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsCoral, Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Syna Lapis Lazuli Yellow Gold Bead NecklaceBy Syna JewelsLocated in Fort Lee, NJCreated in 18 karat yellow gold 18 inch length Lapis Lazuli beads 20 carats approx. 18kyg lobster clasp Limited edition Fashioned from lustrous 18 karat yellow gold, this distingui...Category
2010s American Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsLapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
$2,920 Sale Price20% Off - Ebony, Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise & Diamond NecklaceLocated in New York, NYThe necklace is composed of ebony and lapis lazuli beads separated by diamond rondelles, a lapis lazuli carved pendant set in white gold prongs, and incrusted with a turquoise caboch...Category
2010s Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, 18k Gold
- Lapis Lazuli Gold NecklaceLocated in Chesterland, OHThe length of the necklace is 26 inches ( 66 cm). The size of the rondelle beads is 7 mm. The necklace is made of gems in saturated, deep, dark blue with inclusions of gold pyrite. Authentic, natural color. No thermal or other mechanical treatments were used. The necklace is fastened with a gold plate silver box clasp with a natural lapis lazuli cabochon. This necklace alternates beads of lapis lazuli with 2 mm vintage gold beads...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsLapis Lazuli, Gold
- Tracey Designs Navajo Lapis Lazuli Beads, Gold and Enamel NecklaceLocated in New York, NYA unique necklace showcasing a geometric Native American design made of 14 karat yellow gold, accented by enamel and lapis lazuli. Pendant suspe...Category
20th Century American Native American Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsLapis Lazuli, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel