Ella Gafter Pearl and Diamond Necklace

About the Item

The long necklace features a design with 10 Tahitian pearls and 12 Japanese akoya pearls. Gold flowers set with frosted crystal and diamonds are interspersed at regular intervals along the neckpiece, lending the jewel a distinctly art déco look. 11 detachable South Sea pearl pendants with diamond tops complete the design. There are approximately 5 carats of round diamonds. All of our pearls are untreated: their natural color and luster have not been enhanced in any way. All of our diamonds are of top quality (F/G-VVS). The necklace is one-of-a-kind. It was handmade with truly superb workmanship and knowhow in our own workshop in Italy by maestro Diego according to an original design by Ella Gafter. The item is signed EG.

Creator:
Ella Gafter
Metal:
White Gold,18k Gold
Stone:
Crystal,South Sea Pearl,Black Pearl,Pearl,White Diamond,Diamond
Stone Cut:
Round Cut
Style:
Artist
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
21st Century
Date of Manufacture:
Unknown
Condition:
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
Seller: 529a1stDibs: LU80239305852
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Ella Gafter

Even before Ella Gafter founded her namesake jewelry collection in 1982, she was a formidable presence in the jewelry industry.

As a Rome-based gem dealer, Gafter sold pearls and precious stones to retailers and jewelers but was often dissatisfied with how they made use of the rare materials she worked so hard to source. Instead of grousing, she decided to design jewels that would do them justice, focusing primarily on pearls — akoya, Tahitian and South Sea. She explains her fascination with the lustrous marine treasures simply: “Every woman looks better with pearls than without.”

Her daughter Talila Gafter, then an undergrad at Harvard, was her ally in getting the project off the ground. Together, they made the rounds to stores with Ella’s first efforts. “We had a little pouch with eight pieces and we sold everything,” Talila tells 1stDibs. After graduation, she “was involved one hundred percent” in building the company, whose pieces are handmade by master jewelers in Naples.

The designer insists that her unwavering focus is the source of her success. “There’s no compromising for me,” she says. She’s been known to replace the pearls in a single piece time after time until she’s certain she’s achieved her ideal result. “A pearl you have to respect,” she explains. “You have to put it where it wants to sit.”

Ella describes the collaboration with her daughter as a “partnership,” with each having her own domain. “I’m all fantasy; Talila is the concrete one,” she says. The company is now based in New York City, with Talila as its president while Ella is firmly at the helm of creative decisions. “I’ve never made a design suggestion to Ella,” says Talila. “Nobody does.”

That forbearance has been earned, says Talila. “I admire that Ella doesn’t take no for an answer, her tenacity, her extraordinary ambition. She believes as long as there is life, there is a lot of beauty to create. She’s a force of nature.”

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