Verdura Rope
1990s American Link Bracelets
Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Rope Necklaces
White Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modernist Wrist Watches
Gold
2010s Swiss Wrist Watches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s American Wrist Watches
Diamond, 14k Gold
20th Century American Link Bracelets
Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern Link Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s Clip-on Earrings
Tanzanite, Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Artist Wrist Watches
Diamond, Gold
1990s Drop Earrings
Emerald, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1930s French Byzantine Brooches
Amethyst, Pearl, Quartz, Gold, Gilt Metal, Yellow Gold
People Also Browsed
20th Century American Chain Necklaces
Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Wrist Watches
Amethyst, Citrine, Peridot, Topaz, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Gold
Vintage 1980s American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Swiss Modern Wrist Watches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s Bangles
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Chain Necklaces
Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s American Modernist Brooches
Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Artist Brooches
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Art Nouveau Cuff Bracelets
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
2010s Bangles
Diamond, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s Swiss Wrist Watches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Link Bracelets
18k Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque More Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
20th Century French Modern Cuff Bracelets
Hematite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Cluster Rings
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Charm Bracelets
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Recent Sales
2010s American Link Bracelets
18k Gold
Late 20th Century European Link Bracelets
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Beaded Bracelets
Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold
1990s American Clip-on Earrings
Amethyst, Jade, Ruby, 18k Gold
1990s American Link Bracelets
Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1990s American Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold
Early 2000s Link Bracelets
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Wrist Watches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Chalcedony, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s American Choker Necklaces
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Multi-Strand Necklaces
Chalcedony, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Wrist Watches
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s American Cufflinks
Chalcedony, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Desk Accessories
Jade, 18k Gold
1990s American Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Platinum, Yellow Gold
1990s American Multi-Strand Necklaces
Chalcedony, 18k Gold
2010s American Beaded Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Italian Modern Chain Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Wrist Watches
18k Gold
Late 20th Century Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
Early 20th Century Italian Artist Link Necklaces
Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Multi-Strand Necklaces
Garnet, Pearl, Hessonite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s American Link Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold
1990s American Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
Emerald, 18k Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Beaded Bracelets
Crystal, Quartz, Rock Crystal, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Coral, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Beaded Necklaces
Rock Crystal, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Drop Earrings
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Cufflinks
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1950s Swiss Fashion Rings
Tourmaline, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Link Bracelets
14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Link Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Chain Necklaces
14k Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold
Late 20th Century Link Bracelets
18k Gold
Vintage 1970s American Band Rings
Diamond, Platinum, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Link Necklaces
18k Gold
Vintage 1950s American Link Necklaces
18k Gold
Vintage 1960s American Brooches
Aquamarine, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
Aquamarine
21st Century and Contemporary More Bracelets
Chalcedony, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Wrist Watches
18k Gold
Vintage 1980s American Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Charm Bracelets
Amethyst, Citrine, Peridot, Topaz, Tourmaline, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s American Clip-on Earrings
Coral, 18k Gold
1990s American Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Platinum, 18k Gold
20th Century American Beaded Bracelets
Lapis Lazuli, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Platinum, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Beaded Bracelets
Chalcedony, 18k Gold
1990s American Contemporary Cufflinks
Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Contemporary Cufflinks
Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s Unknown Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Verdura Rope For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Verdura Rope?
Verdura for sale on 1stDibs
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.