With her playfully bold, nature-inspired pieces, Angela Cummings has left a lasting mark on the world of jewelry design. Full of movement and sensational color, her eye-catching collar necklaces, stud earrings and bracelets continue to be favored by red-carpet celebrities and tastemakers the world over.
Cummings was born in Austria in 1944, during a time when her country was being torn apart by war. At the age of three her family moved to America, where she was raised. Returning to her native country as an adult, Cummings studied art in Perugia, Italy, then went on to study jewelry design in Hanau, West Germany. She graduated with a degree in gemology, goldsmithing and jewelry design from Zeichenakademie in 1967.
Cummings returned to the United States after finishing her studies. She marched into legendary American luxury house Tiffany & Co. in New York City and asked for a job. Under the mentorship of Donald Claflin, a designer who’d previously worked for David Webb, Cummings became a respected in-house designer for the brand. Her named collection, Angela Cummings Exclusively for Tiffany & Co., debuted in 1974.
Cummings created sumptuous 18K gold accessories that were inlaid with coral, opal, mother-of-pearl, jade and lapis lazuli. Not unlike the work of Elsa Peretti, who signed an exclusive contract with Tiffany & Co. in 1974, Cummings’ designs — seashell necklaces, maple leaf pendants — drew on the shapes and forms of the natural world.
As her style continued to develop, Cummings integrated silver, precious gemstones and platinum into her work, creating exquisite juxtapositions by mixing the materials with wood and iron. Her pieces increasingly featured more movement-inspired elements — curling vines, crashing waves and billowing cloud forms — that hearkened to the rhythms of nature.
In 1982, People magazine featured Cummings' jewelry and the publicity launched her into the spotlight. Two years later, she established her own business, Angela Cummings Inc., and began to experiment with abstraction in her work, as well as allowing her surroundings in Japan, where she opened several boutiques, to inspire her adornments.
Cummings retired in 2003, making a brief comeback in 2013 to collaborate with Assael Jewelry, for which she created an exclusive line of cultured pearl jewelry.
Find vintage Angela Cummings earrings, necklaces, brooches and other accessories on 1stDibs.
Tiffany & Co. 18K Yellow Gold Mother of Pearl, Onyx and Lapis Lazuli Cufflinks
By Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co.
Located in Washington Depot, CT
Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co. 18 Karat Yellow Gold Mother of Pearl, Lapis Lazuli and Onyx Cufflinks- These elegant cufflinks by Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co. feature inlay m...
Lapis Lazuli, Onyx, Pearl, Yellow Gold
Tiffany & Co 1980 Angela Cummings Cufflinks In 18Kt Gold With Gemstones
By Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co.
Located in Miami, FL
Pair of cufflinks designed by Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co. A beautiful and colorful pair of cufflinks, created in New York city by Angela Cummings at the Tiffany & Co. studios,...
Jade, Lapis Lazuli, Black Jade, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Deakin & Francis 18kt Yellow Gold & Black Onyx Cufflinks
By Deakin & Francis
Located in New York, NY
18 karat yellow gold cuff links by Deakin & Francis, England's oldest family jewelers since 1786. The round cuff links have black onyx centers with a gold detailed bezel. The bar bac...
Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
W 0.86 in D 0.28 in L 0.86 in
Cartier Cufflinks Trinity Rock Crystal in 18kt Yellow Gold
By Cartier
Located in Antwerp, BE
Gorgeous and very Classy Cartier Cufflinks Trinity Rock Crystal in 18kt Yellow Gold The cufflinks are signed and numbered Material: 18kt Yellow gold Total weight: 8.3 gram Measur...
Crystal, Rock Crystal, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Pair of Lapis Lazuli and Yellow Gold Cufflinks
Located in New York, NY
A pair of 14 karat yellow gold and lapis lazuli cufflinks with swivel links. Circa 1970. Each set with a 19x14mm oval lapiz lazuli plaque, within a gold bezel and incised gold surro...
Lapis Lazuli, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
14k Yellow Gold Tiffany & Co Mother of Pearl Cufflinks
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Hicksville, NY
Year: 1960s Hallmarks: Tiffany & Co Item Details: Metal Type: 14K Yellow Gold [Hallmarked, and Tested] Weight: 10.6 grams Mother of Pearl Details: Weight: 3.00ct, total weight approximately Cut: Cylinder Shape Color: White/Pink opaque...
Pearl, Yellow Gold
Dm 0.15 in L 0.57 in
Tiffany & Co. Antique Pearl Mother of Pearl and 14k Yellow Gold Cufflinks
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
A fine and impressive pair of antique seed pearl, mother of pearl, and 14 karat yellow gold Tiffany & Co. cufflinks; part of our diverse antique jewellery and estate jewelry collections. These fine and impressive 1920s cufflinks have been crafted in 14k yellow gold. The links have a rounded form, ornamented with a circular mother of pearl panel. Each link is accented to the centre with a single seed pearl. The links secure and articulate to the reverse via a bar link fastening. The cufflinks are hallmarked to the reverse of each link with the Tiffany & Co retailer's mark (Tiffany et Co London). These impressive antique cuffs...
Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Tiffany & Co 18k Gold & Sapphire Cufflinks
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in New York, NY
Tiffany & Co 18k Gold & Sapphire Cufflinks Details: A pair of vintage oval panel 18k yellow gold Tiffany Cufflinks 18 mm x 11 mm, with a center cabochon round sapphire 4 mm diameter...
Sapphire, 18k Gold
W 0.19 in L 0.87 in
Alex Jona Lapis Lazuli Mother of pearl 18k White Gold Prism Bar Cufflinks
By Alex Jona
Located in Lugano, TI
Alex Jona design collection, hand crafted in Italy, 18 karat white gold cufflinks with two Lapis Lazuli and two mother of pearl prism bars weighing 20.9 carats in total. Dimensions: ...
Lapis Lazuli, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
Antique 18K Tiffany & Co. Onyx Cufflinks, c. 1880
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Aspen, CO
18K Tiffany & Co. antique cufflinks of a large black onyx disk, backed with gold. Each cufflink is signed Tiffany & Co. The onyx is highly polished and with soft rounded edges down t...
Onyx, 18k Gold
W 0.84 in Dm 0.54 in
18kt Yellow Gold Cufflinks Dome Hammered, 1989 Tiffany & Co. Paloma Picasso
By Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co.
Located in Antwerp, BE
1989 Tiffany & Co, Collection Paloma Picasso, 18 Kt yellow Gold Cufflinks 1989 18 kt solid yellow gold Paloma Picasso Tiffany & Co collection Large dome hand hammered cufflinks. Material: 18 kt solid hammered yellow gold Hallmarks: Tiffany & Co. Paloma Picasso, 750, Italy. Measurements: diameter 13.7 x Width: 21.3 mm Total weight: 12.2 gram About Tiffany & Co. (Designer) Tiffany & Co. is one of the most prominent purveyors of luxury goods in the United States, and has long been an important arbiter of style in the design of diamond engagement rings. A young Franklin Delano Roosevelt proposed to his future wife, Eleanor, with a Tiffany ring in 1904. Vanderbilts, Whitneys, Astors and members of the Russian imperial family all wore Tiffany & Co. jewels. And Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis preferred Tiffany china...
Yellow Gold
Vintage Tiffany & Co. Lapis Lazuli 14k Yellow Gold Barbell Cufflinks
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in University Place, WA
A rare vintage pair of Tiffany & Co. barbell cufflinks crafted in solid 14k yellow gold and accented with polished lapis lazuli spheres. The richly saturated midnight blue stones display subtle natural variations and undertones that beautifully contrast against the warm gold setting. Minimalist yet striking, the clean barbell silhouette gives these cufflinks a refined modernist character while allowing the lapis lazuli to remain the focal point. An elegant and timeless design suitable for both formal wear and collectors of vintage Tiffany men...
Lapis Lazuli, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s 18k Yellow Gold Tiffany & Co Cufflinks
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Hicksville, NY
Year: 1900s Item Details: Metal Type: 18K Yellow Gold [Hallmarked, and Tested] Weight: 8.25 grams Condition: Excellent
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage Tiffany & Co. 14k Yellow Gold Gray Mother Of Pearl Cufflinks
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Montclair, NJ
--Stone(s):-- (4) Natural Genuine Gray Mother of Pearl - Custom Cut Button Shape - Bezel Set - Gray Color w/ Green & Red Pearlescence - 12mm each (approx.) Material: Solid 14k Yello...
Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Tiffany Intarsio Stone Inlaid Gold Cufflinks
By Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co.
Located in Litchfield, CT
Circa 1980s, 18k, by Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co, New York. These elegant eighties cufflinks by Tiffany & Co. feature a deconstructed checkerboard motif of inlaid onyx and mot...
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
W 0.63 in L 0.63 in
1980sTiffany & Co. Angela Cummings Gold and Stone Cufflinks
By Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co.
Located in Chicago, IL
Circa 1980s Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Company Cufflinks, 18K Yellow Gold with a wave shape top that is set with Lapis Lazuli, Black Onyx and Mother of Pearl. The top measures...
Lapis Lazuli, Onyx, 18k Gold
TIFFANY & CO. CUMMINGS Inlaid Black Jade Opal Gold Cufflinks
By Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co.
Located in New York City, NY
Highly collectible 18K yellow gold inlaid black jade and opal cufflinks designed by Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co. Hallmarks: T & Co., Copyright, 1982, 18KT.
Jade, Opal, 18k Gold