Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
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.”
Find Ella Gafter earrings, rings, necklaces and other jewelry on 1stDibs.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
White Diamond, Ruby, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
South Sea Pearl, Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
White Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
White Diamond, Ruby, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, White Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
White Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Pearl, Sapphire,...
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Pearl, South Sea Pearl
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s North American Artisan Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
South Sea Pearl, 14k Gold
2010s North American Artisan Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
South Sea Pearl, 14k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Unknown Artisan Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Sapphire, South Sea Pearl, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
2010s Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Cultured Pearl
1990s French Modern Ella Gafter Choker Necklaces
Crystal, Base Metal
