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Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.

Italian, 1940-2021

In an era of social upheaval, venerable Tiffany & Co. designer Elsa Peretti reimagined diamonds as jewelry that working women bought for themselves rather than receiving it from a suitor.

By the time the Italian-born Peretti (1940–2021) arrived in New York City, she’d already studied design in Rome, worked for a Milanese architect and taught Italian, French and skiing in Switzerland. She settled on interior design as her potential career path but then chose an altogether different route: modeling. Peretti modeled in Barcelona, Spain, and on the advice of Wilhelmina Cooper — a former model who’d by then founded Wilhelmina Modeling Agency — moved to Manhattan in 1968. When she relocated, Peretti was inspired to pick up jewelry design.

After modeling for designer Halston, the undisputed fashion king of Studio 54, Peretti became his close friend and collaborator, eventually creating jewelry and teardrop-shaped perfume bottles for him. By way of her association with Halston, Peretti took to the disco scene, flourishing in a social circle that included artist Andy Warhol and fashion designer Giorgio di Sant’Angelo.

It wasn’t long before models on di Sant’Angelo’s runway were donning two-inch sterling-silver vases, complete with a rose stem, suspended on leather thongs around their necks. The accessory was Peretti’s inaugural piece of jewelry — she designed it in 1969 after finding a flower vase at a flea market. It was hardly the only time that Peretti found motifs in nature and in organic forms. In the years that followed, her Bean pendant necklace, Starfish earrings and other sensuous accessories would draw on human emotion as well as the natural world around her. Each evocative and wholly versatile design is universally adored decades later, and each was made for a storied American jewelry house with which Peretti would be associated for nearly 50 years.

It was Halston who introduced Peretti to Tiffany & Co. She had her own boutique at Bloomingdale’s by 1972, and her partnership with the firm, which signed the venturesome and unorthodox designer to an exclusive contract in 1974, would cement her place in the lofty annals of jewelry legend. Peretti’s simple but sophisticated designs — the Teardrop collection, her minimalist Diamonds by the Yard necklace and Open Heart ring, to name a few — elevated sterling silver, previously considered unsuitable for fine jewelry, and created an enthusiastic young audience for Tiffany’s offerings. In 1977, Peretti’s designs earned the jewelry house more than $6 million. (In some years, her work has accounted for 10 percent of the company’s sales.)

In 2012, Peretti signed a 20-year, $47.3 million contract with Tiffany & Co., but she passed away in 2021, at age 80. Today, her designs are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the British Museum.

Find an exquisite collection of Elsa Peretti jewelry today on 1stDibs.

Average Sold Price
$2,090
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Related Creators
Iconic Designs from Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
Explore timeless pieces that have earned their place in history.
Open Heart Necklace
Open Heart Necklace
Tiffany Elsa Peretti Bean Design Earrings
Tiffany Elsa Peretti Bean Design Earrings
Open Heart Band Ring
Open Heart Band Ring
Diamonds By The Yard Necklace
Diamonds By The Yard Necklace
Tiffany Elsa Peretti Amapola 18k Gold Brooch
By Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Beautiful 'Amapola' poppy flower brooch by renowned designer 'Elsa Peretti' for Tiffany & Co. The petals are created out of red silk perched on a polished 18k yellow gold stem. The...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.

Materials

18k Gold, Yellow Gold

  • Tiffany Elsa Peretti Amapola 18k Gold Brooch
  • Tiffany Elsa Peretti Amapola 18k Gold Brooch
  • Tiffany Elsa Peretti Amapola 18k Gold Brooch
  • Tiffany Elsa Peretti Amapola 18k Gold Brooch
Free Shipping
W 2.25 in. L 4.75 in.
Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Sterling Silver Apple Pendant Necklace
By Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
Located in DALLAS, TX
Tiffany & Co 925 sterling silver apple pendant and 16” chain designed by Else Peretti. 1.4Dwt
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Contemporary Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.

Materials

Sterling Silver

Elsa Peretti for Tiffany and Co Yellow Gold Bean Clip On Earring
By Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
Located in New York, NY
Vintage Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. pair of 18k yellow gold ''bean'' clip-on earrings Earrings measuring 0.70 inch in length and 0.37 inch in width Marked and signed ''PERETTI''. Excellent condition The Elsa Peretti for Tiffany and Co Yellow Gold...
Category

Late 20th Century American Contemporary Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.

Materials

Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold

  • Elsa Peretti for Tiffany and Co Yellow Gold Bean Clip On Earring
  • Elsa Peretti for Tiffany and Co Yellow Gold Bean Clip On Earring
  • Elsa Peretti for Tiffany and Co Yellow Gold Bean Clip On Earring
  • Elsa Peretti for Tiffany and Co Yellow Gold Bean Clip On Earring
Free Shipping
H 0.70 in. W 0.37 in. Dm 0.37 in. L 0.70 in.
Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Cross Pendant 18 Karat Yellow Gold
By Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
Located in Tampa, FL
Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Cross Pendant 18 Karat Yellow Gold Necklace - 16 in Cross - 12mm Width Weight - 4.0 Grams
Category

2010s American Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.

Materials

Yellow Gold, 18k Gold

Rare Tiffany Elsa Peretti Earrings : Rock Crystal 'Lilies' Earclips, circa 1975
By Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
Located in Addlestone, GB
Rare Tiffany by Elsa Peretti Earrings Circa 1970s Each set with a fancy-cut rock crystal, signed Tiffany & Co., Peretti, length 3.1cm These s...
Category

1970s American Romantic Vintage Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.

Materials

Rock Crystal, 18k Gold

Estate Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Heart Clip-On Earrings 18k Yellow Gold
By Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
Located in Dallas, TX
Estate Tiffany & Co, Elsa Peretti Full Heart Clip-on Earrings in 18K Yellow Gold. 14 Grams 1" x 0.75"
Category

2010s Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.

Materials

18k Gold, Yellow Gold

Elsa Peretti for Tiffany and Co Red Lacquer Bangle Bracelet
By Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
Located in New York, NY
Elsa Peretti for Tiffany red bangle bracelet Late 20th century Marked: Elsa Peretti / Tiffany & Co. / Japan Designed by Elsa Peretti, a lightweight ...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Contemporary Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.

Sterling Silver Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. Eternal Circle Pendant Necklace
By Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine silver pendant necklace. By Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. In the form of a circle - the shape that is entirely complete & eternal. Simply a wonderful necklace by Tiffany &...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.

Materials

Sterling Silver

Browse all Jewelry from Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
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Creators Similar to Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.

More Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. Designs
Open Heart Necklace
Open Heart Necklace
Average Price
$5,735
Number Available
11
Open Heart Necklace
By Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
Styles
Contemporary
As Italian jewelry designer Elsa Peretti (1940–2021) told the New York Times in 1978, “All my work comes out of my life; I’m gifted and see lines and shapes where no one else does.” For her Open Heart necklace, that shape was in the void of a semi-abstract sculpture by English artist Henry Moore, an open space that, to her, resembled a heart. The undulating lines of Peretti’s heart pendant are open so that a chain can be pulled right through and it can move freely with the wearer, one of the ...
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Tiffany Elsa Peretti Bean Design Earrings
Tiffany Elsa Peretti Bean Design Earrings
Average Price
$2,599
Number Available
6
Tiffany Elsa Peretti Bean Design Earrings
By Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
Styles
Contemporary
Shop All
Open Heart Band Ring
Open Heart Band Ring
Average Price
$1,459
Number Available
4
Open Heart Band Ring
By Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
Styles
Retro
Shop All
Diamonds By The Yard Necklace
Diamonds By The Yard Necklace
Average Price
$6,998
Number Available
3
Diamonds By The Yard Necklace
By Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
Styles
Modern
When Elsa Peretti (1940–2021) arrived at Tiffany & Co. in 1974, diamond jewelry was not fashionable with the younger set, especially in the United States, which was still mired in recession. The ornate diamond confections popular in previous decades were neither suited to the office nor the disco dance floor — and they were too expensive for an ordinary person to buy, anyway. That did not deter Peretti. Diamonds by the Yard, which was among her earliest work for the brand, featured a neck...
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Elsa Peretti For Tiffany & Co. jewellery & watches for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a range of Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. jewellery & watches available on 1stDibs. Each of these unique items was designed with extraordinary care, often using gold. While looking for the most stylish antique or vintage Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. jewelry to pair with your ensemble, you’ll find that Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. diamond jewellery & watches, from our inventory of 50, can add a particularly distinctive touch to your look. We have 215 pieces in this collection as well as a number of other designs by this jeweler. While this collection reflects work that originated over various time periods, most of these items were designed during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider jewellery & watches by Doves by Doron Paloma, Eytan Brandes, and Vicki Orr. Prices for Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. jewellery & watches can differ depending upon gemstone, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at £76 and tops out at £36,818, while pieces like these, on average, can sell for £2,244.

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