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Gabriella Crespi Jewelry Boxes

Italian, 1922-2017

Bronze discs that open up like clamshells for storage and fold back in to become side tables. Sleek cubes barely suspended off the ground that transform into full-size dining tables. Clean-lined boxes that contain multilevel shelving. Looking at the work of Italian designer Gabriella Crespi, born in 1922 and who still produced furniture in her Milan studio until her death in 2017, it’s hard to believe that many of these highly functional piecesmodernist Rubik’s Cubes of materials, colors and ergonomics — were created decades ago.

Among her best-known creations, the bronze Ellisse table, 1976, and her bronze-and-lacquer Yang-Yin bar, 1979, encapsulate a designer who had a strong dualism in her vision, mixing humble and precious materials, for instance, or creating geometric shapes that were softened by sensual surfaces.

Crespi began studying architecture in 1944 at the Politecnico, in Milan, where she was among just a handful of women, and became profoundly influenced by the work of Charles-Édouard "Le Corbusier" Jeanneret and Frank Lloyd Wright. After getting married and having children, she launched her own collections, from jewelry to furniture, and soon gained a loyal following, with design houses such as Maison Dior snapping pieces up for their own lines.

She began work on her most iconic collection, Plurimi, in the late 1960s, and the series — including her Dama table, which plays on the themes of volume, light and adaptability that Crespi has explored throughout her career — flourished through the 1970s and early ’80s. Then there is her famed Z desk, from a mid-1970s series, which manages to be both stylish and humorous, looking like it’s ready to leap off the floor at any moment. Well-born and beautiful, Crespi garnered attention among the jet set. She was a muse to Valentino, and her pieces appeared in the homes of Princess Grace of Monaco, the Shah of Iran and Greek shipping magnate George Livanos. 

In 1987, with her children now adults, the designer surprised everyone when she moved to the foot of the Indian Himalayas to study with the guru Sri Muniraj. This turned into a 20-year self-imposed exile that, if anything, made her pieces even more sought-after by collectors. 

Find vintage Gabriella Crespi furniture on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Gabriella Crespi
Signed Gabriella Crespi Decorative Jewelry Box in Lucite and Brass, Italy 1970s
Signed Gabriella Crespi Decorative Jewelry Box in Lucite and Brass, Italy 1970s

Signed Gabriella Crespi Decorative Jewelry Box in Lucite and Brass, Italy 1970s

By Gabriella Crespi

Located in Roma, IT

Stunning mid-century decorative box designed and signed by Gabriella Crespi. Made in a beautiful combination of gilt brass and clear lucite, this stylish box was made in Italy during...

Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Gabriella Crespi Jewelry Boxes

Materials

Chrome

Midcentury jewelry box designed by Gabriella Crespi, Italy
Midcentury jewelry box designed by Gabriella Crespi, Italy

Midcentury jewelry box designed by Gabriella Crespi, Italy

By Gabriella Crespi

Located in Piacenza, Italy

Marble and golden brass jewelry case designed by Gabriella Crespi. Recorded by Archivio Gabriella Crespi, Milan. Signed Italy 1970s

Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gabriella Crespi Jewelry Boxes

Materials

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20th Century Gabriella Crespi Decorative Box in Brass and Plexiglass '70s
20th Century Gabriella Crespi Decorative Box in Brass and Plexiglass '70s

20th Century Gabriella Crespi Decorative Box in Brass and Plexiglass '70s

By Gabriella Crespi

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Born in 1922, Gabriella Crespi studies architecture at the Politecnico in Milan, where her work is permeated by her perspective on Le Corbusier’s and Frank Lloyd Wright’s design expe...

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1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gabriella Crespi Jewelry Boxes

Materials

Brass

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Gabriella Crespi jewelry boxes for sale on 1stDibs.

Gabriella Crespi jewelry boxes are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of plexiglass and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Gabriella Crespi jewelry boxes, although beige editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original jewelry boxes by Gabriella Crespi were created in the mid-century modern style in italy during the 1970s. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider jewelry boxes by and Giovanni Cenedese. Prices for Gabriella Crespi jewelry boxes can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,200 and can go as high as $2,750, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,225.