Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
When thinking about the colorful gemstones and flashy forms that so frequently characterized 1980s jewelry, it is impossible not to conjure images of the expressive confections that Paloma Picasso created for legendary American luxury house Tiffany & Co. For iconic work such as the Loving Heart ring and the Love & Kisses brooch, Picasso mined what she admired about urban street art in New York City’s grungy subways and brought it to fine jewelry-making on a global stage.
The daughter of artists Pablo Picasso and Françoise Gilot, Paloma was destined for creative success. She was determined to succeed on her own, however, and didn’t rely on her parents' renown. Picasso graduated from the Université de Paris in Nanterre, where she studied jewelry design and costuming. She spent a short period in the late 1960s as a fashion designer and a jewelry stylist for a Parisian theater company, an experience that essentially ignited Picasso’s career. Critics took notice, and her friend and French fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent commissioned her to make costume jewelry for his runway collections.
Picasso designed a collection of necklaces and bracelets for the Greek jewelry firm Zolotas in the early 1970s, and her success with Saint-Laurent led to an important connection between Picasso and Tiffany & Co. design director John Loring. Picasso jumped at Loring’s request to present a table setting at a 1979 Tiffany & Co. exhibition, and within a single year, Loring commissioned her to design jewelry for the brand. Her first proper collection, Paloma's Graffiti, is her best-known work for the company.
Paloma had joined the illustrious ranks of Elsa Peretti and Angela Cummings — both revered jewelry designers who’d signed contracts with Tiffany just before her. Her Graffiti collection, which initially comprised a range of both slender and bubble-letter-like scribbles, X’s, O’s and other figures in 18-karat gold and palladium, was an extraordinary debut for her. Finding inspiration in Keith Haring’s Pop art as well as the street art that covered Manhattan subway cars of the era, Picasso introduced a graphic quality to her inaugural Tiffany line.
“In the ‘70s, people were starting to tag subways and walls, which had everyone outraged,” Picasso explained of the concepts behind her vibrant rings, earrings and necklaces. “I wanted to look at graffiti differently and try to make something positive out of it.”
Picasso would later draw on nature for her sterling silver-and-pearl Olive Leaf accessories at Tiffany and frequently created gold necklaces and bracelets that were set with a striking mix of colorful semi-precious stones.
Throughout her career, Picasso has garnered acclaim from many institutions such as the Fashion Group International and was presented with an award in 1988 by the Hispanic Designers Council. She has been recognized the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and her work is held in the collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the Field Museum in Chicago.
Find vintage Paloma Picasso Tiffany & Co. brooches, bracelets and other jewelry on 1stDibs.
Late 20th Century Modern Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Onyx, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Modern Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Quartz, Rock Crystal, Sterling Silver
2010s American Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Chalcedony, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Quartz, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Modern Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Quartz, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Modern Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Chalcedony, Quartz, Sterling Silver
2010s American Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Rubelite, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
18k Gold, Rose Gold
20th Century Contemporary Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Modernist Vintage Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Aquamarine, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1980s American Modernist Vintage Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Opal, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Black Spinel, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Early 2000s American Contemporary Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
18k Gold
1980s American Modernist Vintage Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Tourmaline, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1980s American Modernist Vintage Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Peridot, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1980s American Modernist Vintage Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Amethyst, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s American Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
18k Gold
1990s American Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Amethyst, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
1990s American Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Citrine, 18k Gold
1980s American Modernist Vintage Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Amethyst, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
1980s American Modern Vintage Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
18k Gold
20th Century Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Modern Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
1980s American Modernist Vintage Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Coral, Silver, Sterling Silver
1990s Unknown Contemporary Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Black Spinel, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
20th Century Contemporary Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Opal, Gold, 18k Gold
Early 2000s Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Black Spinel, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
1980s Vintage Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Black Spinel, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
20th Century American Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
