Elsa Peretti Tiffany & Co. 18 Karat Yellow Gold Open Heart Vintage Ring
View Similar Items
Elsa Peretti Tiffany & Co. 18 Karat Yellow Gold Open Heart Vintage Ring
About the Item
- Creator:
- Ring Size:6 US, Not Resizable
- Design:Open Heart RingOpen Heart Collection
- Metal:
- Weight:9.4 g
- Style:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Contemporary
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Philadelphia, PA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1184316534772
Open Heart Ring
Heart-shaped jewelry is hardly revolutionary, yet in the hands of Elsa Peretti (1940–2021) even the most familiar symbols find new relevance. Born in Florence, Italy, Peretti was a fashion model and Studio 54 fixture before she transitioned into jewelry design. Working instinctively, Peretti’s designs — such as her Open Heart ring — stemmed from a desire to translate evocative forms and archetypal imagery into wearable, intimate jewelry that transcends fashion trends.
“All my work comes out of my life,” she said. “I see lines and shapes where no one else does.”
Peretti's first design was a bud-vase pendant inspired by a flower vase she picked up at a flea market. That piece was worn by a model in a Giorgio di Sant’Angelo fashion show and her design career took off from there. Peretti was soon creating distinctive jewelry under her own name for brands like Halston and Oscar de la Renta.
Peretti’s first collection for Tiffany & Co. sold out in just one day. Pieces such as her Diamonds by the Yard necklace, which debuted in the early 1970s, helped launch a long-standing collaboration that has resulted in over 1,000 pieces for the brand and continues to this day. Peretti’s best seller remains the instantly recognizable Open Heart collection, which started with a pendant.
The Open Heart necklace made the cover of Newsweek in 1977. The idea for the heart form was inspired by a void in a sculpture by British artist Henry Moore. “The shape was there in metal; what I couldn’t work out was how to hang it from the chain,” she later explained. Wilhelm Kalich, who led Tiffany’s jewelry department at the time, suggested that she could simply put the chain through the heart. Kalich’s idea proved to be brilliant and helped lead Peretti to the sweeping silhouette that became a beloved classic for women of all ages.
“I was so overjoyed that I gave my first model to his fianceé,” said the designer.
That same sculptural gesture defines the Open Heart ring, which is available in sterling silver and gold. Over the years Peretti introduced a couple versions of the ring, playing around with the scale and orientation of the fluid, sensuous outline as well as integrating bezel-set diamonds. Like countless Peretti designs, the Open Heart ring demonstrates that “good lines and good forms are timeless.”
Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
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.
- Elsa Peretti Tiffany & Co. 2000 Diamond 18 Karat Yellow Gold Open Heart PendantBy Elsa PerettiLocated in Philadelphia, PADesigned as a sinuous pierced open heart pendant With bead set round brilliant cut diamonds Weighing approximately 0.14 carat total Eye clean and bright Completed by high polish fini...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Elsa Peretti Tiffany & Co. Diamond 18 Karat Gold Open Heart Pendant NecklaceBy Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.Located in Philadelphia, PAComprised of a 1.5 mm cable link chain suspending a heart-shaped pendant With a sinuous organic design and pavé set with round brilliant cut diamonds Weighing approximately 0.55 car...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Elsa Peretti Tiffany & Co. Diamond Platinum Open Heart Pendant NecklaceBy Elsa PerettiLocated in Philadelphia, PADesigned as a 1.0 mm cable link chain suspending a pierced open heart pendant Sinuous with bead set round brilliant cut diamonds Weighing approximately 0.02 carat total Eye clean a...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- Elsa Peretti Tiffany & Co. Onyx 18 Karat Gold Thumbprint Ear-Clip EarringsBy Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.Located in Philadelphia, PADesigned as a round domed form with round imprint Centering a 12.5 mm round inlaid tablet of onyx Opaque black with glossy finish With high polish gold finish Completed by hinged o...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Drop Earrings
MaterialsOnyx, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Tiffany & Co. 1.94 Carat Diamond Ruby 18 Karat Yellow Gold Vintage Eternity RingBy Tiffany & Co.Located in Philadelphia, PAFeaturing square step cut diamonds alternating with square step cut rubies - channel set fully around. Diamonds weigh approximately 0.84 carat total - G/H color with VS clarity. Rubi...Category
1990s Contemporary Band Rings
MaterialsDiamond, White Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Tiffany & Co. 0.80 Carat Princess Diamond 18 Karat Yellow Gold Channel Band RingBy Tiffany & Co.Located in Philadelphia, PABand ring is channel set to front by princess cut diamonds Weighing approximately 0.80 carat total - G/H in color with VS clarity Stamped 750 for 18 karat gold Fully signed Tiffan...Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Band Rings
MaterialsDiamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Vintage Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. Open Heart Ring Set in 18k Yellow GoldBy Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.Located in London, GBA beautiful Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. open heart ring set in 18k yellow gold. The ring depicts the iconic Elsa Peretti open heart design and elegantly curves round the finger. ...Category
Early 2000s Unknown Retro Fashion Rings
MaterialsGold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Open Heart Ring 18K Yellow GoldBy Tiffany & Co.Located in New York, NYTiffiany & Co. Elsa Peretti Open Heart ring celebrates the spirit of love. This simple and fluid ring is a timeless and elegant design. Cr...Category
2010s American Modern More Rings
Materials18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Vintage Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Open Heart Ring in 18k Yellow GoldBy Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.Located in London, GBA beautiful Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. open heart ring set in 18k yellow gold. The ring depicts the iconic Elsa Peretti open heart design and elegantly curves round the finger. ...Category
Early 2000s American Retro Cocktail Rings
MaterialsGold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Vintage Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. Full Heart Diamond RingBy Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.Located in London, GBA beautiful vintage Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. full heart diamond ring set in 18k yellow gold. The ring depicts the iconic Elsa Peretti full...Category
1990s Unknown Retro Fashion Rings
MaterialsDiamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Tiffany & Co. 18K Yellow Gold Elsa Peretti Open Heart RingBy Tiffany & Co.Located in Rome, ITTiffany & Co. 18K Yellow Gold Elsa Peretti Open Heart Ring is a charming and elegant piece of jewelry from the renowned luxury brand. Here's what you need to know about it: Material...Category
2010s American Modern Engagement Rings
Materials18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Tiffany & Co. 18K Yellow Gold Elsa Peretti Open Heart RingBy Tiffany & Co.Located in Rome, ITTimeless Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti© 18K Yellow Gold Large Open Heart Ring. This exquisite piece of jewelry is a celebration of love and elegance, crafted by the renowned designer E...Category
2010s American Modern Engagement Rings
Materials18k Gold, Yellow Gold