Verdura Wood and Gold "Y" Necklace
View Similar Items
Verdura Wood and Gold "Y" Necklace
About the Item
- Creator:
- Date of Manufacture:Contemporary
- Condition:very good condition.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: JU1004122577
Verdura
Fulco di Verdura (1898–1978) is not exactly a household name, except for those who know a thing or two about highly original, often eccentric handcrafted jewelry and, even more so, for those fortunate enough to own some. In that exclusive group, Verdura is regarded as the most gifted and coveted designer of his time.
Verdura was born in Sicily in 1898, the scion of a noble family related to the Lampedusas. (His cousin, Giuseppe di Lampedusa, wrote the great Italian saga The Leopard). His life was charmed from birth. Raised in his family’s villa, he grew up during a time when Sicily, and Palermo in particular, were meccas for well-born and highly cultured European travelers.
A bona fide duke with no clear ambitions but creative leanings aplenty (he could draw and paint), the young Verdura was part of the wandering social circuit — the so-called beau monde — that went from capital to capital, resort to resort.
Verdura, though small in stature, had that indefinable quality called charm. As a result, he was the life of every party he attended. When he finally started designing jewelry under Coco Chanel in the late 1920s, many of his friends became his clients (or received the pieces as gifts). Elsa Maxwell took him under her ample wing when she was hired to do public relations for the Lido in Venice and introduced him to the local and visiting cognoscenti. Chanel, whom he met in Venice, hired him to work in the textiles division of her fashion house. But it was his flair for jewelry that soon caught Coco’s eye. Eventually, he rose to become her personal designer of fine jewelry.
In 2002’s Verdura: The Life and Work of a Master Jeweler (Thames & Hudson), Vanity Fair’s Amy Fine Collins describes the sensation of wearing pieces by Verdura, who drew inspiration from nature for his signature gem-studded seashell brooches and honeybee earrings. “They were ingeniously calculated to flatter the wearer,” writes Collins. “Earrings undulated to complement the convolutions of an earlobe, rings seductively followed the phalanges of a finger, and necklaces gracefully traced the anatomy of the throat.”
In 1934, Verdura left Chanel and together with two friends, aspiring actress Princess Natalia Pavlovna Paley and Baron Nicholas de Gunzburg, moved to the U.S. After several stops, he found a job through Diana Vreeland in Hollywood with Paul Flato, then the “jeweler to the stars.” Soon he was signing his work and helping Flato cultivate the crème de la creme of the silver screen — those both on it and behind it.
Verdura left Los Angeles for New York and opened his own salon, first on Fifth Avenue in 1939, just as World War II was beginning in Europe. His backers were Vincent Astor and Cole Porter, for whom he made bejeweled boxes and cigarette cases — gifts from Porter’s wife, Linda — to commemorate the opening nights of several musicals. Verdura began to expand both his repertoire — he became much more daring and flamboyant — and his clientele. The Duchess of Windsor, Daisy Fellowes, Greta Garbo and others routinely gave him commissions. In 1941, Verdura collaborated on a collection of six pieces with Salvador Dalí to accompany a Dalí exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. Verdura retired in 1972 and left the care of the company to his partner, Joseph Alfano. He later moved to London, where he died in 1978 at the age of 79.
Among the most prized pieces on display in a 2014 Verdura jewelry exhibition in New York were Greta Garbo’s curb-link bracelet watch, which Verdura designed for her in 1939; Coco Chanel’s pair of Maltese Cross cuff bracelets (she wore one on each wrist); and Diana Vreeland’s duo of Byzantine brooches.
Find a range of authentic Verdura jewelry today on 1stDibs.
- A Yellow Gold, Sapphire and Diamond NecklaceLocated in New York, NYAn 18 karat yellow gold, sapphire and diamond necklace. Designed as a line of round brilliant cut diamonds punctuated with pairs of round brilliant cut diamonds set at the front wit...Category
Vintage 1980s Drop Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- EMIS BEROS Gold, Black Onyx and Diamond NecklaceBy Emis BerosLocated in New York, NYAn 18 karat yellow gold and high karat gold, black onyx and diamond necklace, Emis Beros, circa 1970s. Designed as a six (6) strand necklace of black onyx beads punctuated with six ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Drop Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
- ELIZABETH GAGE Pearl, Coral, Coin and Gold NecklaceBy Elizabeth GageLocated in New York, NYAn 18 karat yellow gold, ancient coin, coral and pearl necklace, Elizabeth Gage, circa 1994. Fashioned as a chain of elongated ovals with deep scrolling ...Category
1990s American Drop Necklaces
MaterialsCoral, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- VERDURA Platinum, Gold and Diamond BraceletBy VerduraLocated in New York, NYAn 18 karat yellow gold, platinum and diamond bracelet. Verdura. Designed as alternating zigzag links of platinum and textured gold, the platinum links set with approximately one h...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Link Bracelets
- Judith Ripka Yellow Gold, Emerald, Diamond and Rock Crystal NecklaceBy Judith RipkaLocated in New York, NYAn 18 karat yellow gold, rock crystal, emerald and diamond necklace and two (2) pendants, Judith Ripka. The necklace formed of textured barrel shaped links alternating with fluted bar links, enhanced at the front by ten (10) round brilliant cut diamonds, the necklace suspending, from a hinged bale, a heart shaped pendant set with twenty six (26) round brilliant cut diamonds within a ropework surround; the front portion of the necklace removable via two (2) clasps, and then inset with an oval pendant centering a rock crystal intaglio...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Drop Necklaces
MaterialsCrystal, Diamond, Emerald, Rock Crystal, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- DAVID WEBB Gold, Platinum and Diamond NecklaceBy David WebbLocated in New York, NYAn 18 karat yellow gold, platinum and diamond necklace, David Webb. Designed in a tapering trompe l’oeil twist style in gold, with every other strand of the twist enhanced with mul...Category
Vintage 1970s American Choker Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
- Stone and Wood Heart Bead Necklace by Fabrice ParisBy Fabrice ParisLocated in Miami Beach, FLVintage wood heart pendant on a wood and stone beaded chain by Fabrice Paris. Signed on clasp.Category
20th Century Beaded Necklaces
- Chalcedony and 18 Karat Gold NecklaceBy Deborah Lockhart PhillipsLocated in Nantucket, MAStunning pear-shaped light blue chalcedony drops spaced with textured and turned 18K gold beads with an S-hook clasp at the back. The chalcedony beads themselves measure 7/8 inches ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Drop Necklaces
MaterialsChalcedony, 18k Gold
- 0.72 Carat Diamond and Gold Bead Yellow Gold NecklaceBy Nijma M Fine JewelryLocated in Toronto, CAThis detailed design comprising an enduring gold chain with vibrant gold beads and five impeccable diamond sticks will indisputably make you gleam with sophistication and style, both...Category
2010s American Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Yellow Gold
- Large Scale Baltic Amber and Gold Bead NecklaceLocated in Palm Beach, FLMade in Germany in the late 20th Century, this large 14K Yellow Gold and Baltic Amber ovoid bead necklace makes a strong statement. The largest Amber bead in the center measures 2 1/...Category
Late 20th Century German Beaded Necklaces
MaterialsAmber, Gold, 14k Gold
$3,600 Sale Price20% Off - Amethyst and Citrine Briolette Necklace, 14 Karat Yellow GoldLocated in New York, NYA stylish 18" necklace with faceted Amethyst and Citrine Briolettes. 14K yellow gold clasp. Appx. 175 cts.Category
2010s Drop Necklaces
MaterialsAmethyst, Citrine, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
- Carved Turquoise Necklace with Onyx and Turquoise Beads and Diamonds in GoldBy Artisan NYCLocated in New York, NYMake a hustle with this beautiful long hand Carved Turquoise Necklace. This necklace has turqoiuse and black onyx beads on white gold chain and h...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Art Deco Drop Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Onyx, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
$20,880 Sale Price20% Off