Ella Gafter South Sea Pearl Diamond Chain Necklace

About the Item

The 57” long chain features a total of 27 South Sea pearls, some set and others detachable with diamond tops. The chain is interleaved at regular intervals by 9.60 carats of pink sapphire motifs, each flanked by round diamonds. The total weight of round diamonds is 3.60 carats. All of our pearls are untreated: their natural color and splendid luster have not been enhanced in any way. All of our diamonds are of top quality (F/VVS). The necklace is one-of-a-kind. It was handmade with superb workmanship and knowhow in our own workshop in Italy according to an original design by Ella Gafter. The item is signed EG.

Creator:
Ella Gafter
Metal:
18k Gold,White Gold
Stone:
Diamond,Pearl,South Sea Pearl,Sapphire,Pink Sapphire
Stone Cut:
Brilliant Cut
Dimensions:
Length: 57 in (1,447.8 mm)
Style:
Artist
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
21st Century
Date of Manufacture:
Unknown
Condition:
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
Seller: 547a1stDibs: LU80239313332
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Shop All Ella Gafter

Ella Gafter

Even before Ella Gafter founded her namesake jewelry collection in 1982, she was a formidable presence in the jewelry industry.

As a Rome-based gem dealer, Gafter sold pearls and precious stones to retailers and jewelers but was often dissatisfied with how they made use of the rare materials she worked so hard to source. Instead of grousing, she decided to design jewels that would do them justice, focusing primarily on pearls — akoya, Tahitian and South Sea. She explains her fascination with the lustrous marine treasures simply: “Every woman looks better with pearls than without.”

Her daughter Talila Gafter, then an undergrad at Harvard, was her ally in getting the project off the ground. Together, they made the rounds to stores with Ella’s first efforts. “We had a little pouch with eight pieces and we sold everything,” Talila tells 1stDibs. After graduation, she “was involved one hundred percent” in building the company, whose pieces are handmade by master jewelers in Naples.

The designer insists that her unwavering focus is the source of her success. “There’s no compromising for me,” she says. She’s been known to replace the pearls in a single piece time after time until she’s certain she’s achieved her ideal result. “A pearl you have to respect,” she explains. “You have to put it where it wants to sit.”

Ella describes the collaboration with her daughter as a “partnership,” with each having her own domain. “I’m all fantasy; Talila is the concrete one,” she says. The company is now based in New York City, with Talila as its president while Ella is firmly at the helm of creative decisions. “I’ve never made a design suggestion to Ella,” says Talila. “Nobody does.”

That forbearance has been earned, says Talila. “I admire that Ella doesn’t take no for an answer, her tenacity, her extraordinary ambition. She believes as long as there is life, there is a lot of beauty to create. She’s a force of nature.”

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