Elsa Peretti was one of the 20^th century’s most influential jewelry makers. Her work is synonymous with Tiffany & Co, who recently reissued 9 of her classical designs. Peretti’s jewelry is so successful that it is said at least one of her pieces is sold somewhere in the world every sixty seconds.

Origins of Elsa Peretti

A native of Florence, Italy, Elsa Peretti was born in 1940 but educated in Switzerland and Rome. At first she earned money by teaching and provided ski instruction for a time before returning to Rome to get an interior design degree. She would eventually transition into fashion modeling and got jobs working in Barcelona and then New York. From here she would transition into jewelry making. However, it would be a mistake to think that her life was easy and carefree, since although she came from a wealthy family, her conservative father would discontinue his financial support although the two would eventually reconcile before his passing.

Elsa Peretti Design Characteristics

Peretti was best known for her aversion to overly complicated designs. She preferred the art of restraint, which meant understanding how to break the design down into its basic essence, which was combined with the self-assurance needed to keep it that way. This was the real secret to her success.

She was also inspired by organic and natural forms.  As such, her earrings often contain sleek and sculptural pieces which provide impressive shadow and lighting effects while reinforcing the metallic beauty, especially that of silver, a metal which was one of her favorites. Her success with this led to her being commissioned by Tiffany to create their silver collections, which was very popular.

Peretti is also versatile, especially when it comes to her diamonds and innovative mesh pieces. Some of her most iconic work includes the Bone, Open Heart and Bean cuff, which were taken from childhood experiences that she had while playing in the Roman underground crypts. She created statement necklaces that were diamond studded and glittering, but never too ostentatious.

Her First Jewelry Piece

Elsa’s very first jewelry piece was a bud vase made from silver which hung from a cord made from leather, items which she collected in a local flea market. She discovered a silversmith in the area (she lived in Spain at the time) which crafted it and as her career progressed she would spend much of her time traveling around the globe looking for crafts people and metal workers who could bring her designs to life. Her friends were so impressed that they begin requested pieces for themselves.

Her work eventually caught the attention of Tiffany, who hadn’t worked with silver for at least 25 years. Peretti was the ideal pick, as she was a young model at the time that understood modern feminine design and brought glamour to her collections that the company wanted. Upon her retirement in 2012, she was able to negotiate a contract which lasted twenty years and allowed her to retain ownership of her designs. She passed away in 2021.