In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Elsa Peretti’s arrival at Tiffany & Co. in September 1974, the House pays homage to the legendary designer, craftswoman, and philanthropist. Tiffany & Co. will honour the extraordinary milestone throughout the year with special anniversary designs that embody Elsa’s expert craftsmanship and artistic vision. Elsa conceived iconic collections such as Amapola, Bone, Diamonds by the Yard, Open Heart, Bean design, Bottle, and Snake – all of which remain as relevant and contemporary today as they were when first introduced
A true pioneer of design, Elsa Peretti’s legendary creations possessed a never-before-seen organic, sensual aesthetic that broke free from traditional jewellery norms and remain revolutionary to this day. Her designs marked a historic shift in which women no longer waited to be gifted jewellery, but rather bought it for themselves.
Tiffany & Co. will debut special anniversary creations through the course of 2024 into 2025, reissuing some of the designer’s most beloved icons with exceptional gemstones and in bold scales. Styles will include new Bone and Split rings inspired by Elsa’s legendary cuff, as well as rare Bone cuffs hand-set with pavé diamonds, pavé rubies, and unique hand-carved cabochon stones. Limited Mesh styles with tanzanites, rubellites, emeralds, and diamonds, one-of-a-kind Cabochon rings, and bold Fancy Color rings will also be featured in the collection. Her celebrated Open Heart, Starfish, Bean design, Scorpion and Amapola designs are available with pavé diamonds, alongside Snake and High Tide earrings in dramatic lengths and Diamonds by the Yard statement necklaces and earrings.
Elsa Peretti
Born in Italy and educated in Rome and Switzerland, Elsa eventually returned to Rome to pursue a degree in interior design. By 1969, she had established herself as a fashion model in New York and Barcelona and was also beginning to design her own jewellery. When Elsa burst onto the New York City social scene as a model, it was a hotbed of provocative creativity, progressive art, and nightlife. It was legendary designer and frequent collaborator, Halston, who fuelled her vision and inspired her designs that captured the spirit of the times.
@ Tiffany & Co.
It was on September 24, 1974, that Elsa Peretti debuted at Tiffany; remarkably, her collections sold out that same day. Endless customer lines wrapped around the Fifth Avenue block. She designed jewellery to represent women’s freedom and spoke of creating pieces to meet one’s financial possibilities. Never one to conform to the status quo, Elsa rather redefined it. She reinvented the diamond necklace with her Diamonds by the Yard collection, inspiring women to wear diamonds all day and for every occasion. Credited with democratising diamonds, this groundbreaking collection was coveted from the moment it was released. In her first year, Tiffany sold two miles of Diamonds by the Yard jewellery. Historically, Peretti has represented on average 10% of Tiffany’s global sales.
Elsa had her own workbench at Tiffany. She designed with women in mind, believing that jewellery should be equally captivating and comfortable to wear. Her organic, sensual, talismanic icons are symbols of female empowerment, notably the Bone cuff, which crosses cultures and generations. A testament to Elsa’s curiosity and creativity, the tactile, sculptural form of the Bone cuff is drawn from her visits as a young girl to the crypt of a 17th-century Capuchin in Rome and her time spent in Barcelona inspired by Antonio Gaudi’s Casa Mila.
The groundbreaking Bone cuff design was introduced in the 1970s at the height of feminism. Elsa’s trailblazing craftsmanship is exemplified in the way that the Bone cuff seamlessly contours to the wrist, designed specifically for the right and left wrist, and to be worn as a pair, becoming one with the body. Elsa’s love of artisanal processes led her to seek out the best craftspeople all over the world – in Spain, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan and the US – many of whom she worked with for decades.
Another one of her iconic designs is the Amapola brooch, which is inspired by the Poppy Flower. Poppy flowers represent many meanings such as remembrance and peace. The poppy’s delicate petals and vibrant red colour are well known around the world. In Elsa’s interpretation, she elevated this flower by crafting it in fine metal and silk. The smooth arching line of the metal juxtaposed with the soft vibrant silk creates a beautiful tension between the materials.
In the 1980s, the Peretti Home collection launched at Tiffany. Embodying her belief that beauty and utility should always be as one, Peretti’s collections for the home – including Thumbprint, Padova, Bone and Teardrop – elevated everyday objects into sculptural, tactile design statements. Elsa’s jewellery and objects are important references in the world of fashion and design.
Awards and honours
Her designs are in permanent collections of the world’s leading museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the British Museum in London, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. She received many awards during her lifetime, including the 1971 Coty American Fashion Critics’ Award, 1981 Rhode Island School of Design President’s Fellowship Award, 1996 Council of Fashion Designers of America Accessory Designer of the Year, 2001 honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from FIT, and 2019 Leonardo da Vinci Lifetime Achievement Award for Jewelry and Fashion Design, among others.
Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation
The Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation was born in 2000 at the initiative of Elsa Peretti. It is dedicated to the memory of Elsa’s father, Nando Peretti. Upon Elsa’s death in 2021, she passed on the ownership of her designs to the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation, which is committed to biodiversity conservation, education, human rights, health and medical research, and arts and culture.
As reported on their website, over 24 years, the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation has awarded grants to more than 1,200 nonprofit projects in 83 countries across the world, for an overall value of over €75 million.
Elsa Peretti’s legacy
It’s been 50 years since Elsa Peretti first challenged the notion of what jewellery could be, and her inimitable creations have seduced the world ever since. Elsa changed the course of Tiffany’s history, and it is indisputable that she remains one of, if not the most, successful jewellery designers of all time. Today, her work and impact live on at Tiffany and in the hearts of those who treasure exceptional artistry.
The 50th anniversary of Elsa Peretti’s designs at Tiffany & Co. is a testament to her influence as one of the industry’s most powerful – and enduring – creative forces.
