March 22, 2021: The famed Italian jewelry designer behind some of Tiffany & Co’s elegant pieces, Elsa Peretti, passed away on March 18 in Spain, as per a statement from the company. She was 80 years old.
Elsa Peretti at home in New York City (Vogue, 1976, Horst P. Horst)
She was a member of the Tiffany family since the yard line began in 1974. “Elsa was not only a designer but a way of life,” Tiffany & Co. said, describing her as “a woman who was larger-than-life”.
A masterful artisan, Ms. Peretti bought revolution in the ecosystem of jewelry design. Over the past 50 years, she crafted several innovative designs and her collections of organic, sensual forms have rejuvenated generations. She explored nature with the acumen of a scientist and the vision of a sculptor.
She was deeply inspired by nature, the relationship between nature and style for her was profoundly personal, and drew inspirations from items such as a bean, a bone, an apple, vases or lighters, scorpions, and snakes, but aimed to return to the world by creating innovative jewellery like cufflinks, bracelets, vases or lighters, appealing necklaces, and rings, often in sterling silver, a metal which gratified her and she favored to popularize it as a luxury choice. However, her cuff bracelets, bean designs, and open-heart pendants are the most appreciated work among all of them.
A successful model in the beginning of her career, who breathed life into every creation she wore, Ms. Peretti was also the president and founder of Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation, which supported projects related to human rights, environmental conservation and arts, and cultural preservation. She believed that protecting the planet was a “duty of all said humanity”.
“We could do so much better”, she said. “I’m trying to do something good.”
