On Thursday, 18 March 2021 one of fashion’s giants fell at 80 years of age, in her adopted village and spiritual home of Sant Marti Vell, Spain. She was born into a privileged family. Ms. Peretti had an extensive formal education in Rome and Switzerland and later traveled the world for inspiration and to learn from various masters of their respective crafts. She went to Barcelona in 1966 to start her modeling career and at some point sat for Salvador Dali.
In 1968 she moved to New York to further her career. She modeled for iconic photographer, Helmut Newton as well as fashion designer, Halston during the heady Studio 54 disco days. While modeling in New York, she thought about becoming a designer. By the early 1970s Ms. Peretti was a fixture on the fashion scene, where she met many influential New Yorkers. Halston introduced her to management at Tiffany’s and in 1974 she joined Tiffany & Co. as a ‘named’ designer.
Elsa Peretti was intrigued by textures and forms found in nature. Ms. Peretti often kept objects that she found or that were given to her for years before perfecting the final design that those objects inspired. She loved their shapes and simplicity. Proof of this can be seen in many of her most popular creations such as her bean shaped handbag, snake ring and snake and scorpion necklaces. She’s considered a pioneer in the movement towards minimalism in jewelry design and has been called a visionary whose creations changed the world of jewelry design.
She designed jewelry and housewares through her long collaboration with Tiffany & Co. She created 30 collections for the company. Good friend, Halston suggested the ‘diamonds by the yard’ idea to her and she brought it to fruition in 1974. It was the first truly accessible offering by the firm, diamonds to be worn in the light of day. The diamonds weren’t pretentious, they were small, bezel set and spaced on fine chain. The idea fit her belief that a woman should be unafraid to wear her jewelry on the streets of the city. It is still a popular Tiffany collection today.
“You need to be able to go out on the street with your jewelry,” she told the Wall Street Journal. “Women can’t go around wearing $1 million.”
E.P.
Born: May 1, 1940
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: March 18, 2021, Sant Marti Vell, Spain
Known For: Innovative, minimalist and beautiful jewelry designs and her long collaboration with Tiffany & Co.
Brands: Elsa Peretti
Retail Category: Jewelry, Home Goods
Museum Collections: Peretti’s designs are in the permanent collections of the British Museum in London and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Honors: In 2001, in recognition of her work, Tiffany & Co. established the Elsa Peretti Professorship in Jewelry Design. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of its successful and rewarding collaboration with Elsa Peretti, Tiffany & Co. created a perpetual fund for faculty salary support in the Jewelry Design Department. At Ms. Peretti’s request, the endowment was established in honor of her long friendship and professional association with Samuel Beizer, founding chairman of FIT’s Jewelry Design Department. The Elsa Peretti professorship in jewelry design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, is the first endowed professorship in the history of FIT.
Awards:
- American Fashion Critics Coty Award, 1971;
- President’s Fellow award, Rhode Island School of Design, 1981;
- The Spirit of Achievement Award from the Albert Einstein College College, 1982;
- Fashion Group “Night of the Stars” award, 1986;
- Cultured Pearl Industry award, 1987;
- Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Accessories Designer of the Year, 1996.
- 2013: The National Prize of Culture by the Catalan Government, which is awarded annually to individuals or organizations that have distinguished themselves for their outstanding contribution in their respective cultural areas.
- 2015: Guardó JORGC (Col·legi Oficial de Joiers, d’Orfebres, de Rellotgers i de Gemmòlegs de Catalunya) en reconeixement a la trajectòria global
Fun Facts:
- Her snake necklace was inspired by a rattlesnake’s rattler that a Texan gave to her for good luck.
- The scorpion pieces were inspired by a former lover or the scorpions near her home in Spain. The jury is still out on that one.
- The bone cuff bracelet was inspired by a bone fragment she ‘found’.
YouTube:
Elsa Peretti – Fifteen of My Fifty
Tiffany & Co. – Elsa Peretti – Visionary Designer
“Style is to be simple. I like to push myself to achieve a certain quality and eliminate the excess detail.”
E.P.
Attributions:
Header Photo: Generalitat de Catalunya
Salvador Dali and Elsa Peretti photographed by Oriol Maspons, August 1966.
Diamonds by the Yard Photo Courtesy of sakaki0214
Gold Scarf Necklace Photo Courtesy of: Anders Sandberg
Baby’s Spoon for Tiffany & Co. Photo Courtesy of Tracey H. of TraceysCollectibles
Triple Open Heart Necklace for Tiffany & Co. Photo Courtesy of minxlj
Open Heart Necklace for Tiffany & Co. Photo Courtesy of Richard of TimeTravelersVTG