The Lasting Legacy of Elsa Peretti
The extraordinary life and times of the woman behind the jewelry
Recently I’ve noticed a renewed interest in the innovative jewelry of Elsa Peretti, particularly her infamous bone cuffs. Not that interest in her work has ever fully waned since 1969 when she burst on the scene with her first piece, the sterling silver bud vase. Peretti’s designs from the seventies revolutionized jewelry design. They transcend fashion and will still look new a hundred years from now. As compelling as the story of her career is, her personal story is equally compelling; that of a passionate woman who always followed her own path.
From Wealth to Independence
Peretti was a free spirit born into a wealthy Roman family living in Florence in 1940. Her father, Ferdinando Peretti, founded Anonima Petroli Italiana, known as API, and led it to become one of Italy’s leading oil companies. At 21 she abandoned the comfortable confines of her conservative family’s home. As a result she was cut off from any financial support. Much of her twenties were spent in Barcelona where she hung out with intellectuals opposed to Franco and modeled to support herself. In February of 1968 she arrived in New York City with a black eye from her boyfriend who opposed the move. She signed with the Wilhelmina Modeling Agency and worked with the most sophisticated designers of the time, Charles James, Issey Miyaki, Giorgio Sant’Angelo and most significantly Halston, whom she met while he was still a milliner at Bergdorf Goodman.
It Starts With a Bud Vase
For Peretti 1969 was a turning point. Inspired by a small bud vase found in a flea market, she made sketches and traveled to Spain to work with a silversmith. They made a 2″ bud vase, suspended from a leather tie and worn around the neck. At the next Giorgio Sant´Angelo show a model wore the bud vase with a rose in it. It caused a sensation and was an instant hit.
During this time Peretti and Halston became close friends. They were the center of a fun, clubby clique that included Sant´Angelo, the illustrator Joe Eula, designer Stephen Burrows, Andy Warhol and Halston’s boyfriend, Victor Hugo. By 1971 their friendship evolved into a close working relationship when Peretti began to design jewelry for Halston, primarily in silver, which was unusual for the time.
Signs With Tiffany
In 1974 Halston introduced Peretti to Walter Hoving, then the CEO of Tiffany. He immediately signed her to sell her jewelry exclusively through Tiffany. The exposure and success of her sculptural, organic pieces caused a revolution in the jewelry world, landing Peretti a 1977 Newsweek cover story. Peretti’s products account for roughly 10% of Tiffany’s sales. So important is her work to Tiffany’s bottom line that they paid her 47 million plus royalties to renew her contract in 2012 for the next 20 years.
Tensions Mount
By the mid to late seventies the partying intensified and cocaine was added to the mix. Halston and Peretti were stars with the Studio 54 scene orbiting around them. Tensions between Peretti and Halston began to mount as her star ascended. Things came to a head during a supposedly quiet dinner at Halston’s townhouse. The night ended with Peretti throwing her sable coat from Halston into the lit fireplace. They stopped speaking and after a second run in at Studio 54 she decided it was time to leave New York.
Returns to Spain
In 1968 Peretti fell in love with the little village of Sant Martí Vell in Catalonia, north of Barcelona. She scraped together enough money to purchase two dilapidated buildings. Sant Martí Vell became a sanctuary from her frenetic life in New York. Throughout the years she slowly restored the properties she purchased and added to her holdings. She amassed a small village of buildings complete with piazza and a more remote manor house. Though she later owned properties in Rome, New York, Porta Ercola, Monte Carlo and Barcelona her home was Sant Martí Vell. It was there that she escaped to after leaving New York and continued to work with the artisans in Spain that produced her jewelry.
A Reconciliation
In 1977 Peretti’s father had the Newsweek cover story on her jewelry translated to Italian. He was proud of his daughter’s accomplishments and this set the stage for a reconciliation between the two. Finally she had the respect of her father and their relationship was restored just months before his death. He reinstated Peretti to his will, leaving 44.25 percent of API shares to Elsa.
In 2000 with proceeds from the will Peretti established The Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation. She dedicated it to the memory of her father and established it as her universal heir. Her intention was to fulfill her belief in sharing with the disadvantaged what life had given her. She considered the creation of this foundation one of her greatest achievements. Far from a vanity project or tax haven, the foundation continues to fund a diverse range of projects including health, human rights, conservation, education, arts and culture to name a few.
Peretti was a person of rare talent and vision, guided by her soul and creative impulses so evident in her work. She died at her beloved home in Sant Martí Vell in Catalonia, Spain on March 18th 2021 at the age of 80. The cause of death was not released.
Elsa Peretti’s jewelry is classic. Can’t beat her bone cuff! And love the Scorpion necklace!
Such a great read, thank you!