"Elsa Peretti: Fifteen Of My Fifty With Tiffany" 1990 (SOLD)

1990

11 1/2" x 8 1/4"

w/ [20+] pp. loose-leaf folio laid-in cloth clamshell slipcase

This catalogue and exhibition combines for fiftieth birthday and fifteen year working exclusively for Tiffany

Fine

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Elsa Peretti (1940-2021) was an Italian jewellery designer and philanthropist as well as a former fashion model. Her jewellery and design pieces for Tiffany & Co., are included in the 20th century collection of the British Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. In 1974 Peretti, the fashion model of Halston, Helmut Newton and Francesco Scavullo, arrived at Tiffany's with her modern jewelry. John Loring's Tiffany Style - 170 Years of Design, devotes 18 pages of images of her jewelry and tableware design. She was largely responsible for the restoration of the village of Sant Martí Vell in Catalonia, Spain. Through her foundations, she supported a wide variety of cultural, social, and artistic causes.

Accompanied an exhibition of Elsa Peretti’s work held at the Fashion Institute of Technology, April 24–May 10, 1990.

Jewellery design
In 1969, Peretti began creating new jewelry styles for a handful of fashion designers in Manhattan. Her first design was a two-inch bud vase made of sterling-silver, worn on a leather thong, that was inspired by a find at a flea market. Worn by one of Giorgio di Sant' Angelo's models, it was a hit. By 1971, she was designing jewellery for Halston. She continued to use silver, which went from being "common" to being a popular choice for Liza Minnelli and others. Pieces like Bone Cuff are seen as incorporating organic forms with appreciation of the human body, and as bridging a gap between costume and serious jewelry.

By the time Peretti joined Tiffany & Co. as an independent designer, she had received the 1971 Coty Award, and had her first appearance in Vogue magazine. In 1972 Bloomingdale's, one of New York's landmark shopping stores, opened a dedicated Peretti boutique. In 1974, Peretti signed a contract with Tiffany & Co to design silver jewelry and by 1979, she was the firm's leading designer. Her silver pieces were seen as "fun" and attracted a younger clientele. Peretti also designed silverware for Tiffany, but only after she had established a solid following with her jewellery.

Peretti designed over thirty collections for Tiffany. In the process, she traveled to Japan, China, and Europe, drawing on the work of craftsmen there in the creation of classic collections such as Bean, Open Heart, Mesh, Bone, and Zodiac. In addition to sterling silver, part of her signature was the use of materials such as jade, lacquer, and rattan. In 2012, Tiffany and Peretti extended their partnership for another 20 years. In 2015, her trademarked Elsa Peretti designs represented eight percent of Tiffany's net sales. Her works have been described as "revolutionary", "timeless, distinct and modern".