Platinum Diamonds by the Yard Sprinkle Necklace by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co
About the Item
- Creator:
- Design:Diamonds by the Yard NecklaceDiamonds by the Yard Collection
- Metal:
- Stone:
- Stone Cut:
- Weight:10.6 g
- Dimensions:Length: 36 in (914.4 mm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1980s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Litchfield, CT
- Reference Number:
Diamonds by the Yard Necklace
When Elsa Peretti (1940–2021) arrived at Tiffany & Co. in 1974, diamond jewelry was not fashionable with the younger set, especially in the United States, which was still mired in recession. The ornate diamond confections popular in previous decades were neither suited to the office nor the disco dance floor — and they were too expensive for an ordinary person to buy, anyway. That did not deter Peretti. Diamonds by the Yard, which was among her earliest work for the brand, featured a necklace that comprised a dozen small bezel-set stones arranged at uneven intervals on a fine gold chain. Peretti reimagined diamond jewelry as something that could be worn in the workplace and even in the clubs, such as Studio 54, where the model-turned-designer was a regular.
Born in Florence, Peretti studied design in Italy, modeled in Spain and was a ski instructor in Switzerland before she moved to the United States in 1968. Some of her earliest jewelry pieces were for a friend, fashion designer Halston, for whom she also modeled. Peretti brought an appreciation of European design as well as youthful energy to the historic Tiffany & Co. The first Diamonds by the Yard design was characterized by a minimalist vision for luxury. Other pieces followed with varying lengths and carats. These variations put simple designs in the reach of the budget-conscious consumer, with a Tiffany diamond necklace in 1976 suddenly attainable for under $100. As a 1977 Newsweek article reported, “What Peretti had was a whole new idea of what jewelry should be. No longer serious, real jewelry has become accessible and affordable for every secretary and shopgirl.”
Peretti’s designs offered diamonds for everyday accessorizing, not just special occasions. As she told the New York Times in 1974, “I make things that women like to touch and to wear, not things they put in a drawer.”
Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
In an era of social upheaval, venerable Tiffany & Co. designer Elsa Peretti reimagined diamonds as jewelry that working women bought for themselves rather than receiving it from a suitor.
By the time the Italian-born Peretti (1940–2021) arrived in New York City, she’d already studied design in Rome, worked for a Milanese architect and taught Italian, French and skiing in Switzerland. She settled on interior design as her potential career path but then chose an altogether different route: modeling. Peretti modeled in Barcelona, Spain, and on the advice of Wilhelmina Cooper — a former model who’d by then founded Wilhelmina Modeling Agency — moved to Manhattan in 1968. When she relocated, Peretti was inspired to pick up jewelry design.
After modeling for designer Halston, the undisputed fashion king of Studio 54, Peretti became his close friend and collaborator, eventually creating jewelry and teardrop-shaped perfume bottles for him. By way of her association with Halston, Peretti took to the disco scene, flourishing in a social circle that included artist Andy Warhol and fashion designer Giorgio di Sant’Angelo.
It wasn’t long before models on di Sant’Angelo’s runway were donning two-inch sterling-silver vases, complete with a rose stem, suspended on leather thongs around their necks. The accessory was Peretti’s inaugural piece of jewelry — she designed it in 1969 after finding a flower vase at a flea market. It was hardly the only time that Peretti found motifs in nature and in organic forms. In the years that followed, her Bean pendant necklace, Starfish earrings and other sensuous accessories would draw on human emotion as well as the natural world around her. Each evocative and wholly versatile design is universally adored decades later, and each was made for a storied American jewelry house with which Peretti would be associated for nearly 50 years.
It was Halston who introduced Peretti to Tiffany & Co. She had her own boutique at Bloomingdale’s by 1972, and her partnership with the firm, which signed the venturesome and unorthodox designer to an exclusive contract in 1974, would cement her place in the lofty annals of jewelry legend. Peretti’s simple but sophisticated designs — the Teardrop collection, her minimalist Diamonds by the Yard necklace and Open Heart ring, to name a few — elevated sterling silver, previously considered unsuitable for fine jewelry, and created an enthusiastic young audience for Tiffany’s offerings. In 1977, Peretti’s designs earned the jewelry house more than $6 million. (In some years, her work has accounted for 10 percent of the company’s sales.)
In 2012, Peretti signed a 20-year, $47.3 million contract with Tiffany & Co., but she passed away in 2021, at age 80. Today, her designs are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the British Museum.
Find an exquisite collection of Elsa Peretti jewelry today on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Litchfield, CT
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Elsa Peretti Diamonds by the YardBy Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.Located in Litchfield, CTCirca 2000s, 18k, Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co., New York. Diamonds by the Yard is one of Elsa Peretti's most iconic designs for Tiffany. Infinitely wearable at sixteen and a half inches long and set with 1.25 carats of fine white diamonds (5 Stones, F color VS clarity), this eighteen-karat yellow gold necklace is gorgeous. Well-made to Tiffany's high standards, it is in excellent condition. Remark: “Only Tiffany can...Category
2010s American Chain Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
- Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co. "Rope Four Row with Diamonds" RingBy Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co.Located in Litchfield, CTCirca 1970s, 18k and Platinum, by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co., New York. Long associated with high luxury and classic fashion, Tiffany's Schlumberger collection is exquisite...Category
Vintage 1970s American Band Rings
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
- Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co. "Rope Four Row with Diamonds" RingBy Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co.Located in Litchfield, CTCirca 1970s, 18k and Platinum, by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co., New York. Long associated with high luxury and classic fashion, Tiffany's Schlumberger collection is exquisite...Category
Vintage 1970s American Band Rings
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
- Tiffany & Co. Diamond-set HoopsBy Tiffany & Co.Located in Litchfield, CTCirca 2005, 18k, by Tiffany & Co., New York. These chic diamond hoops by Tiffany & Co. are all about the diamonds! Set with 2.79 carats of brilliant white diamonds (G color VS clari...Category
Early 2000s American Hoop Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
- French Sixties Chic Diamond NecklaceLocated in Litchfield, CTCirca 1960s, 18k, Paris, France. This stylish sixties necklace has all the panache one expects of one-of-a-kind French jewelry. Set with 18.0 carats of superb white diamonds (F colo...Category
Vintage 1960s French Link Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Charles Perry for Tiffany & Co. Sculptural PendantLocated in Litchfield, CTCirca 1979, 18k, by Charles O. Perry for Tiffany & Co, New York. In the late seventies, Tiffany produced wearable 18k yellow gold miniatures of renowned artist Charles Perry's sculpt...Category
Vintage 1970s American Pendant Necklaces
Materials18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Diamond by the Yard Platinum NecklaceBy Tiffany & Co.Located in New York, NYThis exquisite Tiffany & Co. Diamond by the Yard necklace is crafted in platinum and features 5 diamonds in 4.5mm round bezel settings. The round brilliant G VVS...Category
2010s American Link Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- Tiffany & Co Elsa Peretti Sprinkle Diamonds by The Yard Necklace 18K Yellow GoldBy Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.Located in Chicago, ILThis Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Sprinkle Collection Necklace is 36 inches in length and weighs 3.90 DWT (approx. 6.07 grams). It contains 12 roun...Category
21st Century and Contemporary North American Contemporary Chain Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Yellow Gold
- Tiffany & Co Elsa Peretti Pearls by the Yard Sprinkle Necklace 18k Yellow GoldBy Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.Located in MELBOURNE, AUDesigned by Elsa Peretti as elegant chain of rope length - 91.5cm (36 inches) crafted in 18K yellow gold with luminous pearls scattered along 12 freshwater cultured pearls range in ...Category
2010s Italian Modern Rope Necklaces
MaterialsYellow Gold
- Tiffany&Co Elsa Peretti 2.5 Carat Natural Diamonds by the Yard Platinum NecklaceBy Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.Located in Los Angeles, CAAuthentic Tiffany & Company Platinum and Natural Diamond necklace weighing approximately 2.50 carats in total weight. The necklace is set with 11 natural colorless round brilliant d...Category
2010s North American Modern Choker Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. 1.54ct Diamonds by the Yard Necklace in PlatinumBy Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.Located in Philadelphia, PAElsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. diamonds by the yard necklace in platinum, accompanied by Tiffany & Co. box. This necklace fea...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chain Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- Tiffany & Co. Platinum Elsa Peretti Diamonds By The Yard Single Diamond PendantBy Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.Located in Bishop's Stortford, HertfordshireTiffany & Co. Platinum Elsa Peretti Diamonds By The Yard Single Diamond Pendant Brand Tiffany & Co. Model Diamonds by the Yard Sing...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum