Why Elsa Peretti Made Silver More Expensive Than Gold

Elsa Peretti transformed Tiffany & Co. and changed the meaning of luxury jewelry in the 1970s. At a time when gold and diamonds represented traditional wealth, she made sterling silver desirable, modern, and sophisticated. Her revolutionary designs, including the Bone Cuff, Open Heart, and Diamonds by the Yard, challenged the conventions of fine jewelry and helped redefine how women expressed independence through fashion. But Elsa Peretti was more than a jewelry designer. Before her historic partnership with Tiffany & Co. in 1974, she was a fashion model and a central figure in Halston’s creative world. Her friendships, artistic influences, and experiences in 1970s New York shaped an entirely new approach to jewelry design. Working alongside Halston and moving through the cultural world of Studio 54, Andy Warhol, and American fashion, Peretti developed a visual language inspired by the human body, natural forms, and everyday objects. Her jewelry was sensual without being extravagant, minimalist without being ordinary. Why did Elsa Peretti choose silver when the luxury industry valued gold? How did her designs become some of Tiffany & Co.’s most recognizable creations? And why does her work still feel modern decades later? In this episode of One Fashion Question, we explore Elsa Peretti’s extraordinary career, from her early years in Italy and modeling in New York to her creative partnership with Halston, her success at Tiffany & Co., and her life in Sant Martí Vell, Spain