Elsa Peretti Model

Elsa Peretti, OMRI OMM, was an Italian jewelry designer and philanthropist as well as a fashion model. Her jewelry 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.

Elsa Peretti Model, Arriving in New York in 1968 with a black eye from a lover, Italian model Elsa Peretti was soon part of fashion’s in-crowd, becoming known for cocaine-fueled scenes at Studio 54 as well as for her revolutionary jewelry designs. Unlike her best friend, Halston, she made it out alive. James Reginato finds that Peretti, 40 years into a partnership with Tiffany that made her a household name, is in a very different world — one she created.

Elsa Peretti, the fashion model turned jewelry designer whose elegant, sculptural creations for Tiffany & Company revolutionized tastes in accessories and repositioned sterling silver as a luxury material.

In the 1970s, Peretti was romantically involved with photographer Helmut Newton.

Peretti died at her home in Spain on 18 March 2021 at the age of 80. No cause of death was given; she died in her sleep.

Ms. Peretti never married or had children. She is survived by a sister, Mila Brachetti Peretti.

She often referred to herself as retired, but she may have had mixed feelings about that status.

“I always think people give me compliments for what I was, not for what I am now,”