Sensuous and strong, Elsa Peretti’s gold mesh scarf necklace looks like a piece of luxurious chainmail. It has no clasp, wrapping around the neck like its silk namesake. The fabric-like character of the 18-karat-gold scarf, offered on 1stDibs by Eric Originals and Antiques LTD, also hints at the jewelry designer’s well-documented experience in the fashion world.
A model and muse for Halston, as well as an intimate of Giorgio di Sant’ Angelo, Peretti was at the center of New York City’s vibrant fashion scene before joining Tiffany & Co., in 1974, and becoming one of the most famous, influential and successful jewelry designers in the world. Often overlooked in the Italian transplant’s bright lights, big city narrative is her commitment to craftsmanship, evidenced by this unusual mesh jewel.
“A tremendous amount of work and research went into this little scarf,” Peretti wrote in the catalogue for her 1990 retrospective at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), “Fifteen of My Fifty with Tiffany,” which marked her 15th anniversary with the house and her 50th birthday.
The idea for the collection was sparked by the handmade mesh that Peretti saw on a 1974 trip to Jaipur, India. The problem was how to replicate it in Manhattan. As she did with everything in her line, Peretti sought out craftsmen and experts who understood and could realize her vision. Unlike any other designer at her level, not to mention lesser talents, she always cited them by name when discussing her process.
Peretti contacted the director of the jewelry department at FIT, Samuel Beizer, for help figuring out how to create the mesh. That connection is undoubtedly one of the reasons why, decades later, she chose to stage her 15th anniversary retrospective at the school’s gallery.
Peretti and Bizer found old machines that had been used at the beginning of the 20th century to manufacture pressure metal mesh for evening bags. The resulting material was smooth to the touch, with no seams on the many links. When made of silver or gold, it felt soft against the skin.
One of the first items Peretti designed with the mesh was a bra that Halston debuted in his Fall 1975 fashion show. Styled underneath an open button-down shirt and layered with several of Peretti’s Diamonds by the Yard necklaces, the golden piece of lingerie caused a sensation. “Tiffany was swamped with calls from people dying to get a gold bra. I was shocked at the time, but Walter Hoving [Tiffany’s chairman] just smiled,” Peretti wrote in the “Fifteen of My Fifty with Tiffany” catalogue. “The essential end product of those old, splendid times in Jaipur is a small gold scarf.”
