Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Even before Ella Gafter founded her namesake jewelry collection in 1982, she was a formidable presence in the jewelry industry.
As a Rome-based gem dealer, Gafter sold pearls and precious stones to retailers and jewelers but was often dissatisfied with how they made use of the rare materials she worked so hard to source. Instead of grousing, she decided to design jewels that would do them justice, focusing primarily on pearls — akoya, Tahitian and South Sea. She explains her fascination with the lustrous marine treasures simply: “Every woman looks better with pearls than without.”
Her daughter Talila Gafter, then an undergrad at Harvard, was her ally in getting the project off the ground. Together, they made the rounds to stores with Ella’s first efforts. “We had a little pouch with eight pieces and we sold everything,” Talila tells 1stDibs. After graduation, she “was involved one hundred percent” in building the company, whose pieces are handmade by master jewelers in Naples.
The designer insists that her unwavering focus is the source of her success. “There’s no compromising for me,” she says. She’s been known to replace the pearls in a single piece time after time until she’s certain she’s achieved her ideal result. “A pearl you have to respect,” she explains. “You have to put it where it wants to sit.”
Ella describes the collaboration with her daughter as a “partnership,” with each having her own domain. “I’m all fantasy; Talila is the concrete one,” she says. The company is now based in New York City, with Talila as its president while Ella is firmly at the helm of creative decisions. “I’ve never made a design suggestion to Ella,” says Talila. “Nobody does.”
That forbearance has been earned, says Talila. “I admire that Ella doesn’t take no for an answer, her tenacity, her extraordinary ambition. She believes as long as there is life, there is a lot of beauty to create. She’s a force of nature.”
Find Ella Gafter earrings, rings, necklaces and other jewelry on 1stDibs.
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
White Diamond, Ruby, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
White Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Onyx, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Ruby, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Pearl, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
White Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
White Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
White Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
White Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
White Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
White Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
White Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Pearl, Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Retro Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Coral, Diamond, Ruby, 9k Gold, Rose Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Pearl, 14k Gold
1970s Italian Artisan Vintage Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Coral, Diamond, Ruby, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Late 20th Century Italian Retro Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Pearl, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Turquoise, Pearl, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s Contemporary Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Artisan Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
Moonstone, Pearl, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Artist Ella Gafter Multi-Strand Necklaces
White Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
