Fulco di Verdura: The Beguiler of Stars

He boldly brought the past back into the present and molded it into jewellery.

"There's no one like him," journalist Elsa Maxwell said.

Fulco di Verdura was an influential Italian jeweller. His career began with an introduction to designer Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel . He opened his jewellery salon "Verdura" in 1939.

He was the last to bear the now-defunct Sicilian title of Duke of Verdura.

Born in 1898 in Palermo, Italy, Verdura grew up in aristocratic surroundings largely and a love for animals that would later influence his jewellery designs.

Quickly identifying his talents, Chanel began what would be an eight-year collaboration by making him head designer of Chanel jewellery.

Not long after, he created the iconic Maltese Cross Cuffs, setting a gold cross adorned with bright cabochons in white enamel.

The Flato years

In 1934, he traveled to Hollywood, where he joined Paul Flato to open a boutique called “Verdura for Flato”, which became a signature.

In 1939, he opened a small salon called Verdura in New York. His primary inspiration came from his childhood in Sicily. In the designs he made for Verdura, he continuously incorporated themes of nature, creating brooches that looked like leaves, ruby seeds, and corncob.

In 1941, Fulco collaborated with Salvador Dalí on a collection of jewellery designs. He also designed “Night and Day” cufflinks for Cole Porter.

In 1973, he sold his share of his company to one of his associates and retired to London where he continued to paint and draw until his death in 1978.