Paloma Picasso celebrates 30 years with Tiffany with 3 new jewelry collections
Long before guest designers created collections for mass-market retailers and celebutantes became artistic advisors to fashion houses, Paloma Picasso began designing a line of jewelry with her name attached to it for Tiffany & Co. Eventually, she became a brand of her own, with accessories and scents and home furnishings, among other products.
FOR THE RECORD:
Paloma Picasso jewelry: An article in Sunday’s Image section stated that the bird-shaped pendants from Paloma Picasso’s “Dove” collection for Tiffany & Co. are made of 10-karat gold. They are made of 18-karat gold. —
Thirty years later, her fragrances still sell online and her “vintage” sunglasses are a prized find on fashion retail sites. But it’s her jewelry collections for Tiffany that have continued to ensure that “Paloma Picasso” is a household name.
The youngest of Pablo Picasso’s four children (her mother was the artist Francoise Gilot), Paloma was often a subject of his paintings, including “Paloma With an Orange” and “Paloma in Blue.” Gilot left Pablo Picasso in 1953 when Paloma was 4, but she continued to spend summers and school breaks with her father for several years.
As a young woman, Picasso learned to express her own artistic sensibilities in jewelry design. After a period in which she worked for Yves Saint Laurent and the Greek jewelry company Zolotas, she was approached by representatives of Tiffany.
Shortly after starting to design for the company, Picasso’s reputation as a style setter and fashion muse took off. Her raven hair, porcelain skin and red pout became a signature image of the 1980s.
Today, some observers say her signature “X” pieces, “graffiti” brooches and “scrawled” heart-shaped pendants are as well known as Tiffany’s famous diamond solitaire settings. “In general she is an important branch” for the luxury goods company, says Jennifer Milan, a research analyst for the New York-based brokerage firm Sterne Agee, whose portfolio includes Tiffany & Co. “Her collections are widely associated with the brand and are something people go to look for specifically at the store.” And her empire is poised to expand. To commemorate her 30th anniversary with the company, Picasso has created three new collections that range from casual to opulent.
Inspired by the Spanish translation of her name, the “Dove” collection is a straightforward line of fluid bird-shaped pendants done in sterling silver, 10-karat gold and diamonds. The symmetry and simplicity of the bird are similar to those of a dove drawn by her famous father, which he created the year she was born and which was adopted as a symbol for the 1949 Paris World Peace Conference.
The “Marrakesh” collection was designed to reflect the vivid colors and detailed architecture of its namesake city (where Picasso owns a home). Earrings have the scalloped borders of a window or doorway in a Moroccan palace, and circular gold pendants are cut out in a graphic pattern to reveal a colorful blue enamel underneath. Semiprecious stones, including turquoise and green emeralds set against stark black onyx, are used throughout, making this the most elaborate of the three collections.
For the third collection, “Hammered Circles,” Picasso seemed to get back to basics. Much as she did with her graffiti collection, she interprets shapes, this time by using hammered metal circles (in yellow and rose gold and sterling silver) to form the strands of a necklace and joined hoops as earrings. The subtle sheen and soft circular patterns make this line wearable for everyday and may allow the customer who loved the ‘80s feel of her graphic silver and gold pieces a more modern approach to accessorizing.
melissa.magsaysay@latimes.com
