Paloma Picasso blazed into the stratosphere of haute joaillerie in 1980 with her first collection of jewels for Tiffany & Co.

Her use of ample to lavish scale, her love of vibrant color in gemstones, which brought firey orange opals and shocking pink tourmalines into fashion, and her ever-so-chic use of “Scribbles,” “Graffiti” and, of course, of her signature “X” instantly established her as jewelry design’s newest star. Her unerring eye for glamour and her inquisitive and informed sense of personal style played their roles. Youthful, playfully exuberant, visually stunning – her Tiffany jewels were all of these.

Today, Paloma Picasso celebrates 30 years at Tiffany with three new bold collections. With her fondness for the graphically alluring which began with Graffiti and her predilection for geometric and tailored forms, she adopts the seductive intricacies of Moroccan grid patterns as a springboard for “Marrakesh,” her collection of compelling new designs that are at once simple and complex – not unlike Paloma herself.

In her new collection, Paloma brings the visually stimulating angularity of Moroccan patterns in line with the classic foundations and reined-in - energy in her makeup that has encouraged the polished, debonair, and even, “dapper” aspect that – for whatever their lavishness at times – is a common denominator in all her jewelry designs.

Celebrating her thirty years of designing jewelry exclusively for Tiffany, the collection reprises thematic devices played on so effectively throughout her career. There are the generously-scaled, circular medallion pendants, this time of smoldering red jasper, chic black onyx, intensely blue lapis lazuli and vivid jade-green nephrite held in lattices of brightly-polished 18-karat yellow gold. The lattices appropriated from Moroccan tile patterns recur in graceful traceries on flat, broad, lozenge-shaped, sterling silver earrings and voluminous 18-karat yellow gold cuff bangles. There are the “paper chains” of former years reinterpreted into light, airy hammered gold and silver link neck chains and pendant earrings. They are elaborated into eight-pointed star links in a “Marrakesh” necklace.

The designer’s flair for calling the bright, colorful and luscious into play is brought out with a new series of spheres and egg-shaped pendants sparkling with diamonds, emeralds and turquoise. The spheres sport aggressively chic pendant tassels of jasper contrasting with onyx in Paloma Picasso’s much-loved red and black color combination or, alternately, in no-less-stylish black and blue combining onyx and lapis, both making the bold statements in jewelry for which Paloma Picasso has been famous throughout her thirty years at Tiffany’s, where statement jewels and Paloma Picasso have long been synonymous.

It goes without saying; there is a charming, 30th anniversary, “Dove” pendant – delicately outlined in 18-karat yellow or rose gold or in white gold with diamonds. “My name ‘Paloma’ means dove in Spanish. It stands as a symbol of peace and purity,” Paloma Picasso explains. “There are many romantic songs about ‘La Paloma Blanca.’ One of them used to bring tears to my eyes when I was a little girl. I have designed the dove to be your guardian angel.”

In the Hammered Circles collection, Paloma Picasso’s signature soft hammered texture is applied to lighter, more ethereal forms than the robust links and spheres of past collections, still speaks of the sunlight and moonlight that inspire her. Complimenting her “Hammered Circles” necklace are graceful “Hammered Circles” hoop earrings in 18-karat rose or yellow gold or in sterling silver. “The hammering technique,” Picasso feels, “gives a special color to the gold and silver, creating warm metals that take on the appearance of skin tone – and take on a very special light at night.”

Photo credit: © Tiffany & Co.

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