Ella Gafter is a creative artist with a passion for extremes – extremes of beauty, of intrinsic value and of brilliant craftsmanship. Together with her daughter, Talila Gafter, she is the driving force behind the jewellery company Ellagem.

Ella Gafter was born in Poland, during the Second World War. Her childhood experience of that dark time formed in her a deeply spiritual hunger for beauty, and a passion to create it.

She came to Rome a young woman and found the medium for her calling in the “eternal city”. Members of the Italian nobility were quickly drawn to her aesthetic sense and her vital personality. Soon they were collecting her pieces and adopting her into their circle. Before long, she had an international clientele that continues to expand as her jewellery gains its well-deserved reputation for quality and uniqueness.

One only has to visit the Manhattan offices of Ellagem, beautifully furnished with Italian antiques and Persian rugs to know that Ella Gafter understands and loves all aspects of design and brings beauty and harmony to her environment. This is also true of each jewel, which is the very personal vision of Ella Gafter, made by hand, of the most mag-nificent materials, bearing the unique, irreplaceable stamp of her genius. Ella travels far and wide in search of the perfect gems, accepting only the best to meet her exacting standards.
She designs jewellery in a way that recalls the work of medieval and renaissance guild artists, who served royal courts and merchant princes with priceless exquisitely wrought objects.

Based in Italy, and trained for their craft from childhood, these artisans share her vision, and have dedicated their talent and skill exclusively to her œuvre. Many of them have worked with her for more than 25 years. Among them are true masters, who combine the sculptor’s artistry with the engineer’s understanding of materials and techniques.

But her jewellery is more than jew-ellery; it can be likened to a classic sculpture in precious gems and metals. These pieces are extraordinary for their 3-dimensional qualities and the way in which they marry materials and colour. However, the sustained technical effort always translates into easy loveliness that is a pleasure to behold. One of the ways Ella has achieved this effect is by reviving the spectacular “Tremblant” form, ignored by jewellery designers for decades, because it is so difficult to execute. In Ella’s hands it has come back to life. Her jewellery is like no other, these are highly individual pieces, meant to be worn in a likewise individual way. As is perfectly shown when worn by the creator and her daughter.

Ella’s daughter, Talila, a Harvard graduate, is also her partner. Talila has greatly expanded their international presence, and maintains her permanent office in New York, serving a strongly developed clientele in the Americas.Together, Ella and Talila have created a thriving enterprise that produces jewels unique, irreplaceable, and magnificent.

ELLAGEM
580 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3110,
New York NY 10036
U.S.A.
Tel: +1 212 398 0101
Fax: +1 212 302 0153
www.ellagafter.com