Verdura
Raffaella Stern is a seasoned jewelry design professional with extensive experience in high jewelry illustration and design. Currently, Raffaella works as a freelance jewelry designer for Valery Brinda and Alexandra Beth Fine Jewelry, alongside roles at Tiffany & Co. and Verdura as a high jewelry illustrator. Previous experience includes serving as a jewelry design illustrator at David Yurman, high jewelry designer at Marina B, and advanced rendering instructor at the New York Jewelry Design Institute. Raffaella's career began with jewelry design positions at F.Roca Diamants and Pontevecchio Hotta, complemented by a long-term teaching role at FOR.AL Formazione Professionale. Raffaella holds a bachelor's degree in Arts and Paintings from Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera and a Master of Art in jewelry design from Istituto D’Arte Benvenuto Cellini in Valenza, Italy.
Verdura
Verdura is an American fine jeweler headquartered in New York. The company was founded in 1939 by Sicilian Duke Fulco di Verdura, and is internationally recognized for its timeless, elegant and distinctly original designs. Verdura began his career as the head jewelry designer for Coco Chanel, for whom he designed the Maltese Cross brooches and cuffs that became his signature. Having Hollywood ties through long time friend Cole Porter, Verdura ventured to America and began designing colorful jewels for stars of the era, including Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich. In 1939, Verdura opened his doors on Fifth Avenue in New York with the financial backing of Cole Porter and Vincent Astor, and immediately gained a following with New York society and fashion’s best-dressed list, including style icon Babe Paley. In 1985, Ward Landrigan purchased Verdura and has continued the tradition of creating timeless designs from the nearly 10,000 sketches Fulco di Verdura made in his lifetime. In 2004, his son, Nico Landrigan, joined the family business and currently serves as President alongside his father, who is the Chairman and CEO. The Verdura collection of fine jewelry is available at the company’s New York salon at 745 Fifth Avenue overlooking Central Park as well as select retail partners, including Bergdorf Goodman, select Neiman Marcus locations, Betteridge, Obsidian in London and Mindham Fine Jewelry in Toronto. Additional information is available at www.verdura.com.