One of Elsa Peretti’s earliest designs, this slender curve of silver that wraps halfway around the neck and ends in a flat ivory talon is the original prototype design for her Claw necklace. Peretti’s fascination with animal anatomy, particularly claws, is evident in several of her designs, including an early hair comb resembling a bear claw (1970), the Parrot ring (1971), and later her Scorpion brooch (2000s), which consists of long pincers clenching a bezel-set diamond. While interviewing the designer in 1978, Gaylen Moore of The New York Times noted a flowerpot in Peretti’s New York apartment that held two lobster claws. He described the odd display, explaining that “You pick them up, hold them in your hand: smooth thickness sliding to knotty joints and jagged, sharp pincers.” This claw necklace was worn by Peretti in the October 15, 1970 issue of Vogue magazine.

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