William De Lillo vintage costume jewelry
William De Lillo vintage costume jewelry
Born 1925 in Antwerp, Belgium, William deLillo moved to the United States in the 1950s. There he began working as a designer of high end fine jewelry for such iconic companies as Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Harry Winston and Miriam Haskell. At Haskell, he immediately caught the eye of lead designer Robert F. Clark.
American designer of Belgian origin, William De Lillo, together with his partner Robert F. Clark, opened his own atelier (1967). Ten years after opening his company, in 1978, the designer had a solo exhibition at the New York Metropolitan Museum. There, in addition to the author’s jewelry creations, he exhibited his brutal sculptures of different-sized geometric shapes. Noteworthy, the Baron and Baroness de Rothschild sponsored his fine jewelry exhibition in Paris in 1978.
During his life De Lillo collaborated with such celebrities as Elizabeth Taylor, Neiman Marcus, I. Magnin, and Bonwit Teller. Also, with such couture designers, as Adolfo, Bill Blass and Norman Norell.
Meanwhile, tired of the rhythm of New York life, in 1976 De Lillo returned to France, where he collaborated with Schiaparelli, Chanel, and Nina Ricci fashion houses. However, after the “French break” he again moved to the USA, Arizona, where he worked until the end of his life in 2011. Produced in extremely limited editions, De Lillo jewelry is highly collectible, kept in museums and private collections.