Town and Country

On the Town – New York

Like the precious stones in Ellagem's fine jewelry, Ella Gafter and her daughter, Talila, are brilliently matched and equally luminous. By pairing South Sea pearls from Australia (known for their superior luster) with diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds, Ella builds whimsical pieces that stray far beyond conventional combinations yet somehow still seem classic. While mom devotes herself to the artistic aspects, from the design concept and stone selection all the way to the finished piece, daughter Talila oversees the details that make the creative journey possible. "I make Ella's circles square," she says.

Despite her Harvard degree in philosophy, Talila is able to come down from the theoretical to handle practical matters. She explains that the "satisfaction of building something with my mother, the artist, is mixed with the ongoing delight of working with my mother, the mother," and credits their success to a natural telepathy. "We understand each other before we speak."