Jewelry designer Elsa Peretti is the real thing.

        That may not mean much until you peek in your jewelry box, especially the silver-savvy among you.

        See an open-heart necklace?

IF YOU GO

What: The Elsa Peretti collection for Tiffany.     When: Saturday-Sept. 29, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday and Thursday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday.     Where: Tiffany & Co., 501 Vine St., downtown.     Admission: Free.     Information: 721-2022.

        A wavy metal wrist cuff ?

        That pretty pendant shaped like a warped lima bean you love to finger when worn aroun d your neck?

        No matter what you paid for your knock-offs — found everywhere from Wal-Mart to the Web — trust that an Elsa Peretti's creation for Tiffany is the original, a product of the 28-year collaboration between the upscale jeweler and the ex-model with an eye for shape and a love of silver.

        An exhibit of her collection — ranging from her diamonds by the yard to sterling flatware, sake cups, goblets and a '70s mesh bra — will be on view at Tiffany Saturday through Sept. 29. There are more than 1,000 pieces in her jewelry line.

        Though revered by fashionistas, the ex-model “doesn't think of herself as being about fashion,” says Fred Arcaro, vice president of merchandising for Elsa Peretti at Tiffany.

        “She often talks about designing the shape. She has changed the way people think about jewelry,” he says.

        “The '50s and '60s were more about chunky gold. She wanted simple silver jewelry that women would enjoy themselves, not necessarily for show but for how it makes you feel . . . the touch of it on your arm.”

        As a model, Ms. Peretti persuaded American fashion designer Giorgio di Sant'Angelo to use a few of her pieces in a show. It was instant success. About the same time, she brainstormed with the legendary Halston, who became a friend and collaborator.

        The craze for her silver soon followed.

        The words “liquid” and “organic” are tossed around in descriptions of Ms. Peretti's work that somehow transforms silver, gold and platinum into softly melted shapes stolen from nature — the starfish, th e scorpion necklace, the teardrop pendant, the bean clutch.

        “She made metal fluid and made silver liquid. She can take something hard and make it tactile,” says Mr. Arcaro.

        “She broke new ground that way. Every designer out there owes something to Elsa. She changed what good design was for the modern woman.

        “She wanted to design for the new American casual pulse, for the working women, the women's movement. She was ahead of her time. But in the '70s that was a revolutionary idea,” he says.

        Her first big piece with Tiffany, the open heart, is still a leader in U.S. sales. A small silver heart starts at about $90, and last year a pave platinum version was introduced selling for $3,700.

        But the design had a shaky start.

        “She really liked the shape,” says Mr. Arcaro, “but she was struggling and frustrated with getting it attached to the chain. So she worked with Tiffany designers” and one of her best-sellers in America was born.

        In Europe, the starfish is popular and growing. And the lacquer work, adapted from traditional Japanese craftsmen using 70 steps in a process that can take six months, is a favorite.

        As far as a signature piece, or a favorite, the bean and the bone cuffband are at the top of the list, according to Mr. Acaro.

        “I can quote her as saying, "Thank God for the bean,' ” Mr. Acaro says.

        “It is something that's very seminal to her work, the tactile quality of the bean is very elemental to her work.”

        She creates a lot of pendants on long silk or chain ropes.

        “With her it's like a talisman or a touchstone on a 30-inch chain so you can look at it, twist it, turn it like a toy. That's very Elsa.”

        And though the bean has been through many revisions, she's very protective of all her pieces, regardless of the price tag.

        “She's obsessive about the least expensive of the jewelry pieces,” says Mr. Acaro. “She wants to make sure those $80 and $90 and $100 items are perfect . She'll be much more concerned that those are perfect because the shapes are subtle. You'd think someone else would brush it off. But she's very concerned to make sure it's wrapped and presented just right.”

        It's one of the things that makes the partnership with Tiffany so perfect.

        “Tiffany's has been amazingly respectful of Elsa over the years,” he says. “The relationship is like one of those marriages you don't think will work but has been amazingly respectful,” says Mr. Arcaro, who has been running the day-to-day business for Ms. Peretti for 11 years.

        “It's the best job at Tiffany,” he says.

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