The Open Heart is one of those pieces a lady tends to buy for herself. Elsa Peretti drew it to be felt rather than shown — a small, fluid shape worn every day rather than saved for occasions. It is quietly personal: an open heart you close simply by wearing it.
A pre-owned Elsa Peretti Open Heart pendant in sterling silver is about the gentlest way into Tiffany & Co. there is — genuine small ones change hands for roughly £90 to £180 in July 2026. The same heart in 18ct gold runs to several hundred, and a diamond-pavé gold version can pass £1,500. It is one of the most copied pendants in the world, which is precisely why buying an authenticated original matters.
What is the Elsa Peretti Open Heart?
Elsa Peretti designed the Open Heart for Tiffany in 1974, its single fluid curve inspired by the sculptor Henry Moore. Peretti did something quietly radical: she made sterling silver desirable at Tiffany again and treated it as a serious material rather than a poor relation of gold. The Open Heart became her signature and one of the house’s best-selling designs for half a century. It comes in a range of sizes — from a tiny 7mm heart to bold 22mm and larger pendants — in silver, 18ct gold, and gold set with pavé diamonds.
How much is a pre-owned Open Heart worth?
The ranges below are wider open-market asking prices in the UK as of July 2026, drawn from resale listings and pre-loved retailers. They are guide ranges and represent the bare private-market floor — not Chrono6538’s prices. Chrono6538 sells authenticated pieces, checked and guaranteed, at a premium to that floor.
| Open Heart pendant (metal) | Typical size | Pre-owned asking (July 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Sterling silver, small | 7–11 mm | ~£90–180 |
| Sterling silver, larger / with pearl | 16–22 mm | ~£150–300 |
| 18ct gold, small | 11–16 mm | ~£350–700 |
| 18ct gold, larger | 22 mm+ | ~£700–1,200 |
| 18ct gold with pavé diamonds | 16–22 mm | ~£1,000–1,800 |
Sources: UK and international resale asking prices (John Lewis pre-loved, eBay, 1stDibs, specialist estate dealers), July 2026. A sibling design, the Elsa Peretti Bean in 18ct rose gold, sits around £800–1,000 pre-owned. Condition, chain length and the presence of the Tiffany pouch move these figures.
Silver, gold or diamonds — which should you buy?
If you want the design at the lowest honest price, buy the silver: it is the true Open Heart, it is affordable second-hand, and the retail mark-up is gone. If you want something with a floor under it, go gold — the 18ct pieces carry real metal weight and hold their money far better. The diamond-pavé gold hearts are the ones people covet and the ones that hold closest to their original price; they are also the ones most worth authenticating carefully, because the design is so widely imitated.
Has the Open Heart held its value?
The silver pieces behave like most silver jewellery: they give up a chunk of the retail price on the way out of the shop, then settle at a stable, modest second-hand level. That is not a failing — it simply means the smart move is to buy pre-owned rather than new. The gold and diamond versions have held far better, because their intrinsic content puts a hard floor beneath them and clean examples with paperwork trade close to what they cost. This is not investment advice, and jewellery values can fall as well as rise; the Open Heart is a piece to wear every day, not a bet.
Where to buy a pre-owned Open Heart
Because the Open Heart is so heavily copied, buy only from a seller who authenticates and guarantees each piece, and ask for clear photographs of the Elsa Peretti and Tiffany hallmarks. Chrono6538 specialises in authenticated pre-owned luxury, checked before it is offered. See our jewellery →
Last updated: July 2026. Prices are wider-market guide ranges, not Chrono6538 prices, and reflect asking prices at the time of writing.