Born Countess Nadja Ostrovska in Rome, Nadja Buckley emerged as one of the most distinctive female jewelry designers of mid-century America, bringing an unmistakable sense of European sophistication to the bold glamour of postwar fashion. Working during the 1940s and 1950s, at a time when few women achieved prominence in the jewelry trade, Buckley developed a dramatic and highly sculptural aesthetic defined by sweeping forms, lavish scale, and vividly colored large gemstones. Her jewelry was sold through prestigious retailers including Bonwit Teller and Georg Jensen. Renowned for combining European elegance with dramatic American glamour, she received the prestigious Diamonds U.S.A. award, and her work has appeared in advertisements and editorials in major publications including Vogue and Glamour. Today, Nadja Buckley's work is exceptionally rare and often unsigned, contributing to their scarcity at auction.