[4] During his early years, he developed a vivid imagination, wild sense of humor, and a love for animals that would later influence his jewelry designs.

[11] Fulco left Chanel in 1934 to venture to the United States with Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg and Princess Natalia Pavlovna Paley.

[12] He traveled first to Hollywood and then to New York where Diana Vreeland, a Chanel client, introduced Fulco to the jeweler Paul Flato.

[5] Fulco broke out on his own in 1939, opening a small salon called Verdura in New York at 712 Fifth Avenue with the financial backing of Cole Porter and Vincent Astor.

[16] Also that year, he designed “Night and Day” cufflinks for Cole Porter that were inspired by the lyrics of the hit song and have since become signature Verdura pieces.

: “Liz Whitney has, on her bin of manure, a Clip designed by the Duke of Verdura.”[17] During the 1960s, Cartier sought Fulco's creative input for a potential collaboration.

For Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, Verdura designed exquisite pieces like a thistle-shaped brooch, gem-studded shell ear clips, and jeweled compacts.

[18] Other distinguished clients include Hollywood stars such as Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and Marlene Dietrich, the latter making the Maltese Cross cuffs her signature accessory, as well as socialites like Diana Vreeland and Babe Paley.

Fulco later met Tom Parr, an interior decorator[21] who was a friend and business partner of David Nightingale Hicks and later head of Colefax and Fowler.