The King Of Diamonds

 

HISTORY

Tiffany & Co is an American jewelry brand.
The company was founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany.
Located in Manhattan, the company sold luxury goods before specializing in diamonds.
In 1887, Charles Lewis bought part of the french crown jewels sold by the French Republic. He was then nicknamed The King of Diamonds.
Over the years, the brand has forged its reputation and has become the symbol of New York elegance.
Today the store is located on the Fifth Avenue.

STYLE

In 1851, Tiffany's was the first American jewelry brand to use silver with a purity of 925/1000th.
The Tiffany style is recognizable and quite simple. This brand is specialized in wedding jewelry. Tiffany's best sellers are engagement rings and wedding bands, widely copied around the world.

Tiffany and co was also "avant-gardiste" in its use of coloured stones. In addition to morganite and kunzite, it was also the first to work with tanzanite, which, as its name suggests, was discovered in Tanzania in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in 1969.

 

Famous designers :

Jean Schlumberger :

Born into a family of textile manufacturers in Alsace, France, Jean Schlumberger was soon recognized for his drawing talent. After moving to Paris when he then opened a workshop. In 1937, he began a collaboration with the designer Elsa Schiaparelli, notably for the creation of buttons and costume jewellery.

After serving in the French army during the Second World War, he emigrated to the United States, where he opened a new workshop. Once again he was successful, a success that attracted the attention of Walter Hoving, then Chairman of Tiffany & Co, who offered him the position of Vice-Chairman of the company in 1957. Taking full advantage of Tiffany's supply of exceptional stones, Jean Schlumberger went on to create some of his finest pieces, including the Bird on a Rock brooch, the Cooper bracelet and the Sixteen Stone diamond ring.

For his creations, he drew inspiration from his family history and from nature and created gold and platinum woven jewellery, on which rest enameled birds and other animals, always baring the idea of movement and dynamism.

Bracelet, Brooch and Earrings signed Schlumberger, Credit Tiffany & Co

One of Jean Schlumberger's legendary missions was to create a setting for the famous 128.54 carat Tiffany yellow diamond. He decided to set it on the Ribbon Rosette necklace, now a symbol of the company.

Audrey Hepburn posing in the Schlumberger Ribbon Rosette Necklace set with the Tiffany Diamond. Photo Audrey Hepburn™ and Likeness property of Sean Hepburn Ferrer and Luca Dotti. All Rights Reserved

Jean Schlumberger is one of only three jewellers to have been exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, his work being the subject of a retrospective entitled "Un Diamant dans la Ville" in 1995. For this occasion, the Tiffany Diamond will be set on a "Bird on a Rock" brooch.

The Tiffany Diamond set on a Bird on a Rock in 1995

A large part of its jewellery collection is on permanent display at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in the United States.

Jean Schlumberger, Crédit Tiffany & Co

 

Elsa Peretti :

An interior decorator and then a model, Florentine-born Elsa Peretti began designing jewellery when she moved to New York in 1969. A friend of the designers Giorgio di Sant'Angelo and Halston, with whom she collaborated for many years, it was in 1974 that she arrived at Tiffany & Co. Her first collection was an immediate success, and its extensive use of silver brought this precious metal back into fashion.

Diamond by the Yard Sautoi, Credit Tiffany & Co

Over the course of her career, she produced a number of collections, including: Diamond by the Yard, Bottle, Open Heart and Bean design, not forgetting the "Bone" cuffs.

Open Heart Necklaces, Credit Tiffany & Co

Elsa Peretti was acclaimed for her unique and innovative creations, which featured an organic, fluid design and used materials that were unusual in jewellery at the time, such as porcelain, crystal and silver. The designs she created for the American company were revolutions in the world of jewellery in general.

Winning several awards in recognition of her work, her creations are also featured in the permanent collections of the British Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

Elsa Peretti portant une manchette Bone, Crédit Tiffany & Co

 

Paloma Picasso :

We know the name Picasso from the father, the great Pablo, painter, sculptor, ceramist, draughtsman, insatiable jack-of-all-trades, but in the late 70s, Paloma also came to the fore, and despite her famous surname, she managed to make her mark in the field of jewellery design. After a promising start with Saint Laurent and the Greek designer Zolotas, she ended up working with the famous Tiffany & Co in the 1980s.

With her "Graffiti" collection, Paloma shook up codes and drew inspiration from the street and motifs that were considered "vandalism" at the time.

Graffiti Rings, Credit Tiffany & Co

Then she put colour at the heart of her creations, with a collection called "true Colors", a nod to Cyndi Lauper (or not!), using gems in bold, vivid shades: green, blue and pink tourmalines, garnets, tanzanite, peridot and amethysts, all stones shunned by the industry at the time...

True Colors Necklace and Ring, Credit Tiffany & Co

Since then, the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History and the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago have acquired some of her jewellery pieces.

In 2011, the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. paid tribute to her with an exhibition of her work.

The president of the American company at the time even said, "For the first time, you can hold a Picasso in your hands and try it on". Paloma Picasso's creations are in her image, bold and often exuberant.

Paloma Picasso wearing the anniversary necklace, Crédit Tiffany & Co

 

FAMOUS CUSTOMERS

The brand image is still very much linked to the image of Audrey Hepburn, who became famous thanks to the Breakfast at Tiffany’s movie.

The brand has had many famous clients, such as Abraham Lincoln, who wanted to gift a jewel to his wife during his inauguration, as well as Jacqueline Kennedy.

Turquoise blue has become the color of the brand, since 1845, it is present on boxes or catalogs.

On November 25, 2019, the French group LVMH bought Tiffany & Co for $ 16.2 billion.

 

If you are interested in jewels signed by Tiffany & Co, don’t hesitate to discover what les Pierres de Julie have to offer in the store…

We are also available for any free expertise of your Tiffany & Co jewelry, for that you can send an email with your photos to contact@lespierresdejulie.com.

Whether you're interested in buying a piece of jewellery or a stone, a free jewelry appraisal or jewelry resale, Pierres de Julie welcomes you to its Parisian boutique in the Village Suisse, a stone's throw from the Ecole Militaire and the Esplanade des Invalides.