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Tiffany & Co. sparkling at 175
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The finished necklace with the 128.54-carat Tiffany Diamond and white diamonds totaling more than 100 carats. The stone received a new setting to commemorate the store's 175th anniversary. -
Return to Tiffany heart tag in RUBEDO metal on a sterling silver bracelet chain; $475.
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Tiffany & Co. turns 175 this year, and it's making the milestone a diamond anniversary.
The famed jewelry and silverware designer -- a crown jewel of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue shopping corridor -- reset its 128.54-carat yellow Tiffany Diamond in a diamond and platinum necklace featuring 481 stones.
This year, the rock traveled to Tokyo, Beijing and Dubai for anniversary events and was returned this month to its permanent home on the main floor of Tiffany & Co.'s flagship store at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, where it is on public display.
"Resetting the Tiffany Diamond represents a commitment to the future and design innovation," executive vice president Jon King said in a release. "The diamond is the most important gemstone in the world and honors the vision of our founder, whose acquisition of the stone established Tiffany's diamond heritage."
What would become the Tiffany Diamond was uncovered in 1877 in the Kimberly mines of South Africa. Founder Charles Lewis Tiffany sent the then-287.42-carat stone to Paris, where it was cut to its current size.
Over the years, it's been showcased at gem exhibits and honored for its size and brilliance. It's also adorned multiple settings, from a gold wire angel for a holiday window display in 1955 to a "Bird on a Rock" figure as part of a 1995 Jean Schlumberger retrospective at the Musee du Louvre in Paris. Audrey Hepburn wore it in its Schlumberger ribbon rosette necklace setting for publicity shots for the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
Tiffany & Co. also commemorated 175 years with the unveiling of RUBEDO, a new blush-colored jeweler's metal. Metallurgy is a cornerstone of the company's legacy, dating back to the founding of its silver studio in the 1850s, the first American school of design. Tiffany & Co.'s standards for silver and platinum were later adopted by the U.S. government.
A collection of RUBEDO cuffs, rings, necklaces and bracelets is available at select Tiffany & Co. stores and at Tiffany.com.
First Published September 25, 2012 12:00 am
