Tiffany & Co
(active since 1837)
One of the most iconic jewellery brands, Tiffany & Co's history begins from a small store that was opened on Broadway, New York in 1837. Two school friends Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young started to sell stationery, fancy souvenirs, china and haberdashery. In 1841 the company got a new partner, J.L. Ellis, who suggested selling silverware, jewellery and clocks. The firm changed its name to Tiffany, Young and Ellis.
Charles Tiffany decided to move away from the classic Victorian style that was popular at that time. The owners of the company set up designers to seek inspiration in nature and interpret it in clean and harmonious forms. This innovative approach became known as the "new American style".
In 1853, Charles Tiffany bought the shares of his partners and renamed the company to Tiffany & Co. Beyond jewellery, Tiffany met the growing demand for luxury items from affluent Americans. Solid silver snuff boxes, polished stationery, purses, bouquet holders, perfume bottles and French cosmetics could be found at Tiffany's.
In 1851, the company hired New York's prolific silversmith John C. Moore to design silverware. Moore's silver designs won numerous awards at world exhibitions in the late 19th century. In 1878 Tiffany was awarded the Grand Prix for its Japanese-influenced silverware at the Paris World Exposition. The company became the first American jeweller to be awarded.
Because of the California Gold Rush in the 1850s, Tiffany started to use gold and silver, extracted within the country. Alongside with the introduction of American gemstones to its jewellery, it appealed the patriotic customers. Tiffany's exquisite designs with native tourmalines, lapis lazuli, amethysts, aquamarines, rose-quartz and zircons brought these gemstones to worldwide recognition.
In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln purchased a set of pearl jewellery for his wife. After that, the company gradually became popular amongst the state officials, affluent families, popular actors, businessmen, etc. At the turn of the 20th century, the company opened several branches at London, Paris, Geneva and their clientele included almost all the Royal families of Europe, as well as the Russian and Ottoman Empires. Tiffany & Co had become the most important American silversmith and supplier of fine jewellery, silverware and objects of vertu.
After Charles Lewis died in 1902, his son Louis Comfort Tiffany succeeded the firm and became Tiffany's first art director. By that time he had already been the celebrated designer after major redecoration of the White House in 1882. His first designs of jewellery were successfully displayed at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis.
Louis Tiffany organised the Tiffany Art Jewellery Department, which quickly became famous for its extraordinary jewellery designs, inspired by the Art Nouveau style and Arts and Crafts Movement. Tiffany & Co presented exquisite colourful brooches, necklaces, earrings and tiaras usually generously enamelled and inlaid with precious stones in combination with the glass details. Their forms were based on American flowers and plants.
As the 20th century progressed, Tiffany was always at the forefront of fashion. From luxury 20s to geometric Art Deco in 30s and aerodynamic age in 40s and 50s. Visionary designers, such as Jean Schlumberger, Elsa Peretti, Paloma Picasso cooperated with the company during the century. Their iconic jewels adorned Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Diane Vreeland, Audrey Hepburn and many more significant persons.
The title "pioneer" could be applied to Tiffany in many aspects. The first 925 sterling silverware of American origins, the first mail-order Blue Book catalogue, the first American school of design, the first engagement ring as we know it today - these are only a few of innovations that cemented Tiffany & Co’s name in the history books.