In fact, just as women rarely took to wearing a single necklace during the Renaissance, men of the era layered chains and valuable pendants atop their bejeweled clothing. Kim works exclusively with eco-friendly gold, and these fashionable, fun accessories owe to the design of 19th-century watch fobs.įor some, necklaces are thought of as being a solely feminine piece, but this widely loved accessory has been gender-neutral for eons.
Today, wearing jewelry is about personal expression: Luxury diamond necklaces exude confidence and can symbolize the celebratory nature of a deep romantic relationship, while paper-clip chain-link necklaces designed by the likes of goldsmith Faye Kim are firmly planted in the past as well as the present. In ancient times, pendant necklaces worn by royalty and nobles conferred wealth and prestige. Lapis lazuli beads adorned necklaces unearthed from the royal graves at the ancient Iraqi civilization of Sumer, while the excavation of King Tut’s burial chamber revealed a sense of style that led to a frenzy of Art Deco designs, with artisans of the 1920s seeking to emulate the elegant work crafted by Ancient Egypt’s goldsmiths and jewelry makers. We are fortunate to know much of the world’s long and dazzling history of necklaces, as this type of jewelry was so treasured that it was frequently buried with its owners. Displaying a different design and aesthetic (but equally chic) is this exquisite diamond and ruby ring from the 1930s. A lovely recent example is this circa-2000 platinum engagement ring. The trademark Tiffany® Setting raises the stone above the band on six prongs, allowing its facets to catch the light. helped put diamonds on the map in 1886 by introducing the American marketplace to the solitaire diamond design, which is still among the most popular engagement-ring styles. Cut to create a 128.54-carat gem with an unprecedented 82 facets, it is one of the most spectacular examples of a yellow diamond in the world. The firm bought the Tiffany diamond in its raw state from the Kimberley mines of South Africa in 1878. Tiffany is also closely associated with diamonds, even lending its name to one particularly rare and exceptional yellow stone. The firm produced distinctive objects inspired by Japanese art and design, North American plants and flowers, and Native American patterns and crafts, adding aesthetic diversity to Tiffany & Co.’s distinguished repertoire.
Under his leadership, the Tiffany silver studio was a de facto design school for apprentice silversmiths, who worked alongside head artisan Edward C. When Charles Lewis Tiffany died, in 1902, his son Louis Comfort Tiffany became the firm’s design director. Among the firm’s glittering creations from this time are masterworks of Art Nouveau jewelry, such as this delicate aquamarine necklace and this lavish plique-à-jour peridot and gold necklace, both circa 1900. They also won the firm numerous accolades, including the grand prize for silverware at the Paris Exposition of 1878.
Throughout this period, its designs for silver tableware, ceremonial silver, flatware and jewelry were highly sought-after indicators of status and taste. opened its flagship store, described as a "palace of jewels" by the New York Times, at 15 Union Square West in Manhattan. From then on, it belonged to the pantheon of American luxury brands.Īt the start of the Gilded Age, in 1870, Tiffany & Co. firm to win an award for excellence in silverware at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. gained international recognition when it became the first U.S. In 1853, Charles Tiffany - who in 1845 had launched the company’s famed catalog, the Blue Book, and with it, the firm’s signature robin’s-egg blue, which he chose for the cover - shifted the focus to fine jewelry. Young founded it in Connecticut as a “stationery and fancy goods emporium” in 1837, at a time when European imports still dominated the nascent American luxury market. And Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis preferred Tiffany china for state dinners at the White House.Īlthough synonymous with luxury today, the firm started out rather modestly. Vanderbilts, Whitneys, Astors and members of the Russian imperial family all wore Tiffany & Co. A young Franklin Delano Roosevelt proposed to his future wife, Eleanor, with a Tiffany ring in 1904. is one of the most prominent purveyors of luxury goods in the United States, and has long been an important arbiter of style in the design of diamond engagement rings.
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