Tiffany

American jeweler. Charles Lewis Tiffany (1812-1902) opened in New York in 1837, in partnership with his friend John B. Young, the shop of Tiffany Young, specializing in stationery and decorative objects, for the most part from the Far East. A few years later, in 1841, success allowed the partners to expand the range of products offered for sale. They began to import from Europe German costume jewelry and Parisian glass paste objects. It is difficult to imagine that from such modest origins the house would climb to the importance that it claims nowadays in the field of jewelry. The purchase and the subsequent sale by Tiffany of the famous gold-and-diamond belt of Marie Antoinette marked, in the mid-nineteenth century, a significant momento that made it clear, on the one hand, that the European tradition might well constitute a creative resource of considerable scope, and on the other hand just how interesting jewelry could be for the U.S. market. In those years, Tiffany opened its Paris office and began in the United States a vast and diversified production of not only jewelry, but also silver, in collaboration with the silversmith John C. Moore and his son Edward. Tiffany also drew freely on the youthful American tradition, developing its history and culture (that of the Indians, for instance). One of the company’s greatest boasts was, during the years of the Civil War, the sale to President Lincoln of a pearl necklace for his wife. Tiffany & Co.was present at all the most important international expositions, and it became famous also for the quality of its gems, precious and semiprecious stones (sapphires from Montana, fire opals from Mexico, tourmalines from Maine). One of the company’s most popular inventions was the six-clip setting for diamond solitaires. Louis Comfort Tiffany (1844-1933), who replaced his father at the turn of the twentieth century, had a fine artistic sensibility and a great enthusiasm for the ideas of William Morris, the painter and decorator; Tiffany modeled his production on the Liberty, or Art Nouveau, style that had become established in Europe. He successfully introduced the use of enamels and began the production of items of furnishing that were to make history: first and foremost, lamps. In 1907, Tiffany opened its shop on Fifth Avenue. Aristocrats, titans of industry, and Hollywood stars became faithful customers. When, in the 1950s, the house was no longer controlled by the Tiffany family, it became necessary to establish working relationships with new designers. At first, the house worked with Jean Schlumberger and then, in the 1960s, Donald Claflin and Angela Cummings. In the 1970s, it was the turn of Elsa Peretti and Paloma Picasso who continue today to work for the house of Tiffany. Tiffanys is quoted on the New York Stock Exchange.