15 Facts about Tiffany & Co. — one of the leading and most renowned jewelry stores in the world

Tiffany’s elegant turquoise blue box is capable of speeding up any woman’s heartbeat, because inside it there is a coveted piece of jewelry. And it doesn’t matter if it’s cheaper silver or studded with gems, each piece is impeccably crafted. And the secret of this popular brand lies in perfection.

We, from awesome.club, we were curious to know how one of the most successful companies of our time was born and grew in the market. And we are ready to share it with you. Check out!

In 1837, the company was founded by Charles Tiffany and John B. Young, but its first store was far from glamorous – the partners sold stationery and small garments. But later, when Charles became the sole owner of the brand, he decided that it was more interesting to sell jewelry, renamed the store to Tiffany & Company and began to expand only this line of business. In honor of the opening of the company, which took place many years ago ago, the brand launched a collection called “1837”. Which is still in production today. The brand was inspired by the wife of Napoleon III, the Empress Eugénia de Montijo. She was known to be a fashionista in her time, a true fashion icon. When Charles Tiffany saw her portrait, he realized that her turquoise dress would become very popular. And that it would be a good idea to make it the official Tiffany color

Portrait of Empress Eugenie

To promote the business, Charles created America’s first postal catalog—the “blue book,” whose cover was in Tiffany’s official color. Seeing how successful this endeavor was, many brands followed suit. The color was recreated by Pantone, maker of custom shades. And like Tiffany & Co. owns this shade, you won’t be able to find it exactly anywhere.

It was Charles who introduced the fashion for engagement and wedding rings with large stones, which have become classics today. In 1886, he decided that it would be a good idea to detach the stone so that it was just above the ring itself. And soon almost all American women began to dream of such jewelry. Some pieces of Tiffany’s luxurious design also became classics, such as the colored glass lampshade. Steve Jobs, who was known as a very minimalist man and preferred interiors with little furniture, considered this lamp, in addition to his record player, worthy of being in his living room at home. Tiffany stores have a strict rule: never give a packaging with the brand’s signature color just because it’s free, that’s because you’ll only get one if you buy a jewel. A 1906 newspaper article wrote: “Tiffany has one thing in stock you can’t buy. And that’s one of your boxes.”

Both Charles himself and the brand’s subsequent CEOs knew that jewelry designers were key to the company’s success. That’s why they’ve always worked with the best. Tiffany’s so-called second golden age began under Walter Hoving in 1955. He hired Jean Schlumberger, whose creative style combined precious stones and highly detailed designs in a unique way. In addition, he began to work with hitherto unknown stones, true treasures of nature: kunzite, morganite, tsavorite and tanzanite, named after important people in the history of Tiffany or the countries where the stones originated. Designers Elsa Peretti and Paloma Picasso joined Tiffany & Co. in the 70s and 80s and designed one of the store’s most beautiful and striking collections. Paloma Picasso was inspired by graffiti on Manhattan buildings in the 1970s. She reinterpreted street art into chic jewelry that is still popular today.

Tiffany owns one of the largest and most unusual diamonds ever found and cut. The rough diamond weighed 57,484 grams. When it was discovered in 1878 at the Kimberly mine in South Africa, Tiffany gemologist George Frederick Kunz, who was in charge of cutting the diamond, was just 23 years old. He studied the gemstone for a year before starting work on it. George cut the cushion-shaped diamond with 82 facets — 24 more than a traditional round diamond — to achieve the piece’s maximum brilliance. Jewelry and diamond historian Herbert Tillander named the diamond a “stellar brilliant cut”. Interestingly, George did not attend college. He taught himself mineralogy from books and field research. This famous $30 million diamond was worn by only four people. Lady Gaga on the Oscars 2019 red carpet. Sheldon Whitehouse at the Tiffany Ball in 1957, Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and by Beyoncé for a video last year.

Tiffany has always paid attention not only to the design of its products, but also to the interior and general atmosphere of its stores. Interestingly, the building of one of the company’s stores was one of the first fully air-conditioned buildings in New York, a fact that certainly had an impact on customer comfort and “helped” the shopping experience.

Luxury Bonequinha was the first film to be shot inside this store, and 40 security guards participated in protecting it. Inspired by the film, company executives decided to open their own café — the Blue Box Café.

Do you like Tiffany & Co jewelry? Or do you think they are not worth the price? Tell us in the comments section.