Tiffany Diamond is set for 175 anniversary
The Tiffany Diamond is one of the most famous yellow diamonds in
the world and to celebrate the 175th anniversary of this
American jeweller, the priceless stone has being re-set into a
spectacularly cool and chic necklace. After its world tour the
necklace will be on show at the Tiffany's flagship store on 5th
Avenue in New York.
The 284 carat rough yellow diamond was bought by the founder of
Tiffany & Co, Charles Lewis Tiffany, in 1878 from the Kimberley
diamond mines in South Africa. It was taken to Paris to be cut
under the supervision of Tiffany's head gemmologist, Dr. George
Frederick Kunz. With the aim of enhancing its colour rather than
aiming for the largest size, the diamond was whittled down to
128.43 carats making it not only one of the world's largest fancy
yellow diamonds in the world, but also one of the finest examples
with its tantalising radiant colour and inner fire.
This singular diamond went on to capture the imagination of the
world when Tiffany & Co showed it to the crowds that flocked to
the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition in Chicago and the crowds
must have been entranced by the dazzling site of a stone of this
size, colour and value that had an unprecedented 82 facets, which
is 24 more than the traditional 58-facet brilliant cut. The diamond
has become a celebrity in its own right and has appeared the 2006
Bejewelled by Tiffanyexhibition at Somerset House in London, and an
exhibition celebrating the National Gem Collection at the
Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
It has always remained in Tiffany's possession and over these
130 years the diamond has only been set four times, two of
which were original designs by Jean Schlumberger, perhaps Tiffany's
most famous jewelry designer. We probably best remember the
Tiffany Diamond when it was set in Schlumberger's Ribbon Rosette
necklace to promote the 1961 filmBreakfast at Tiffany's. In 1995 it
was mounted in Schlumberger's 'Bird on a Rock' setting for the
designer's retrospective at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in
Paris.
Adding to the allure of this stone, only two women have ever
worn the Tiffany Diamond. Mrs. Mary Whitehouse wore a lavish
necklace set with the diamond for the 1957 Tiffany Ball in Newport,
Rhode Island and of course Audrey Hepburn® wore the Jean
Schlumberger necklace, cigarette holder in hand and a kitten smile,
for the publicity photographs for the 1961 filmBreakfast at
Tiffany's.
And now, to celebrate this landmark anniversary, Tiffany has
taken the decision to create a new setting for this remarkable
stone. The design highlights the magnificent size and colour
of the stone by making it centerpiece of a necklace set with white
diamonds that add up to over 120 carats and feature 20 Lucida®
diamonds (Tiffany's patented diamond cut) and 58 brilliant-cut
diamonds. The Tiffany Diamond is set in a basket of white gold
sparkling with 481 sparkling stones in openwork motif of sunrays.
The result is an elegant and classic necklace with a cool modern
edge thanks to the simplicity of the design.
"Resetting the Tiffany Diamond represents a commitment to
the future and design innovation," said Jon King, executive vice
president of Tiffany & Co. "The diamond is the most important
gemstone in the world and honours the vision of our founder, whose
acquisition of the stone established Tiffany's diamond
heritage."
