In 1837, Tiffany and friend John Young opened a stationery store in New York City, and before too long they added jewelry and silverware to their inventory. The firm began to manufacture its own jewelry in 1848 and shortly afterwards opened a store in Paris.Tiffany was responsible for introducing the term sterling to the United States when he adopted English silver standards in 1851. In 1853 he gained complete control of the firm and from that time forward it has been known as Tiffany & Co. In 1886 Tiffany & Co. introduced what's known as the "Tiffany Setting," a 6-prong diamond solitaire setting that allows the diamond to receive maximum light -- and produce maximum brilliance. In 1887 Tiffany & Co. acquired some of the French crown jewels, an important acquisition that helped establish its reputation for selling quality and one of a kind jewelry. Tiffany also created the first retail catalog used in the United States.
In the years 1902 , Louis Comfort Tiffany beginning to create jewelry. On March 22, 1902 Tiffany was approved to become a member of Tiffany & Co.’s Board of Directors, afterwards becoming vice-president and art director. This motion gave Tiffany the ability to make executive choices, without being under the shadow of his father any longer Tiffany Click Here was able to focus his creative energies on his jewelry. Tiffany began to dabble with jewelry designs in 1902 at Tiffany Furnaces, with the intent of showing his pieces as part of Tiffany & Co.’s display at the St. Louis Exposition. It was the perfect venue for him to show his range of talent in a variety of mediums. All the jewelry Tiffany made during this time was stamped with “Louis C. Tiffany,” along with “Artist.” Unfortunately there are no day books or ledgers that survived to help provide information on how Tiffany went about his jewelry prior to 1907, however his exhibit at the St. Louis Exposition provides some knowledge of his ventures.
Tiffany not only explored the various jewelry processes of the time, but also branched out into new metals, such as platinum, which at the time was considered very hard to manipulate. It seems to be the case that unusual colorations appealed to Tiffany, like the opal. He also preferred gemstones that were either opaque or translucent. Turquoise, jade, carnelian, lapis, moonstones, and opals were all chosen for their ability to filter light. Emphasis based on color was very prevalent in his works.
He devoted his first year of jewelry making to mainly a focus towards forms and techniques, and only began to really put a collection together once he was satisfied with the fruits of his labor.Once Tiffany and Co.’s began to manufacture his jewelry, there was a marked evolution in his pieces. His earlier pieces went from being made in a “hand-wrought” looking manner, to a much more symmetrical and stylized fashion. There was a great variety of jewelry that was produced during the 26 years that Louis Tiffany’s enameling and jewelry division was in operation at Tiffany & Co. It has been estimated that nearly 5,500 pieces were produced during that time, an impressive amount considering the detail and craftsmanship in each piece. He was produced the same high-quality artisanship that was very prized during the Arts and Crafts movement.
That is a brief introduct to the development history of Tiffany jewelry, do you interested in it ?
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