Tiffany

Enamel is a decorative technique in which a glass “paste” is applied to the surface of a metal-normally bronze, copper or gold. This glass composition adheres to the metal throuh fusion under very high temperatures. The color of the enamel and its degree of transparency depend on the metal oxides that exist in the glass and the temperature at which the glass melts and coheres to the surface. The precursor of ture enamel dates all the way back to the 15^th century BCE with the ancient Egyptians, who, to ornament objects, used pieces of cut-glass in decorative patterns embedded in gold; however these substances were not fused together through the use of heat.

The fist ture enamel, using molten glass, can be seen on Greek gold jewelry that dates from the 4^th century BCE. Since then, enamel has been used throughout history, by cultures all over the world, because of its colorful and lustrous qualities.

This diamond and Blue Enamel Double Wing Brooch set in platinum and 18k yellow gold by Jean Schlumberger values $150,000.

Jean Schlumberger Lotus bracelet with paillonné enamel, 18k gold vines and leaves, platinum-set diamond and lapis lazuli seedpods, cabochon sapphires. Tiffany & Co. $115,000

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The sheer scope of Tiffany & Co’s world of jewelry is sometimes hard to fathom. It creates affordable, diminutive silver tokens and multimillion dollar masterpieces. While the little blue box from Tiffany & Co is about as recognizable and welcome a gift wrapper as one could hope for, its conents could contain vastly different treasures: a carved wood cuff from Frank Gehry’s collaboration with the brand, a fully bedazzled, floral parure, enameled earrings reminiscent of Victorian Jaipur. Tiffany’s high jewelry Blue Boo Collection, takes advantage of its clout to bring together top jewelry craftsmen from one corner of the world and the very best gemstones from another.

Ribbon Rosette necklace. In total, Jean Schlumberger’s necklace is set with over 1,000 round brilliant diamonds. A previous version was centered with the Tiffany Diamond and worn by Audrey Hepburn in publicity photographs for the 1961 film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It’s $470,000. The close-up image of the brooch set in the necklace is charming and beautiful.

This Hean Schlumberger’s Fleurage bracelet with platinum-set diamonds and a colorful variety of fancy-colored sapphires in 18k gold is valued $240,000.

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Tiffany strives to source gemstones and precious metals used in their jewelery from mines that operate at the highest standards pf social and environment responsibility. Given the enormity of their operations, they are most concerned about the impact of industrial-scal mining activities.

Tiffany firmly believes: New mince of development should not occur in areas of high ecological or cultureal value. Air, water and soil contamination should be prevented. The principle of informed community participation in mine development should be embraced. Workers’ rights, labor standards and human rights should be respected by all parties. Mine operators should provided for a appropriate and fiscally sound financial guarantees to cover the costs of mine closure, cleanup and restoration. Mine wastes should not be placed in rivers, streams, lakes or ocean waters.

This is Jean Schlumberger leaves necklace with an extraordinary number of beautifully matched green tourmalines, platinum-set diamonds and 18k gold. And it values $385,000. The Private Jet Lifestyle Magazine ELITE Traveler reported this necklace as new collections in 2009. It’s really so beautiful.

Tassel earrings in black onyx and diamonds in platinum by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co. It is $25,000. In 2009 fashion week, a black model wears it with a nice black dress.

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Despite the economic and social benefits that mining can contribute to communities, Tiffany believes that there are special places where mining should not take place. Bristol Bay, Alaska is one such place. Tiffany & Co. supports the many Alaskans who believe that the development of the Pebble Mine poses too great a risk to one of the world’s greatest remaining salmon fisheries and to the wilderness and recreational resource values that Bristol Bay embodies.

These two are Jean Schlumberger diamond and gemstone rings for Tiffany & Co. The rings feature gemstones of exceptional color saturation, cut and clarity. Four Flowers ring with cushion-cut aquamarine, 18K gold and platinum-set diamond flowers; and extravagant Leaves ring with radiant cushion-cut rubellite emerging from lush 18K gold leaves sparkling with platinum-set diamonds. And the prices from top:$59,000, $54,500.

Jean Schlumberger rings, from left: Leaf ring with emerald-cut 13.58-carat aquamarine and diamonds; Leaf cluster ring with cushion-shaped 12.14-carat sapphire and diamonds; Petals ring with oval-shaped 10.73-carat pink sapphire and diamonds. In 18k gold and platinum. And the prices from left: $36,000, $170,000, $168,000.  

They are so beautiful and charming that no one can refuse then. En, and the price is also too high to afford. Most of us just can enjoy them in a far distance.

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Establishing and maintaining strict control and transparency are essential elements of Tiffany’s sourcing policy. Few, if any, jewelers in the world possess such a comprehensive chain of custody. There are three steps for them to choose the precious metals. Step 1, The majority of the gold and silver used in Tiffany & Co. jewelery workshops is obtained from a single U.S. mine that meets high standards of social and environmental responsibility. Step 2, Once mined, these precious metals are processed in a fabrication plant dedicated to responsibly sourced materials. Step 3, The precious metals are transferred to their own workshops or those of their manufacturing partners.

The “Oiseau de Paradis,” or Bird of Paradise, by Tiffany’s Jean Schlumberger, is quite a rare bird indeed. Features aquamarine, emerald, amethyst, diamond, pink, blue and yellow sapphire. $350,000

Inspired by a Portuguese man-of-war and designed specifically for a treasured friend to comfort her after being stung, Jean Schlumberger’s Meduse clip for Tiffany & Co. features a striking combination of color, shape and texture. A cap of moonstones and diamonds anchors chased 18K gold tentacles accented with sapphire baguettes that symbolize the ocean’s depth. The dimensional clip shimmers with beauty and energy, reflecting Schlumberger’s fascination for the sea and its mysteries. $115,000

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The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is not yet perfect and much work remaims to be done. Tiffany supports a strenthening of the Kimberley Process, including the development of minimum control standards to be implemented in every participating country, more rigorous compliance monitoring of rough diamond imports and exports and the implementation pf auditable systems to allow more onjective assessment of industry compliance with the Kimberley Process. Tiffany also supports more transparent reporting of diamond production and trade statistics and the establishment of permanent funding mechanisms to assure that financial resources are available to support Kimberley Process Certification Scheme activities.

This is Jean Schlumberger Leaves ear clips for Tiffany & Co. A flourish of round brilliant diamonds set in platinum tops lustrous round sapphires, forming a glamorous design of wonderful dimension and energy. Handcrafted by Tiffany & Co. jewelers, the sparkling leaves follow a natural curve for a comfortable fit and dramatic look. And it values $62,000.

Spring is always in bloom in Jean Schlumberger’s clip earrings. This pair of ear clips in 18k yellow gold with lapis lazuli and diamods set in platinum is so beautiful that I love them very much. But the price with $26,000 is too high to afford for most of office workers.

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A great innovator, Schlumberger brought back the 19th century art of paillonné enamel, a process of achieving translucent colors by laying enamel over 18k gold leaf. His magnificent enamel bracelets, in vivid red, blue and green spiked with gold, became the signature accessory of every stylish woman’s wardrobe. Jacqueline Kennedy was so often photographed wearing the enamel bracelets, the press called them “Jackie bracelets.”

The worlds of art and fashion have celebrated Schlumberger’s brilliant career with numerous honors and awards. He was the first jewelry designer to win the coveted Fashion Critics’ Coty Award in 1958. The French government made him a Chevalier of the National Order of Merit in 1977. A 1986 exhibition marked the designer’s 30th anniversary with the company. And in 1995 the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, which houses Schlumberger’s original designs, honored him with a retrospective entitled, “Un Diamant dans la Ville.” This posthumous tribute marked only the third time a jewelry designer had been so honored by the museum. The world’s largest collection of Schlumberger objects was given by Paul Mellon to The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts permanent collection.

In later years, Jean Schlumberger returned to Paris, the city that awakened his artistic soul. He died in 1987, at the age of eighty, leaving a legacy of bejeweled flowers, ocean life and birds of wonder.

Tiffany & Co. diamond and seed pearl butterfly brooch (above) and brooch with diamonds, pink sapphires and opal. The price of the top one is $50,000. And the below one is $62,000.

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As a superb draftsman, Schlumberger began each design with a drawing to discover the purity and grace of the natural forms that caught his eye. The sketch, he said, also serves as “the only link between the three members of that complex and disparate trio formed by the client, craftsman and creator.” A detailed drawing was then produced and the final design was created in precious metal and gemstones.

Schlumberger often traveled to Bali, India and Thailand to fire his imagination and create his own magical mementos, such as the exotic Oiseau de Paradis clip with yellow beryl, amethysts, emeralds, and sapphires; and the Sea Bird clip that combines a bird’s beak and head with a serpent’s body in pavé diamonds, rubies, and spike-like 18k gold plumage.

Schlumberger’s work is also distinguished by a strong sculptural quality, which is beautifully embodied in his Frame clip, a center sapphire enclosed with pavé diamonds and draped with a diamond baguette ribbon. This strength of design unifies the varied elements in his most intricate pieces. As in nature, every flower, leaf, bird and fish is unique, a true Schlumberger original shaped into a well-integrated work of art.

This is Tiffany master designer Jean Schlumberger’s magnificent Butterfly clips of platium and 18k gold, with diamonds and peridot, diamonds and yellow sapphires accented with turquoise, and diamonds and blue sapphires, epitomize the designer’s magical world of glamour. The price of the top one is $32,000. And the below one is $35,000.

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Schlumberger enlisted in the French army during World War II and was evacuated at Dunkirk, eventually making his way from England to New York. By chance, he crossed paths with a childhood friend, Nicolas Bongard, who was designing handmade buttons. In 1947 the pair opened a small salon and soon Schlumberger’s clips of jeweled birds and sea creatures were seen on the most fashionable women. Schlumberger became the designer of choice for such glamorous women as Babe Paley, Elizabeth Taylor, and Countess Mona Bismarck. For his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, John F. Kennedy purchased the famous Two Fruit clip in rubies and diamonds, which is in the permanent collection of the Kennedy Library. In 1956 Walter Hoving, chairman of Tiffany & Co., asked Schlumberger and Bongard to join the company as vice presidents. A special design studio and salon were decorated to the designer’s specifications. With an unlimited supply of the finest colored stones now at his fingertips, Schlumberger created some of the most fabulous jewelry designs of his career.

Jean Schlumberger enamel bracelets for Tiffany & Co. The vivid, translucent colors are achieved through paillonné enamel, a process of laying enamel over 18k gold leaf. Schlumberger revived this nineteenth century art, adding sculptural gold accents, diamonds and gemstones, creating one of fashion’s most original statements of chic. Prices clockwise, from left: $38,000, $40,000, $27,000.

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Jean Schlumberger was born into a prominent family of textile manufacturers in Alsace, France in 1907. He demonstrated a talent for drawing when he was a child. But his parents didn’t  encourage his drawing. They sent him to Berlin in the 1930s to pursue a career in banking. He developed neither taste nor talent for numbers, however, and soon moved to Paris where he could indulge his love of the arts. Schlumberger began designing jewelry using porcelain flowers and gemstones mounted as clips. He gave them to friends such as Marina, the Duchess of Kent, who became a lifelong champion of Schlumberger’s work. Elsa Schiaparelli, the famous couturier, soon discovered the young designer’s talents and hired him to create costume jewelry and buttons for her collections. Schlumberger’s first design in precious metal and gemstones—a gold cigarette lighter in the shape of a gold fish with gemstone eyes and flexible tail—became a classic. In 1941 he created the Trophée clip for Diana Vreeland, legendary editor of Vogue. Now in the Tiffany & Co. Archives, the clip features an oval-cut amethyst and ruby shield with a warrior’s chain mail scaled with diamonds, and longbow, arrows, spear, and ruby-set sword in blue enamel.

So often, Jean Schlumberger’s designs were influenced by his early collaboration with Elsa Schiaparelli, the renowned couturier. Her signature draping technique inspired the delicately suspended links and tactile, ribbed tubes in these drapé bracelets. Black onyx with diamonds and cultured pearls is $85,000; lapis lazuli with yellow tourmalines and turquoise is$55,000.

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