You've seen the images of Audrey Hepburn in Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's, epitomising diamond allure and American chic. Well, Tiffany's stylish jewellery has stood the test of changing times and this year celebrates 150 years of its journey through jewellery design and craftsmanship with a special exhibition at Somerset House. From the early 1830s, Tiffany's had a humble existence as a souvenir and fancy goods store. In one its first catalogues, the range of French jewellery was tucked behind a host of goods; fine stationery, French perfumes and French sugar plums.
Right from the very start, Tiffany's creator, Charles Lewis Tiffany was an innovator not just in jewellery design but the way it was sold and made sure that there was something for everyone, whether it was a parasol for $10 or a diamond brooch for $1000. Tiffanys started off keeping it simple; silver jewellery in understated styles.
By the 1830s, European designs had become hugely fashionable with a richness and diversity of jewellery styles that lasted throughout the nineteenth century. People started to travel more, there were international exhibitions and crafts of other countries were being recognised. Tiffany kept up with the trends particularly with the discoveries of precious materials throughout the century and consistently kept to designing silver jewellery.
In 1840, Tiffanys popularity escalated. Tiffany profited from the revolutionary turmoil in France when diamonds and jewellery were being sold at very good prices. By the nineteenth century, the emerging middle classes and the commercial elite wanted to enhance their status by owning possessions and looked to the aristocrats and royalty for inspiration. Tiffanys had a distinct American style but looked to Europe and the courts of Europe for patriotic items of jewellery like silver spurs with matching stirrups.
Womens fashion further influenced jewellery designs. In the 1850s, jewellery became bold and brassy and towards the end of the nineteenth century when the corset and lighter dress fabrics evolved, there were more lighter jewellery designs; diamond jewellery mounted in platinum with a move away from silver and gold.
After the first world war and the art deco period, women were no longer seen to follow rigid social code and conventions; they wore shorter skirts, applied makeup in public and smoked so jewels were schematic colour combinations.
For Tiffany the history of success has repeated itself. Tiffany of acclaimed international fame has never failed to stun the world with its great international exhibitions of innovative jewellery. The Tiffany brand has combined the aesthetic of European fashion with an original and distinctly American chic.
Even though diamonds have been the heart of the Tiffany, one of the exhibition highlights is the exquisite diamond and pearl designs of the 1870s. At this exhibition, ugly designs sit alongside beautiful ones, making this one of the greatest displays of wealth ever created.
