Tiffany & Co. is a name known throughout the world for jewelry, glass designs and decorative art pieces. Audrey Hepburn starred in the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's," which featured a character obsessed with the luxury of Tiffany's Fifth Avenue store. The standard store packaging, the "Little Blue Box," has become a symbol of status and wealth.
Founding
Tiffany & Co. was originally founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young as Tiffany & Young, a high-end decorative arts and stationery store in New York. The store introduced its signature Little Blue Box as a presentation box during the first year of operation. The company was renamed Tiffany & Co. in 1853. Shares were offered on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time in 1987.
Precedents
Since the store was first opened, Tiffany set metal standards and established traditions for setting and cutting stones. The simple and elegant "Tiffany Setting" was introduced in 1886. The Tiffany name was so well-known that by 1887, Charles Lewis Tiffany was called "The King of Diamonds." The company was also instrumental in establishing U.S. gem weight standards in 1907, and in 1926, the federal government accepted the Tiffany standard for platinum metal. Tiffany introduced a new diamond cut to celebrate the 21st century.
Locations
The original store was located in New York City at 259 Broadway, but a historic move took place in 1940 to the famous Fifth Avenue location. Branch stores were opened around the world, beginning with in San Francisco in 1963. Tiffany & Co. opened in Japan in 1972 and in London in 1986. The last branch store was opened in Tokyo in 1996.
Design Tradition
Tiffany & Co. established a reputation as a showroom for premier designers. Recognizing the design standards of the company, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts placed a Tiffany-designed pitcher in its collection in 1873. Louis Comfort Tiffany established the Tiffany Art Jewelry Department in 1902 to feature his own designs and those of other noted turn-of-the-century designers. L.C. Tiffany became the company's first artistic director.
New Designers
Recent famous designers who worked for Tiffany include Elsa Peretti in 1974, Paloma Picasso in 1980 and Frank Gehry in 2006. World-renowned watch designer Patek Philippe opened a salon in the Fifth Avenue store in 2008, the first retail location for the watch company in the United States.
