Tiffany and Co. – the Story Behind Tiffany Lamps
Tiffany And Co. is one of the most renowned jewelry makers all over the world, especially for its magnificent diamond jewelry and unique designs, but did you know that this company also plays a role in the history of the expertly crafted stained glass Tiffany lamps?
Tiffany And Co. was founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany. To be precise, its first store, then known as a stationary and fancy goods emporium, opened on Sept. 18, 1837 at 259 Broadway in New York. In a few decades, the store would be eclipsed by another, the one on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, which is famous for its tiny window displays, which were featured in the Audrey Hepburn film ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’.
In 1845, Tiffany published its first jewelry catalogue, today known as the Blue Book. Its particular shade of blue is one of the company’s trademarks.
In 1858, Tiffany instituted the 95/1000 silver standard, the first in the industry, later adopted by every other jewel maker in the United States.
In 1878, the famous Tiffany diamond was introduced, a 128.54-carat yellow diamond purchased by Charles Lewis Tiffany. A few years later, the company makes another milestone, introducing the Tiffany diamond setting found in its engagement rings that are the stuff of romantic legends.
In the 1890s, Louis Comfort Tiffany, the son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, entered the picture and in 1895, he created the first Tiffany lamps together with another artist named Clara Driscoll.
The lamps quickly became popular and today, they remain collector’s items, though everyone can have a semblance of them in their homes. Indeed, Tiffany style lamps are sold everywhere, which, though not the ones made by Louis Comfort Tiffany, retain the same techniques and craftsmanship that his lamps are known for.
Later, in 1902, Louis Comfort Tiffany would go on to join Tiffany and Co. as its first official design director. He established the Tiffany Artistic Jewelry department and like his lamps, his brooches and other pieces of fanciful jewelry, which he called his little missionaries of art, became sought after.
He was especially known for his dragonfly brooches, and for designing a perfume flask made from iridiscent handblown glass which he himself developed, the same glass used in Tiffany lamps and stained glass windows.
Louis Comfort Tiffany was followed by other designers who went on to introduce their own unique collections and become legends in their own right, like Jean Schlumburger, Elsa Peretti, Paloma Picasso and Frank Gehry.
Today, Tiffany and Co. remains a world leader in making fine and fanciful jewelry, while Tiffany lamps remain as coveted pieces of furniture in the home.
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