Tiffany & Co. is one of the most prominent purveyors of luxury goods in the United States, and has long been an important arbiter of style in the design of diamond engagement rings. A young Franklin Delano Roosevelt proposed to his future wife, Eleanor, with a Tiffany ring in 1904. Vanderbilts, Whitneys, Astors and members of the Russian imperial family all wore Tiffany & Co. jewelry. And Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis preferred Tiffany china for state dinners at the White House.
Although synonymous with luxury today, the firm started out rather modestly. Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young founded it in Connecticut as a “stationery and fancy goods emporium” in 1837, at a time when European imports still dominated the nascent American luxury market. In 1853, Charles Tiffany — who in 1845 had launched the company’s famed catalog, the Blue Book, and with it, the firm’s signature robin’s-egg blue, which he chose for the cover — shifted the focus to fine jewelry.
In 1868, Tiffany & Co. gained international recognition when it became the first U.S. firm to win an award for excellence in silverware at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. From then on, it belonged to the pantheon of American luxury brands.
At the start of the Gilded Age, in 1870, Tiffany & Co. opened its flagship store, described as a "palace of jewels" by the New York Times, at 15 Union Square West in Manhattan. Throughout this period, its designs for silver tableware, ceremonial silver, flatware and jewelry were highly sought-after indicators of status and taste. They also won the firm numerous accolades, including the grand prize for silverware at the Paris Exposition of 1878. Among the firm’s glittering creations from this time are masterworks of Art Nouveau jewelry, such as this delicate aquamarine necklace and this lavish plique-à-jour peridot and gold necklace, both circa 1900.
When Charles Lewis Tiffany died, in 1902, his son Louis Comfort Tiffany became the firm’s design director. Under his leadership, the Tiffany silver studio was a de facto design school for apprentice silversmiths, who worked alongside head artisan Edward C. Moore. The firm produced distinctive objects inspired by Japanese art and design, North American plants and flowers, and Native American patterns and crafts, adding aesthetic diversity to Tiffany & Co.’s distinguished repertoire.
Tiffany is also closely associated with diamonds, even lending its name to one particularly rare and exceptional yellow stone. The firm bought the Tiffany diamond in its raw state from the Kimberley mines of South Africa in 1878. Cut to create a 128.54-carat gem with an unprecedented 82 facets, it is one of the most spectacular examples of a yellow diamond in the world.
In a broader sense, Tiffany & Co. helped put diamonds on the map in 1886 by introducing the American marketplace to the solitaire diamond design, which is still among the most popular engagement-ring styles. The trademark Tiffany® Setting raises the stone above the band on six prongs, allowing its facets to catch the light. A lovely recent example is this circa-2000 platinum engagement ring. Displaying a different design and aesthetic (but equally chic) is this exquisite diamond and ruby ring from the 1930s.
Find Tiffany & Co. jewelry, serveware and decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
Hamilton aka Gramercy by Tiffany Sterling Silver Flatware Set 8 Service 77 pcs
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Big Bend, WI
Hamilton (c.1938) is taken from an early-nineteenth century English design named for America's first Secretary of the Treasure, Alexander Hamilton. The shaped stem, broad top, and no...
Sterling Silver
Hamilton by Tiffany & Co Sterling Silver Flatware Set 8 Service 92 Pcs Dinner
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Big Bend, WI
Superb Hamilton AKA Gramercy by Tiffany & Co. sterling silver dinner size flatware set, 92 pieces. This set includes: 8 dinner size knives, 10 1/4" 8 dinner size forks, 7 5/8" 8 reg...
Sterling Silver
Hamilton Gramercy by Tiffany Sterling Silver Flatware Set Service 60 Pcs Dinner
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Big Bend, WI
Superb sinner size Hamilton aka Gramercy by Tiffany & Co. sterling silver Flatware set, 60 pieces. This timeless pattern was introduced by Tiffany in the year 1938. This set includes...
Sterling Silver
Hamilton by Tiffany & Co Sterling Silver Flatware Set 12 Service 88 Pieces
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Big Bend, WI
Stunning Hamilton by Tiffany & Co. sterling silver Flatware set, 88 pieces. This set includes: 12 regular luncheon size knives, 9 1/4" 12 regular ...
Sterling Silver
Hamilton Aka Gramercy by Tiffany Sterling Silver Flatware Set 8 Service 53 Pcs
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Big Bend, WI
Superb Hamilton aka Gramercy by Tiffany & Co. sterling silver flatware set, 53 pieces with timeless threaded design. This set includes: 8 knives, 9 3/8" 8 forks, 7" 8 salad forks, 6...
Sterling Silver
Clinton by Tiffany & Co Sterling Silver Flatware Set 12 Service 74 Pieces
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Big Bend, WI
Silver lends an unparalleled level of elegance to the home and truly elevates your dining experience. Exquisitely crafted with Tiffany & Co.?s renowned standard of excellence, this C...
Sterling Silver
Tiffany Century Sterling Silver 48-Piece Dinner Set for 12
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in New York, NY
Century sterling silver dinner set. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York, ca 1980. This set comprises (dimension in inches): 12 dinner forks (7 5/8); 12 teaspoons (6) and 12 oval soup s...
Sterling Silver
Edwardian Sterling Silver Flatware Set by Elkington
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Edwardian English sterling silver straight Fiddle, Thread and Shell pattern flatware service for twelve persons; an addition to our flatware collection. The pieces of this exceptional, antique Edwardian straight* sterling silver canteen of cutlery have been crafted in the Fiddle, Thread and Shell pattern. The surface of each handle is embellished with a paralleling thread decorated border accented with a shell design to the terminal. The reverse of each silver spoon bowl and fork drop is ornamented with a diamond heel. This Fiddle pattern cutlery set consists of 70 pieces: Basic Service: 12 Table forks 12 Table spoons** 12 Dessert forks 12 Dessert spoons 12 Teaspoons 6 Egg spoons Additional Pieces: Gravy Spoon Sauce ladle Cheese Scoop The pieces of this Edwardian silver flatware set have been crafted by the renowned Birmingham silversmiths Elkington & Co Ltd in 1906. This antique silver service can be purchased with knives if so desired; for further information please contact directly. This antique silver cutlery service is supplied in felt cutlery rolls; which not only protect the items in storage but significantly reduces tarnishing. * 'Straight' means all the pieces are made by the same maker in the same year; straight services are becoming increasingly difficult to locate. ** During this period, before the innovation of soup spoons, the versatile table spoon shaped bowl would have been utilised for soup. Condition This Edwardian silver canteen...
Sterling Silver
Antique Sterling Silver Flatware Set for Twelve by Walker & Hall
By Walker & Hall
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique George V Art Deco style English sterling silver flatware service for twelve persons; an addition to our antique flatware sets. The pieces of this exceptional antique George V Art Deco style straight* sterling silver cutlery set for twelve persons have been crafted in the St. James pattern. The surface of each handle is embellished with a simplified border paralleling the trefoil shaped terminal. This impressive sterling silver flatware service does not include knives, however, supplementary table knives may be supplied with this set on request. This Walker and Hall silver cutlery set consists of 52 pieces: Basic service: 12 table forks 12 soup spoons 12 dessert forks 12 dessert spoons Additional pieces: 4 serving spoons. This Walker and Hall cutlery...
Sterling Silver
Antique Sterling Silver Flatware Set for 12 by Finnigans Ltd
By Finnigans, London 1
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique and vintage English sterling silver Trefid style pattern flatware service for 12 persons; an addition to our antique flatware sets. The pieces of this exceptional antique and vintage sterling silver flatware...
Silver, Sterling Silver
Antique Sterling Silver Flatware Set for 10 by Elkington & Co, 1910
By Elkington & Co.
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique George V English sterling silver straight Trefid pattern flatware service for ten persons; an addition to our antique flatware sets...
Silver, Sterling Silver
Sterling Flatware '5 Piece Setting Service for 24'
By Wallace Silversmiths
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This set of sterling silver flatware has 120 pieces, that’s service for 24 / 5 piece settings. Tailored and understated, the pattern is Classic. This se...
Sterling Silver
The actress and Benny Blanco tied the knot with style in Santa Barbara over the weekend.
Diamonds and sapphires still played a starring role, but less popular stones popped up too.
