Tiffany's 175th on CBS Sunday Morning

One of my family's big traditions every Sunday morning is to watch CBS News Sunday Morning. This Sunday was no exception as I was home recovering from my 5th wisdom tooth removal and I was delighted to see that Tiffany & Co. was on the broadcast. The story was fascinating: about the history of Tiffany & Co., the legacy of the brand, and how different family members ran the company and prioritized different kinds of artistry in the studios.

[YouTube link to the story here, as embedding was disabled by CBS.]

Something I learned from the story: Why the now-infamous Tiffany blue? CBS News Sunday Morning said:

"[It] was chosen because it was the favorite color of Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III. "She was also considered the most stylish woman in the world," said Loring [John Loring, the company's historian/former design chief]. "She was the supermodel fashion plate - fashion arbiter of the universe."

And since it is the 175th anniversary of the brand, the store has done something special to mark the occasion: a [mostly] new, spectacular showpiece.

Photo Credit: © Tiffany & Co.

A priceless, 128.54 carat yellow diamond, which was bought by Charles Lewis Tiffany for $18,000 in 1878 after it was discovered a year earlier in South Africa as a 287.42-carat raw stone. This diamond has been mounted in a necklace setting with white diamonds totalling more than 120 carats.

Photo Credit: © Tiffany & Co.

The news release from Tiffany and Company states:

The Diamond has been set on four previous occasions, two of which involve original designs by Jean Schlumberger, Tiffany’s renowned jewelry designer. The stone was set in Schlumberger’s Ribbon Rosette necklace to promote the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s; and it was mounted in Schlumberger’s Bird on a Rock setting for the designer’s 1995 retrospective at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

Photo Credit: © Tiffany & Co.


Can you imagine what this diamond must feel like around your neck? The pure weight of the object must be incredible.
Video Credit: © Tiffany & Co.

What do you think of this Tiffany & Co. showpiece? Is it too big? Are you a Tiffany's fan, or do you like a different jewelry brand?

Or, maybe you are a Tiffany Studios lamp fan? Then you might enjoy this story from 2007:
Video Credit: © CBS

See more photos of Tiffany's former Long Island estate, Laurelton Hall, here. And Wikipedia here.