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.
Tiffany & Co. Sterling Silver 98-Piece Flatware Set in English King Pattern
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in New York, NY
Tiffany & Co. sterling silver flatware set in the celebrated English King pattern, adorned with shells and other motifs, consisting of: 8 dinner knives with French blades measur...
Silver, Sterling Silver
$30,800Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 10 in W 0.5 in D 0.25 in
Antique Tiffany Renaissance Sterling Silver Dinner Set for 12
By Paulding Farnham., Tiffany & Co.
Located in New York, NY
Renaissance sterling silver dinner set. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York, ca 1910. This set comprises 156 pieces (dimensions in inches): Forks: 12 dinner forks (8), 12 salad fo...
Sterling Silver
$575 / set
H 7 in W 2 in D 2 in
Edwardian "Regent" 16 piece Fork/Knife Silver Plate Silverware Set by Gorham
Located in Van Nuys, CA
The Regent pattern is known for its elegant and classic design, often featuring intricate detailing that reflects the refinement and sophistication characteristic of Gorham’s craftsm...
Silver Plate
Reed & Barton Sterling Silver Fifty-Nine Piece Flatware Service
By Reed & Barton
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Reed & Barton Sterling Silver Fifty-Nine Piece Flatware Service Marked Reed and Barton, Sterling. Comprising, twelve dinner knives, eleven butter spreads, twelve dinner forks, twel...
Silver
JEAN TETARD – C.Christofle 144-piece solid silver flatware set, aubusson pattern
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
TOTAL: 144 PIECES. 950/1000 Sterling Silver. Weight: 7140 g net + 1860 g gross. Minerva Hallmark – Art Deco Period, circa 1930 Produced by TETARD FRERES & CHARLES CHRISTOFLE COMPOS...
Silver
$30,873 / set
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
Gorham Sterling Silver Thirty-Six Piece Part Flatware Service
By Gorham
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Gorham Sterling Silver Thirty-Six Piece Part Flatware Service Marked, in the Etruscan Pattern, most monogramed with a Y. Comprising, seven dinner forks, eight salad forks, twelve bu...
Silver
Sterling Silver Mid-Century Flatware Set
By Towle Silversmiths
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Being offered is a sterling silver flatware set: service for 16, 5 pieces per setting, total of 80 pieces. Designed by Towle Silversmiths in the 1950’s, it is quintessential Mid-Cen...
Sterling Silver
$16,000
H 8.27 in W 0.79 in D 0.4 in
Antique French sterling silver cutlery set by Alphonse Debaine, Art Deco 20th Ce
By Alphonse Debain
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Antique French sterling silver cutlery set by Alphonse Debaine, Art Deco 20th Ce This Beautiful set include: 148 pieces in total. Description: 24 dinner forks - 21.5 centimeters 1...
Sterling Silver
Savary & Fils: 182pc. French 950 Sterling Silver Flatware Set, 26 Svg. Pcs. 1880
By Savary Paris 1
Located in Wilmington, DE
Direct from Paris: A magnificent 182pc. Louis XVI, 950 sterling silver flatware set by French silversmith Savary & Fils "Silversmith to the Kings and Queens of Europe". Includes...
Vermeil, Sterling Silver
Shell and Thread by Tiffany Sterling Silver Flatware Set 8 Service 52 pcs Dinner
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Big Bend, WI
Shell & Thread was first introduced by Tiffany in 1905. Its design is typical of patterns made in England during the long reign of King George III. The raised-border edges, which acc...
Sterling Silver
Shell and Thread by Tiffany Sterling Silver Flatware Set 8 Service 88 pcs Dinner
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Big Bend, WI
Shell & Thread was first introduced by Tiffany in 1905. Its design is typical of patterns made in England during the long reign of King George III. The raised-border edges, which acc...
Sterling Silver
Shell & Thread by Tiffany Sterling Silver Flatware Set 12 Service 151 pcs Dinner
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Big Bend, WI
Shell & Thread was first introduced by Tiffany in 1905. Its design is typical of patterns made in England during the long reign of King George III. The raised-border edges, which acc...
Sterling Silver
Shell & Thread by Tiffany Sterling Silver Flatware Set 12 Service 141 pcs Dinner
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Big Bend, WI
Shell & Thread was first introduced by Tiffany in 1905. Its design is typical of patterns made in England during the long reign of King George III. The raised-border edges, which acc...
Sterling Silver
Shell and Thread by Tiffany Sterling Silver Flatware Set 12 Service 139 pcs Din
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Big Bend, WI
Shell & Thread was first introduced by Tiffany in 1905. Its design is typical of patterns made in England during the long reign of King George III. The raised-border edges, which acc...
Sterling Silver
Windham by Tiffany and Co Sterling Silver Flatware Service Set 42 pcs Dinner
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Big Bend, WI
Designed with an eye for balance and proportion, each piece of Tiffany & Co. flatware is a masterpiece of form and function. Dinner Size Windham by Tiffany & Co. Sterling Silver fla...
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.
