A Love Letter To Tiffany & Co.
By Caity Mae
“Beautiful design makes a beautiful life.” – Charles Lewis Tiffany
Tiffany and Co. The legendary brand is synonymous with luxury and elegance. Those little blue boxes are the stuff of dreams and a Tiffany diamond sets the standard as a timeless symbol of romance. It’s no surprise that women everywhere (this woman especially) are hopelessly enamored with all things Tiffany.
I have been obsessed with Tiffany and Co. for as long as I can remember; actually, I’ve been obsessed with jewelry for as long as I can remember. As a child, I loved to put on and admire my mother’s jewelry, worshipfully staring at her beautiful rope of pearls and always begging her to let me try on her engagement ring. As my fixation on gems and the art of jewelry design grew, it was only natural that I would discover the awe inspiring works of Tiffany and Co.
As I studied the history of the brand and familiarized myself with the collections and designers, I was astounded by how much depth and vision could exist in a company and I learned that to love Tiffany was to love something incredibly inspirational and beautiful.
The American Dream
When Charles Lewis Tiffany first opened the doors of his New York store in 1837, selling primarily stationary items, who could have guessed that a simple gift shop would grow into one of the most recognizable and respected luxury brands in the world? Stationary became glassware and porcelain, household goods became jewelry manufacturing: Tiffany’s would go on to design china-service for the White House, to reign supreme in the diamond industry after purchasing the French Crown Jewels, to create trophies and awards for some of the world’s most prestigious sporting events. The history of Tiffany and Co. is truly a rags to riches story on the grandest scale. Every Tiffany piece is a part of that journey. What’s not to love about that?
Hollywood glamour
Marilyn Monroe sang its praises in “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend”. Audrey Hepburn famously starred in the iconic film, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, forever linking her image with the brand. Starlets of days past and present sport glittering Tiffany creations on red carpets around the globe. What girl doesn’t wish, every now and then, to have the bombastic sensuality of Marilyn or the timeless class of Audrey? Tiffany and Co. is the official creator of sparkling dreams and glittering glamour.
Timeless romance
I’m a sucker for the beautiful commercials that Tiffany releases a couple of times a year. My favorites are the ones advertising their engagement rings: The impossibly attractive couples, walking together against a bright New York skyline, the little blue box that the man holds behind his back. It’s all so flawless, so enduring, and so beautiful. Everything a romance should be. One could reasonably argue that Tiffany and Co.’s greatest claim to fame is their beautiful collection of engagement rings. Every Tiffany ring is made from the finest diamonds; each design is classic and familiar, yet bold enough to stand out. A breathtaking romance and fairytale weddings are the things that we all dream of and an engagement ring from Tiffany and Co. is the radiant embodiment of that wish. (Author’s Note: Should my future husband be among my readers, I wear a 7.5 Tiffany ring. Please note your intent in the comment section and I will get back to you on precisely which style and carat size is preferred)
Everyday elegance
Tiffany boasts a wide array of collections and designs for every setting, every mood, and every type of woman. Whether you hope to dazzle in diamonds from the extravagant Blue Book Collection, to command with the sleek, modern lines of their Atlas pieces, or to channel your inner Earth goddess with Paloma Picasso’s remarkable, nature-inspired creations, there is a Tiffany piece for whoever it is you want to be today. Every day is an opportunity to embrace luxury and elegance. To quote The Devil Wears Prada, “What they created was greater than art because you live your life in it.” To wear a Tiffany and Co. creation is to wear an icon.
Treasured memories
The phenomena known as a “Blue Box Moment” is very real; it starts as a sudden shock of realization that bubbles over into absolute euphoria. The beautiful shade of blue that can never quite be replicated by anyone else, the satiny white ribbon tied in an elegant bow, the crisp font of the brand name perfectly centered on the box; a Tiffany box is as much a work of art as whatever may be inside it. I will never forget the first time I received my own beautiful blue box, as a graduation gift. For me, it was the gift I had waited my whole life to receive, my initials carefully engraved into the heavy silver charm that dangled from the bracelet, the words “Tiffany and Co.” winking at me from said charm. That bracelet has been with me through job interviews, good first dates, bad first dates, successes, and failures. I have celebrated Christmases, birthdays, and anniversaries with the gift of that magical blue box, adding new memories with every new piece in my collection. I keep waiting for the day that I’ll get used to it, the day that I will look at a Tiffany piece as just another bauble. But, I don’t think that day will ever come, to be honest. There really is something magical about it.
A Tiffany gift holds the promise of love, the legacy of a legend, the allure of all that’s beautiful, and a timelessness that makes the gift endure. I will always love what Tiffany and Co. is and what it represents to me. Audrey Hepburn’s famous “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” character, Holly Golightly, sums it up better than I ever could, “I’m just CRAZY about Tiffany’s!”