TIFFANY & CO. METALWORKING

Certainly a house founded in 1837 that counts sterling silverware as one of its signatures would be a specialist in metalworking. Tiffany & Co.’s heritage in this craft later extended to precious metals for luxury jewellery, and reached the height of sophistication ever since Jean Schlumberger (1907-1987) joined the company in 1956. With a free rein to every available resource, the French-born Schlumberger, one of the most important jewellers in the 20th century, could turn HIs fantastical flora and fauna designs into reality. Making them possible were a huge repertoire of in-house techniques to transform gold and platinum into sculptural, evocative jewels. This Schlumberger Surreal Floret platinum and diamond bracelet is an exemplary showcase: Instead of a rigid structure, this piece is made of individual fully diamond-set strands that are interwoven and looped together. Platinum is also harder to manipulate than gold, and cannot be remelted for reuse.