A First Look at Tiffany & Co.’s Latest Blue Book Collection
The next chapter of the Blue Book: Out of the Blue collection debuts in October, but the American jeweler is teasing around 25 pieces at a fashion show at The Landmark Fifth Avenue boutique.
Tiffany & Co. is teasing the next chapter of Blue Book: Out of The Blue, its largest high jewelry collection to date, in a big way.
On Friday, as New York Fashion Week officially begins, the American jeweler is hosting a fashion show styled by Carine Roitfeld at its Landmark flagship location on Fifth Avenue, showcasing around 25 pieces from the collection, paired with haute couture and ready-to-wear ensembles from Givenchy, which is also owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
The full fall expression of Blue Book:
Out of the Blue officially launches in October in Shanghai, but Friday's event for clients and media will provide a glimpse at what is to come from the collection created by Nathalie Verdeille, Tiffany & Co.'s chief artistic director of jewelry and high jewelry.
“The fall creations continue to push the boundaries of craftsmanship, innovation and artistry as we explore the uncharted depths of Schlumberger's artistry,” Verdeille said, continuing the dialogue based on the sea and adding a new theme for fall: Sea Anemone.
“The theme captures the unfettered imagination inherent in all of Jean Schlumberger's meditations on wildlife. Balancing restraint with inhibition, grace and complexity, this chapter goes far beyond the familiar as we explore the sea creature through a fantastical aperture,” she said.
The sea anemone is known as “the flower of the sea,” explained Tiffany &
Co. chief gemologist and vice president of high jewelry gemstone acquisition Victoria Wirth Reynolds at a preview inside the
Fifth Avenue store, because “it moves with the waves.”
One piece Reynolds was keen to point out was a dazzling cocktail ring in 18-karat white gold with a rare green cuprian elbaite tourmaline and diamonds. “No other gemstone in the world looks like a cuprian elbaite,” she said. “The stone comes from a mine in Africa that was open only a short time, adding to its uniqueness. It's also the perfect hue of Tiffany blue.”
Finding just one cuprian elbaite tourmaline that meets her standards is a feat, yet Tiffany has 15.
The piece also highlights innovation. Each diamond is set “en tremblent,” with an inverted setting, a special touch meant to highlight the gemstone. The diamonds articulate through a wire that sits on a small coil underneath. It took years to develop. “I'm very proud of it, “Reynolds said with a smile, “and I know a few clients who might be interested.”
In fact, several pieces barely off the jeweler's bench have already piqued interest from clients. The anticipation after the first Out of the Blue chapter debuted this summer “was very high,” noting that
clients were familiar with Verdeille's work throughout her career, Reynolds said.
Reynolds was quick to point out that while high jewelry offers the ultimate in craftsmanship, there is fun and playfulness instilled in the creations, too, a whimsy shown throughout Verdeille's latest work.
“What she has done,” she said, “I think it's everything you knew we could, or hoped we would be. And we are that. Bringing to life not only Schlumberger, but the Tiffany's legacy too.”
Nestled in the sea anemone theme, a pendant necklace in 18-karat white gold with a blue cuprian elbaite tourmaline, turquoise and diamond, shown on a model with a mismatched set of 18-karat white gold with blue cuprian elbaite tourmaline and diamond earrings. The necklace exudes a tension at the pendant, with diamonds mimicking a tied string. “Natalie really purposefully wanted it to look like it was just sort of tied very loosely, so that also adds attention to the piece. A bit of visual interest versus just having this be a pendant with a chain,” she explained.
When Out of the Blue debuted in the summer, Tiffany showed the collection with private selling appointments globally. The Landmark fashion show is a bigger statement, teasing pieces in advance of the full collection reveal in October in China.
“Thanks to a common heritage and a film that marked the history of cinema, Givenchy and Tiffany became forever associated with glamour and elegance. Today, we are delighted to honor our historic friendship and celebrate a new chapter in modern elegance,” Givenchy chief executive officer Renaud de Lesquen said of the event.
In a sitdown interview with WWD last March, Tiffany CEO Anthony Ledru said a global rollout of experiential sales events will continue at a heightened pace.
“Tiffany is more than a jewelry brand, it is a cultural phenomenon, and our clients are at the heart of everything we do. We are thrilled to be able to bring the Blue Book collection to life alongside Givenchy haute couture and invite our clients deeper into the world of Tiffany,” Ledru said of the New York City event.
What's to come with the fall reveal of 59 pieces in Shanghai next month? A pendant necklace in platinum and 18-karat yellow gold with an unenhanced Sri Lankan padparadscha sapphire, unenhanced
Umba sapphires and diamonds, is a clue.
“I wasn't even sure this would be ready in time,“Reynolds said with a laugh. “But when you're making high jewelry of this caliber, you can't rush it.”