Books & Exhibitions

The Tiffany Archives Book Is A Gem

It is filled with treasures from the legendary jeweler’s vaults

by Marion Fasel

July 21, 2023—Art Deco diamond bracelets, an invitation to the opening of the Statue of Liberty and the 128.54-carat Tiffany Diamond set in a diamond necklace are among the hundreds of jewels, gems, objects and ephemera featured in The Tiffany Archives published by Steidl with photography by Henry Leutwyler.

The introduction was penned by Tiffany & Co.’s Christopher Young, vice president and creative director of creative visual merchandising and The Archives. Yours truly wrote the foreword.

The remarkable mix of things in the book, many of which are being shown publicly for the first time, is exactly what founder Charles Lewis Tiffany would have wanted. From the moment the doors opened at Tiffany & Co. in 1837, he established an archive and had an ambition to stock inventory ranging from high end to accessibly priced items.

“All objects within the collection are catalogued and handled with equal care and meticulous adherence to conservation measures,” writes Christopher Young. The way in which the archivist value everything equally is illustrated with some democratic and delightful pairings. Disparate things such as a parasol and a necklace, a jewel and an invitation are placed side-by-side in spreads. The surprising juxtapositions also visually communicate the depth and breadth of Tiffany creations.

In addition to showing many aspects of Tiffany’s history, the book is a tribute to the work the archivists have done over the last 186-years. Throughout The Tiffany Archives brief anecdotes appear alongside various jewels, objects and ephemera written by the archivists working at Tiffany today and throughout the years.

The information includes details on masterpieces like five enamel and gem-set orchid designs by George Paulding Farnham that were displayed at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris and described by a French reviewer as being “so perfect, so life like in their grace and charm, that they give the illusion of being natural.”

There are also fun facts such as how designers worked on a commemorative box to celebrate Yankee center fielder Joe DiMaggio’s legendary 56 game hitting streak—that has never been broken—as it happened. How do they know that? The number of games on the paper, ink and graphite 1941 design kept having to be crossed out and updated.

Photographer Henry Leutwyler, who infuses a sense of soul into inanimate objects, thoughtfully turned his lens to everything in The Tiffany Archives. The Jean Schlumberger Salon Journal opened to the notes on a November day in 1965— “Mrs. Arthur Stanton left her crazy twist bracelet for repair”—received the same type of sensitive attention as an assortment of diamond bracelets.

The $125 Tiffany Archives book is almost as rare as a precious gem. A very limited number were published. They are only available to purchase at The Tiffany Landmark in New York City.

Related Stories:

The Story of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Medusa

Tiffany’s New Blue Book Dives Into Schlumberger

The Tiffany Diamond Has A Joyful New Setting

---