Tiffany Amethyst Bracelet

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.

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There are few gemstones in the world that are both affordable and worthy of a duchess’s attention. But then not many stones are as beautiful as amethyst. Indeed, vintage and antique amethyst jewelry has innumerable fans, and February’s birthstone has many unique attributes. For the romantics, there are several tales in Greek mythology that tell the story of Bacchus and Amethyste, a maiden that he pursues yet is rescued by Diane by turning her into a white stone. Bacchus, mourning his love, pours a glass of wine over the sculpture, dyeing her purple.

Amethyst has adorned many royal jewels. One of the most enviable jewelry collections of all time belonged to Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor. In 1947, the Duke gifted her with a Cartier amethyst and turquoise bib necklace. This special order piece was made with twisted 18-carat and 20-carat gold, platinum, brilliant- and baguette-cut diamonds, one heart-shaped faceted amethyst, 27 emerald-cut amethysts, one oval faceted amethyst, and turquoise cabochons. The Duchess was not the only Royal with a penchant for the purple gemstone. The tiara now owned by Queen Silvia of Sweden is set with amethysts that once belonged to the French Empress Josephine. A stunning 56-carat cushion-cut, square-shaped amethyst set in an 18-karat yellow gold necklace designed by Tiffany & Co. is now in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

The Smithsonian also has in its possession an even more rare example of fine amethyst: the 96-carat Morris Amethyst Brooch. The brooch features a deep, rich purple heart-shaped amethyst. The museum states that the piece was likely made during the Edwardian period (1901–15) “when platinum and diamonds were often used, and amethyst, a favorite stone of King Edward VII’s wife, Alexandra, was often included in jewelry of the era.”

Another amethyst necklace, with an even richer story, can be found in the Natural History Museum of London. Known as the Delhi Purple Sapphire (even though the stone is an amethyst), this stone was stolen from the Temple of Indra during the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Anyone in possession of this stone is bound to have terrible luck, including its owner Edward Heron-Allen, who gifted the gemstone to the museum thinking that this would save him but ended up transferring the bad luck to the museum curators overseeing the stone.

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Today, antique and vintage bracelets are versatile and universally loved accessories that can add polish and pizzazz to any ensemble.

Bracelets were among the jewels discovered to have been buried with Pharaoh Tutankhamun when his tomb was unearthed in 1922, and wrist and arm bracelets were allegedly worn by Queen Puabi in Sumer, southern Mesopotamia. But preceding the adornments of Ancient Egypt and elsewhere, the people of prehistoric times likely wore the decorative accessory, fashioning it from shells and fish bones. When the Bronze Age allowed for more durable materials and semiprecious stones to be incorporated into jewelry, bracelets became a treasured symbol of wealth.

In the thousands of years following the debut of the world’s first bracelets, the artistry behind this common accessory has only broadened, with designers at popular jewelry houses growing more venturesome over time. David Webb looked to nature for his Animal Kingdom bracelets, and for her best-selling bracelets and more at Tiffany & Co., Elsa Peretti would frequently do the same. From bangles to tennis bracelets, the modern age offers plenty of options.

Internationally acclaimed bracelet designs have on occasion become powerful symbols of status, style and, in the case of Cartier's iconic design, love. The Cartier Love bracelet can be found on the wish list of most jewelry lovers and on the wrist of some of the world’s biggest stars. Its arrangement of mock screwheads and distinctive functionality — it was initially locked and unlocked with an accompanying vermeil screwdriver — is an enduring expression of loyalty, unity and romance. (Do you know how to spot a fake Cartier Love bracelet?)

While the Love bracelet has played a role in the skyrocketing popularity of cuff-style bracelets, they are far from the only glamorous option for collectors. Make a statement with an Art Deco design, a style that sees all kinds of iterations fitted with studded cuffs, one-of-a-kind shapes and dazzling insets. A chunky vintage gold bracelet in the Retro style will prove eye-catching and elevate any outfit.

One of the best things about bracelets, however, is that you never have to choose just one. Style icon Jacqueline Kennedy stacked her Croisillon bracelets — designed by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co. — with such frequency that the ornate bangles were eventually dubbed “Jackie bracelets” by reporters. Contemporary silver pieces can easily complement each other, rendering a layering of luxury almost a necessity.

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