Tiffany&Co Atlas Necklace
About the Item
- Creator:
- Design:Atlas Open PendantAtlas Collection
- Metal:
- Stone:
- Stone Cut:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 2000
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:PARIS, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3632220805162
Atlas Open Pendant
A timeless evocation of a New York icon, the modern Atlas Open pendant from Tiffany & Co. is inspired by the Atlas clock, which has long graced the facade of the celebrated luxury jewelry house’s New York City headquarters.
In 1853, sculptor Henry Frederick Metzler was commissioned to carve the nine-foot bronze-coated wood sculpture of Atlas, the Greek titan, holding a clock atop his shoulders. According to company lore, the phrase “a New York minute” originated when local residents began syncing their pocket watches to Tiffany’s public timepiece, one of the city’s first clocks and considered the most accurate in Manhattan. As the store moved uptown to Union Square and then to Fifth Avenue, so, too, did the Atlas clock, and it’s now as widely associated with the internationally renowned brand as the legendary “Tiffany blue” is.
In 1983, Tiffany design director emeritus John Loring (b. 1939) introduced the Atlas watch — and following its phenomenal success, the Atlas collection debuted in 1995. Incorporating the Roman numerals that adorn the Atlas clock, the new line, which also featured housewares alongside the Atlas Open pendant, rings and more, presented an entrée into the luxury brand by way of more casual, day-to-day designs in tune with fashion’s movement toward less formal styles. The collection’s addition of sterling-silver jewelry was entirely modern. Previously considered unworthy of high design, silver was rendered appealing through the work of marquee Tiffany designers such as Elsa Peretti and Paloma Picasso.
Tiffany & Co.’s Atlas Open pendant — now also available in different sizes and metals and featuring diamonds — references the famed sculpture’s graphic Roman numerals in bold cutouts along its curved rim. It is an example of the house’s continuity of good design.
Tiffany & Co.
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. jewels. 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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: PARIS, France
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Tiffany&Co Open Heart Silver Pendant GM by Elsa PerettiBy Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.Located in PARIS, FRTiffany&CO Open Heart model pendant by Elsa Peretti in GM format in solid silver, delivered on a gray trimming cord, in its original pouch and box. Width 3.6 cm x height 3.4 cm, weig...Category
2010s English Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsSilver
- Yves Saint Laurent Necklace Pendant Golden ButterflyBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in PARIS, FRYves Saint Laurent pendant charm with the motif of a butterfly in gold metal decorated with purple enamel, mounted on a carabiner, signed. Total length 4.4 cm, width 2.7 cm. The pend...Category
1990s French Pendant Necklaces
- Christian Lacroix Necklace Pendant Golden CarouselBy Christian LacroixLocated in PARIS, FRChristian Lacroix pendant in gilded metal with the motif of an openwork carousel and a second pendant in the shape of a hollowed-out lozenge of a heart (so dear to Lacroix), mounted ...Category
1990s French Pendant Necklaces
- Tahiti Pearl, Rose Gold and Diamonds drop pendantLocated in PARIS, FRPendant composed of a drop-shaped Tahitian pearl in a changing gray color encrusted with a small diamond bezel-set in pink gold, and mounted on a rose gold bail encrusted with brilli...Category
2010s French Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Pearl, Rose Gold
- Haute Couture golden CC medallionBy ChanelLocated in PARIS, FRChanel Haute Couture necklace in gold metal composed of a twisted mesh chain and a large medallion shaped with the motif of the CC logo. ...Category
Vintage 1980s French Chain Necklaces
- Haute Couture golden Ancient medallionBy ChanelLocated in PARIS, FRChanel Haute Couture necklace in gold metal composed of a twisted mesh chain and a large medallion shaped with the motif of a "Greek profile" on one side and a crown signed...Category
Vintage 1980s French Chain Necklaces
- Round Brilliant Diamond Pendant in Platinum GIA Certified 2.02 Carat D Color SI1By Tinguely BijouxLocated in Boston, MAA stunning round brilliant cut diamond pendant with diamond surround set in platinum. The center diamond weighs 2.02 carats, is assessed as D color and SI1 clarity via GIA certificat...Category
2010s American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, White Diamond, Platinum
- White Gold 18 Karat Chain Necklace with Five Heart Pendants with DiamondsLocated in Rome, ITChain necklace in 18 karat white gold and five drop pendant with diamonds Total diamonds weight: 0.85 carat Total length: 45 cm / 17.7 inch The necklace has an additional ring for d...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
- 18 Karat White Gold Chain Necklace with Rectangular Diamonds PendantLocated in Rome, IT18 karat white gold chain necklace with rectangular pendant diamonds and four round diamonds The pendant has five baguette cut diamonds and 28 round cut diamonds all around The chai...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chain Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
- 18 Carat Yellow Gold set Amethyst Pendant NecklaceBy Esther EyreLocated in London, GBThis is an extraordinary, one of a kind Siberian Amethyst at 28ct set in an 18ct yellow gold coral reef mount with 5 diamonds. The pendant is suspended on an 18ct yellow gold 16” Fox...Category
21st Century and Contemporary British Baroque Revival Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Amethyst, Yellow Gold
- 18ct White Gold Reef Pendant with 79.48ct Aquamarine, Diamonds & Blue TopazBy Esther EyreLocated in London, GBThis breath-taking Aquamarine from Brazil is 79.48 cts mounted is the star of Esther Eyre's 'Reef Collection'. It's 18ct white gold coral setting is scattered with diamonds (total 0....Category
21st Century and Contemporary British Belle Époque Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Blue Topaz, Aquamarine, Topaz, White Gold
- Etoilé Pendant with Blue Topaz Centre and Baroque Pearl Drop on a Silver ChainBy Esther EyreLocated in London, GBEtoilé pendant made in sterling silver with blue topaz centre and baroque pearl drop suspended from a silver chain with pearl and aquamarine bead spacers. Also available in 18 carat ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary British Baroque Revival Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsBlue Topaz, Aquamarine, Pearl, Silver
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The Sparkling Legacy of Tiffany & Co. Explained, One Jewel at a Time
A gorgeous new book celebrates — and memorializes — the iconic jeweler’s rich heritage.
15 Scintillating Jewelry Watches to Elevate Your Holiday Style
Watchmakers have tucked their movements into all manner of precious baubles, from lapel pins to cocktail rings. The result is dazzling, wearable art that will get you to the party on time.