The storied jeweler Tiffany & Co. opens its vaults in Shanghai on September 23 in an exhibition entitled “Vision & Virtuosity.” The exhibition celebrates 180 years of artistry and exceptional diamonds. Taking the audience through six chapters of the brands’ history, Tiffany & Co. invites the viewer to gaze upon rare jewels, diamonds, vintage advertisements, and even the original script to the 1960 American film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” starring Audrey Hepburn.
Archive, script from the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”
The exhibition is divided into six chapters: Blue is the Color of Dreams, The World of Tiffany, The Tiffany Blue Book (the first mail order catalogue in the United States), Tiffany Love, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Diamonds: Miracles of Nature.
RAIN features a selection of the exhibition here. Images courtesy of Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. window display (c: 2012) recreated for the Vision & Virtuosity exhibition in China
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. window display (c: 2017) recreated for the Vision & Virtuosity exhibition in China
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. window display (c: 2014) recreated for the Vision & Virtuosity exhibition in China
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. window display (c: 2012) recreated for the Vision & Virtuosity exhibition in China
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. window display recreated for the Vision & Virtuosity exhibition in China
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. window display (c: 1967) recreated for the Vision & Virtuosity exhibition in China
Tiffany & Co. window display (c: 2017) recreated for the Vision & Virtuosity exhibition in China
Tiffany & Co. window display (c: 2012) recreated for the Vision & Virtuosity exhibition in China
Tiffany & Co. window display (c: 2017) recreated for the Vision & Virtuosity exhibition in China
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. window display recreated for the Vision & Virtuosity exhibition in China
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. Schlumberger® Leaves necklace in platinum and 18k gold with cushion-cut aquamarines and round brilliant diamonds
Necklace in 18k gold with colored diamonds, emeralds, orange zircons, enamel and a 40 carat Montana sapphire, one of the largest Montana sapphire’s known in existence, from The Tiffany & Co. Archives (c: 1922- 1923), designed by Meta Overbeck under the direction of Louis Comfort Tiffany
Brooch in 18k gold and platinum with diamonds, Montana sapphires, pearls and enamel from The Tiffany & Co. Archives (c: 1899-1900), designed by George Paulding Farnham for Tiffany & Co. and exhibited at the Exposition Universelle de 1900 in Paris, France
Brooch in platinum with round modified rose-cut and round brilliant diamonds, over 11 total carats, and round modified rose-cut sapphires, over 13 total carats, with a vessel in sterling silver and glass with an 18k yellow gold twig from the 2019 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
Necklace in platinum with round and baguette sapphires, baguette tanzanites and baguette diamonds from the Tiffany Paper Flowers™ collection
Tiffany & Co. Schlumberger® Bird on a Rock clip with an emerald-cut aquamarine
Bracelet in platinum with diamonds and aquamarines from The Tiffany & Co. Archives (c: 1957), originally featured in a 1957 Tiffany window display
Bracelet in platinum with round brilliant white diamonds and round rare Fancy Bluish Gray and Gray diamonds
Archive cocktail set, Tiffany’s & Co.
Retro-style necklace in 18k gold and platinum with diamonds, sapphires and an aquamarine from The Tiffany & Co. Archives (c: 1941) Retro-style bracelet in 18k gold and platinum with diamonds, sapphires and an aquamarine from The Tiffany & Co. Archives (c: 1941)
Bracelet in platinum with diamonds and aquamarines from The Tiffany & Co. Archives (c: 1952)
Brooch in 18k gold and sterling silver with diamonds and sapphires—the wings’ diamonds are set “en tremblant”—from The Tiffany & Co. Archives (c: 1890-1900)
Bracelet in platinum with round brilliant white diamonds and round rare Fancy Bluish Gray and Gray diamonds
Bracelet in platinum with round brilliant white diamonds and round rare Fancy Bluish Gray and Gray diamonds
Earrings in platinum with round sapphires, pear-shaped and round tanzanites and pear-shaped and round brilliant diamonds
Bracelet in platinum with pear-shaped and round sapphires, pear-shaped and round tanzanites and pear-shaped and round brilliant diamonds from the Tiffany Paper Flowers™ collection
Brooch in 18k gold and platinum with white and colored diamonds, emeralds and tanzanites from The Tiffany & Co. Archives (c: 1968), designed by Donald Claflin for Tiffany & Co and part of the first collection of tanzanite jewelry sold by Tiffany
Tiffany’s Archive Blue Box
Brooch, Tiffany’s Archive
Tiffany’s & Co Greenhouse
1838, Archive Cash Book, Tiffany & Co.
1838, Archive Cash Book, Tiffany & Co.
Holiday Gift Guide
Tiffany & Co. Archive Image
Tiffany & Co. Archive Image
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor (Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)
Engagement Specialist, 1986
Diamond Web Advertisement, 1963
October 1965, Advertisement
Brooch in 18k yellow gold and platinum with an emerald-cut diamond, over 5 carats, and baguette diamonds, over 4 total carats, with a vessel in glass with a sterling silver frame from the 2019 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
Brooch in platinum with an oval cabochon black opal, over 21 carats, baguette sapphires, over 7 total carats and baguette diamonds, over 5 total carats, with a vessel in 24k gold vermeil, sterling silver and 18k yellow gold from the 2019 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
Brooch in 18k gold with diamonds and enamel designed by George Paulding Farnham for Tiffany & Co. from The Tiffany Archives—inspired by the Oncidium jonesianum, an orchid species native to Paraguay. A similar brooch was exhibited by Tiffany at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris.
Brooch in 18k yellow gold and platinum with round yellow sapphires, over 14 total carats, and baguette diamonds, over 8 total carats, with a vessel in sterling silver and glass from the 2019 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
Brooch in 18k gold with diamonds and enamel designed by George Paulding Farnham for Tiffany & Co. from The Tiffany Archives—inspired by the Odontoglossum wyattianum, an orchid species native to the mountainous regions of Ecuador and Peru. A similar brooch was exhibited by Tiffany at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris.
Chrysanthemum brooch in platinum and 18k gold with diamonds, American dog-tooth freshwater pearls and enamel from The Tiffany Archives (c: 1899-1909)
Silk cord necklace with diamonds set in platinum
Brooch in platinum with a cushion-cut green tourmaline, over 15 carats, and baguette and round brilliant diamonds, over 3 total carats, with a vessel with a 24k gold vermeil outer sleeve and a sterling silver inner sleeve from the 2019 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
Necklace in platinum with a 79.07- carat heart-shaped kunzite, named after the company’s first gemologist George F. Kunz, and pearls from The Tiffany Archives (c: 1912)
Brooch in 18k rose gold and platinum with custom-cut diamonds, over 7 total carats, with a vessel in sterling silver from the 2019 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
Brooch in platinum with a cushion-cut unenhanced sapphire of over 2 carats, round sapphires, over 14 total carats, and round brilliant diamonds, over 6 total carats, with a vessel in sterling silver from the 2019 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
First Tiffany & Co. sales catalog from The Tiffany Archives (c: 1847)
Brooch in 18k yellow gold and platinum with cracked ice diamonds, over 13 total carats, with a vessel in 18k yellow gold from the 2019 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
Brooch in platinum and 18k yellow gold with round purple sapphires, over 28 total carats, and round modified rose-cut diamonds, over 4 total carats, with a vessel in 24k gold vermeil from the 2019 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
Beetles and Flowers necklace, with a detachable beetle brooch and detachable beetles earrings, in 18k gold with diamonds and colored stones designed by Donald Claflin for Tiffany & Co. from the 1968 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
Corsage ornament in platinum and 18k gold with diamonds from The Tiffany Archives (c: 1909-1919)—a symbol of love, marriage and femininity and worn on 19th century evening gowns stretched across the bodice, corsage ornaments were often stacked in a graduated set of three from largest to smallest
Corsage ornament in platinum and 18k gold with diamonds, pearls and a ruby from The Tiffany Archives (c: 1890-1900) —a symbol of love, marriage and femininity and worn on 19th century evening gowns stretched across the bodice, corsage ornaments were often stacked in a graduated set of three from largest to smallest
Necklace in 18k gold and platinum with diamonds and 416.09 total carats of colored gemstones designed by Paloma Picasso in celebration of her 5th anniversary with Tiffany & Co. from the 1985 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
Necklace in platinum with mixed-cut aquamarines and mixed-cut diamonds from the 2018 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
Brooch in 18k gold with diamonds and enamel designed by George Paulding Farnham for Tiffany & Co. from The Tiffany Archives, inspired by the Inslegi leopardi odentoglosium, an orchid species native to Mexico. A similar brooch was exhibited by Tiffany at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris.
Dragon brooch in 18k gold and platinum with a ruby, turquoise, diamonds and emeralds designed by Donald Claflin for Tiffany & Co. from The Tiffany Archives (c: 1967)
Brooch in platinum with a cushion-cut green tourmaline, over 15 carats, and baguette and round brilliant diamonds, over 3 total carats, with a vessel with a 24k gold vermeil outer sleeve and a sterling silver inner sleeve from the 2019 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
Archaeological Style necklace in 18k gold with case from The Tiffany Archives (c: 1850-1870)—an example of the earliest type of jewelry sold by Tiffany
Necklace in 18k gold with diamonds and emeralds from The Tiffany Archives (c: 1868-1880)—one of the earliest High Jewelry pieces in The Tiffany Archives
Wings necklace in 18k gold and platinum with diamonds designed by Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co. from the 1980 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
Tiffany & Co. Schlumberger® Five Leaves clip and Fuchsia pendant in 18k gold and platinum with diamonds from The Tiffany Archives (c: 1956), can also be worn separately as the Five Leaves brooch or the Fuchsia pendant
Seed pearl necklace in 18k gold with mother-of-pearl from The Tiffany Archives (c: 1870-1880) Seed pearl earrings in 18k gold with mother-of-pearl from The Tiffany Archives (c: 1870-1880) Seed pearl brooch in 18k gold with mother-of-pearl from The Tiffany Archives (c: 1870-1880)
Brooch in platinum and 18k yellow gold with round yellow diamonds, over 4 total carats, and mixed-cut white diamonds, over 19 total carats with a vessel in sterling silver from the 2019 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
Tiffany’s & Co.
Necklace in platinum and 18k gold with diamonds and 15 total carats of vivid green Columbian emeralds from the 1999 Tiffany Blue Book Collection
Fluer De Mer, Archive Tiffany’s & Co
Tiffany & Co. Diamonds
Tiffany & Co. Diamonds
Archive, script from the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”
Archive, script from the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”
Mark Benjamin is the editor of RAIN magazine. Formerly a menswear buyer for a luxury fashion brand, he started RAIN in the Fall of 2016. The magazine has since realized several noteworthy profiles in print and continues the mission in print and online.
