Gemstones of Tiffany

By Alexa Hinton, ahinton @nashvillecitypaper.com
June 08, 2007 found at nashvillecitypaper.com 

Before Tiffany & Co. became synonymous with turquoise boxes and six-pronged, jaw-dropping engagement rings, it was a humble stationary and fancy goods emporium on Broadway in New York. 

But a handful of significant milestones helped transform the business, started by two New England schoolmates, into an iconic jewelry giant on Fifth Ave. 

Abraham Lincoln, to celebrate his election to presidency, purchased a suite of Tiffany seed-pearl jewelry for his wife. After the Civil War, Tiffany & Co. created a gemstone-encrusted presentation sword for General Grant. In 1878, the jeweler purchased the Tiffany Diamond, one of the largest fancy yellow diamonds in the world and cut with an unprecedented 90 facets, and in 1887 acquired some of the French Crown jewels, prompting national media to dub the jeweler "the king of diamonds."

Tiffany & Co. began to rise to world-renowned status through the work of its jewel hunter Dr. George Frederick Kunz.

"He was our chief gemologist and he'd travel the world looking for fine gemstones to take back to Tiffany's and be created into Tiffany masterpieces," said Amy Miller, the store director of Nashville's Tiffany & Co. 

Tiffany & Co. introduced four gemstones to the world, of which two were because of Kunz. 

The gemologist discovered morganite, a violet pink gemstone, in Madagascar in the early part of the 20th century, and named it after his biggest customer, the famous American banker JP Morgan. The collection Kunz amassed for Morgan earned the financier a reputation as one of the country's most important collectors of rare stones. Kunzite, a lilac-colored stone, was found in California in 1902 and named in honor of Kunz. 

"Morganite and kunzite have light-pinkish hues — not a deep jewel-tone color, but more pale and pastel in feeling, very light and airy and delicate," Miller said. "By Kunz acquiring these jewels and using them in our product really helped Tiffany's become known as a premier jeweler throughout the world."

In 1969, Tiffany & Co. was the first to introduce tranzanite, named for Tanzania, its country of origin. 

"It is a deep purple-ish/blue-ish hue, and is sometimes mistaken for a sapphire, but it is rich and saturated," Miller said. "The interesting thing about tanzanite is that the supply that is really gem-quality is really diminishing. It will not be around for many years to come in the future, which is unbelievable to think that a beautiful colored gemstone, sometime in our lifetime, will be extinguished." 

The last of the four gemstones, tsavorite, was debuted by Tiffany in 1974. The green-colored stone strongly resembles an emerald, and is named for Tanzania's Tsavo National Park. 

On June 15, 2007 Nashville's Tiffany & Co. will present a 10-day exhibition of stunning jewelry featuring the four gemstones that helped launch the jeweler to fame. 

"This is a chance to see one-of-a-kind statement pieces with very large gemstones of a high-dollar value; unique designs you don't see every day and exquisite pieces you won't see in any other jewelry store, so it's a special opportunity to see them in your backyard," Miller said. "For people who have an appreciation of jewelry or of Tiffany's, we encourage you to come in and enjoy their beauty and try them on. It is very exciting to see how you feel in them." 

What: Gemstones of Tiffany jewel exhibit, featuring more than 50 pieces including: a choker from the archives designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany with baguette-cut and bullet-cut kunzites surrounded by platinum filigree; a necklace with five perfectly matched, pear-shape tanzanites in platinum; a necklace of morganite briolettes, diamonds and delicate platinum chains; diamond drop earrings finished with tsavorites; leaf and flower-emulating tsavorite jewels.
When: June 15-25
Where: Tiffany & Co., The Mall at Green Hills, 2126 Abbott Martin Rd. 
Cost: Free and open to the public
Info: 298-5747