It was Tiffany & Co. that introduced the engagement ring as we
know it today. The
celebrated six-prong “Tiffany Setting” lifts the diamond above the band and
into
the light. The result is a ring whose beauty has never been equaled.
In 1848 the New York City newspapers dubbed Charles Lewis Tiffany
“The King of Diamonds.” And with good reason. The quality of Tiffany diamonds
was then, and remains, exemplary. In the spring of 1887, Tiffany shocked the
world by purchasing the French Crown Jewels. From this time on, Tiffany became
the world’s authority on the finest diamonds.
Soon Tiffany designers were creating brilliance of their own. From
the glittering 1890s on, timeless Tiffany designs graced women from the finest
families: the Astor's, the Vanderbilt's, the Morgans. Celebrities from the
theater, sports and ultimately European royalty and Hollywood stars began to
prize Tiffany diamond designs.
Around the world, museums treasure the Tiffany design aesthetic,
from the Art Nouveau period to Art Deco to today’s modern classics. Year in,
year out, the passion for Tiffany diamonds is clearly demonstrated in the
world’s auction houses. Today, the world-famous 128.54-carat Tiffany Diamond is
on permanent display in the New York flagship store—proof positive of Tiffany’s
diamond legacy.
But nowhere is a Tiffany diamond more beautiful or more treasured
than in its place of honor: on the hand of a woman.
