It only takes the act of gazing up at the night sky to grasp the immense beauty and mystery of the universe. The same can be said for staring into the crown of diamonds, each crystalline facet reflecting brilliance and sparkle in its form. For the 2024 iteration of its annual Blue Book, Tiffany & Co. has fused these two natural wonders for an otherworldly high jewellery collection inspired by the empyrean, astrology and celestial mythology.
Titled Tiffany Céleste, the masterful pieces reimagine the whimsical and lustrous motifs created by the late visionary jewellery designer, Jean Schlumberger. The Frenchman’s propensity for rendering fantasy in physical shapes has long been a creative well for the Manhattan-based luxuriate. Now, the Maison is traversing the cosmos of Schlumberger’s limitless imagination to bring modernity and a contemporary vantage to his expansive repertoire and fixation with the ethereal.
“I want to capture the irregularity of the universe,” Schlumberger once remarked of his inimitable style. Nathalie Verdeille, Tiffany & Co.’s Chief Artistic Officer, has continued this passion through fresh pieces that reveal the exceptional craftsmanship and delicate poetry of Tiffany High Jewellery. “Each new design is an ode to Jean Schlumberger’s boundless creativity,” Verdeille said in a press release. “Each chapter began with an intensive study of the subjects or themes that inspired it,” she continued. For the fall launch of Tiffany Céleste, the Star Burst, Phoenix, Owl on a Rock and Unicorn chapters reference archival Jean Schlumberger masterpieces, such as his Phoenix brooch, “ she added, making the styles a vision of intergalactic radiance.
The most iconic of Schlumberger’s designs, the Bird on a Rock, is reconfigured into a nocturnal animal fitting for the theme. The Owl on a Rock pays homage to the emblematic 1965 motif while mirroring the spirit of the 2024 Blue Book. Here, brooches evoke owls of platinum, yellow gold and white diamond that perch on black opal, star sapphire, tanzanite and moonstone to bring an after-dark quality to the titular yellow cockatoo.
Elsewhere, the mythological Phoenix lends its blazing feathers to necklaces, pendants, bracelets and earrings made of rubellites, Umba sapphires and diamonds. A striking centrepiece of this collection comes in the form of two opal rings that conjure the sense of daybreak. The Phoenix Black Opal Ring is a cooler hue reminiscent of the witching hours of late evening while the Phoenix Fire Opal Ring rouses the brightness of dawn, symbolising rebirth and rising from the ashes.
Another fabled animal, the Unicorn, lends its swirled horn to the collection. Drawing from one of Schlumberger’s Crazy Twist designs, rich purple sapphires and a pink sapphire nestle into the curves of the diamond-encrusted twists while a brooch showcases an undeniably magical bicolour tourmaline.
The final chapter is Star Burst, which is a tribute to the most luminous galaxies across the known universe. To capture the intensity of light, exceptional crystal opals are surrounded by striking diamonds that radiate and fan outward, bringing this stellar nursery to the wearer’s wrists, décolletage and fingertips.
These additions join the House’s previously unveiled chapters of Apollo, Arrow, Ray of Light and Shooting Star, each of which rediscovers Jean Schlumberger’s beloved interpretations of the sun, moon, stars, distant galaxies and fantasy worlds.
The fall launch of Blue Book 2024: Tiffany Céleste will debut at an exclusive high jewellery event in Madrid later this year—a soirée set to be as dazzling and star-studded as the collection itself.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA International.
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