Nearly two centuries of exhilarating opulence and glamor, of undying artistic mastery and craftsmanship sparkle in Tiffany & Co.’s most regal catalogue – the Blue Book. First published in the distant 1845, it has showcased some of the brand’s most extensive and exquisite collections, including striking pieces flaunting diamonds from the French and Spanish Crown Jewels. The label’s rarest and finest bijoux have filled its sleek pages. Blue Book 2016 is not different.
A gorgeously vivid exploration of nature and its wonders, the Blue Book 2016 collection – titled ‘The Art of Transformation’ – boasts splendid gemstones, which, under the creative vision of Design Director Francesca Amfitheatrof, burst into extraordinary designs. The collection is a timeline of landscapes and moments, transforming from the deepest underwater secrets to the dancing rays of the sun on the shore. Diamonds, tanzanites, aquamarines, sapphires and tourmalines – among other precious stones – glimmer on bases of platinum and gold to form dazzling couture ornaments – from earrings to necklaces to cuffs.
“Wearing these extraordinary gems enriches our lives and changes the way we move though the world,” Ms Amfitheatrof said in a statement.
The jewelries, themselves, are epitomes of movement and allure. From a flexible bracelet with streams of round diamonds that encase square-cut and pear-shapes stones to an imposing ring with a 2.16-carat Fancy Intense Yellow Green diamond, the Blue Book 2016 sets capture and disperse light to create floating glows in solid shapes. A pinnacle in that regard is the sun-shaped pendant of 22.11-carat yellow sapphire that shines amid a crust of brilliant white diamonds.
Fealty to the potent sources of its inspiration – from the blazing sun to the deep ocean, the Blue Book 2016 strikes with its natural execution. Its purity, to a large extent, stems from Tiffany & Co.’s master stonecutters and setters, who have painstakingly arranged rows upon rows of tiny, bright gems around multi-carat central cuts.
A trio of dancing starfish covered in diamonds, sapphires and tsavorites as well as a slithering Octopus whose diamond-and-sapphire tentacles swirl around an outsized baroque pearl bespeak the brand’s unmatched techniques, in general, and the Blue Book 2016’s unparalleled brilliance, in particular.
“It is my privilege to work with the world’s most beautiful diamonds and artisans with incredible skill. These jewels with mixed-cut stones began as powerful ideas that turned into rough sketches, and, finally, intricate designs that shine with spirit and energy,” Ms Amfitheatrof said.
Boundless creativity and verve reign at the fetes Tiffany & Co. annually stages to unveil its legendary Blue Book collections. Last year’s edition debuted in a socialite-studded cocktail party in the chic ABC Kitchen restaurant in New York. Earlier collections have merited a gala at the Guggenheim museum as well as a soiree under a Tiffany jewelry box-shaped tent over the ice rink of the Rockefeller Center.
While Blue Book 2016 is still to officially premiere in its entirety, Best Actress Oscar nominee, Cate Blanchett wore three of its exquisite pieces to the red carpet of the 2016 Academy Awards ceremony recently. Opting for the platinum line, Blanchett stunned in drop earrings with marquise and round diamonds, starfish diamond bangle and a 2.30-carat round-diamond ring.
Bearing the legacy of more than 170 years of magnificent jewels, the Blue Book 2016 befits the most dazzling event in Hollywood.
