History of Tiffany and Co.
When Charles Lewis Tiffany traveled from England to New York in 1837, he had the idea of establishing a jewelry company. Little did he know how successful he was going to be! Together with his school friend, John Young, Tiffany opened his first store in Manhattan, with the idea of finding unique, attractive jewels and offering them to the city’s well off folk. The store’s fame was sealed after it managed to get hold of some of the French crown jewels in 1887 and the store became synonymous for the very best place to shop for rare pieces.
Tiffany went on to produce many firsts in the world of jewelry and design. It was the first company in the United States to produce a retail catalogue and the first American company to be recognized by a European jury for its designs. The company also set the official standard for platinum purity in the US.
In 1902, Tiffany’s son Louis Comfort Tiffany established the Tiffany Art Jewelry section to showcase his own jewelry and enamel designs.
In 1940, Tiffany and Co. moved to its present location on Fifth Avenue at 57 th Street and in 1963, the company created its first domestic store outside of New York – in San Francisco. In 1972, the first international store in Japan was opened and since then, the company has steadily expanded its presence to reach all four corners of the globe.
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