Francesca Amfitheatrof Unveils First Collection for Tiffany & Co.’s Legendary Blue Book

By Linden Wilson Jobe // Apr 4, 2015

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Necklace of aquamarines and turquoise set with diamonds in a fluid platinum setting

Bracelet with a 21.04-carat round aquamarine in a sea of mixed-cut gemstones, including spessartites, tsavorites, sapphires and diamonds with an underlay of aquamarines in 18K yellow and white gold; bracelet with a 32.05-carat cushion-cut rubellite and an underlay of pink sapphires, with diamonds and 18K white gold in a coral motif

We were thunderstruck by newly minted Tiffany & Co. design director Francesca Amfitheatrof’s first collection for the legendary Tiffany Blue Book, the Holy Writ of haute joaillerie— or high jewelry, in American lingo. Blue Book is an August publication that accompanies an annual collection of gems and jewelry of the highest order. The book alone is coveted by those who recognize the world’s most important jewels and has been delivered to clients since 1845 by carriage or Internet. This year’s collection is undeniably special, stepping away from the traditional and moving in a more daring direction.

Francesca Amfitheatrof studies a piece from The Art of the Sea. — Francesca Amfitheatrof studies a piece from her The Art of the Sea collection for the Tiffany Blue Book

The result is bold, yes, but the sheer magnitude of exquisite stones, workmanship and design grace has launched Amfitheatrof into the jewel stratosphere. She titled her collection The Art of the Sea, and all the pieces are linked by that force of nature: They flow and ebb and whirl, but each stands alone as a totem to glamour. The Pebble ring hugs 400 exquisite blue diamonds — and it’s a rarity to acquire such rare stones in such number. South Sea white, golden and Tahitian cultured pearls are lustrous orbs perched in a nest of diamonds. A robin’s-egg-sized 21-carat chrysocolla sits in a whorl of blue sapphires. The sensational group has us yearning for a lavish seaside villa, to swan about and sip cocktails in the company of earrings with blue tourmalines that shimmer like sea spray. The collection represents the Tiffany & Co. Foundation’s support of coral conservation and its commitment to responsibly sourcing diamonds and precious metals. Debuting this month, the avant-garde assemblage of 200 one-of-a-kind jewels ranges from $100,000 to $6 million.