Charles Lewis Tiffany

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Charles Lewis Tiffany
Charles Lewis Tiffany (left) in his shop (around 1887)

Charles Lewis Tiffany (born February 15, 1812 in Killingly , Connecticut , † February 18, 1902 in New York) was an American jeweler and co-founder of the Tiffany & Co.

Life

At the age of 15 he became a clerk in his father's store, but went to New York City in 1837 , where he opened a clothing store with his school friend, John B. Young . On the first day of sale, their sales were four dollars and 98 cents.

In 1847 the company started producing gold jewelry . When the revolution of 1848/49 caused a great loss in the value of precious gemstones in Europe, Tiffany invested heavily in diamonds , which he sold a few years later for a large profit.

The company was called Tiffany, Young & Ellis from 1841 and was reorganized into Tiffany & Company in 1853 with the retirement of the partners Young and Ellis .

In 1851 the company established sterling silver with a fineness of .925. This standard was later adopted by other jewelers. In the same year a branch was opened in Paris .

In 1858, Tiffany bought unused parts of the Atlantic telegraph cable , which he reworked into walking stick handles or sold in parts.

At the beginning of the American Civil War , he sensed how hard the jewelry industry would suffer and therefore switched to the production of swords , medals and militaria .

The Tiffany Blue Book was first published in 1845 and was the first mail-order catalog in the United States. The catalog contained a collection of outstanding jewelry.

From the very beginning, the world has been enchanted by the unmistakable Tiffany Blue Box . Charles Lewis Tiffany made sure that the coveted packaging could only be acquired with a purchase from Tiffany. In 1906 the New York Sun read: “There's one thing at Tiffany's that you can't buy for all the money in the world. It's only given as a gift: his Blue Box. "

Tiffany received the Medal of Merit at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1867 . This was the first time that an American company had received an award from European judges. In 1868 the company became a registered stock corporation and opened side shops in London and Geneva . Tiffany specialized in importing old jewelry as well as old jewels and works of art. In 1887 he bought part of the French crown jewels for half a million dollars.

Tiffany & Co. shop on Vienna's Kohlmarkt (2009)

His customers included the highest circles in the world. In 1878 he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor . He was also appointed purveyor to the imperial and royal court and kept this award until his death.

family

He was married to Harriet Olivia Avery Young, with whom he had 6 children:

  • Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933)
  • Charles Lewis Tiffany, Jr. (born 1842)
  • Annie Olivia Tiffany Mitchell (born 1844)
  • Louise Harriet Tiffany (born 1856)
  • Henry Charles Tiffany (born 1858)
  • Burnett Young Tiffany (born 1860)

Son Louis continued the business. With his imaginative jewelry and his lamps and windows made of colored glass, he was at the top of the Art Nouveau movement.

literature

Web links

Commons : Charles Lewis Tiffany  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. biography.com
  2. ^ A b Charles Lewis Tiffany. Tiffany & Co., December 23, 2009; accessed December 23, 2009 .
  3. tiffany.de
  4. tiffany.de
  5. tiffany.de