It’s almost 70 years since French jewellery designer Jean Schlumberger joined as the Vice President of Tiffany & Co., a company that gave him the freedom to create innovative, daring designs that were unprecedented at the time.
The collaboration ushered in an entirely new chapter for the world of jewellery, in which his unfettered creative approach let nature and the cosmos take the lead. With a treasure trove of vibrant, rare-coloured gemstones and diamonds at his fingertips, he revived a post-war
public’s inclination towards a bolder, brighter, stronger colour palette.
After he mounted the famous 128.54-carat Tiffany Diamond on a high-jewellery design for the first time, heritage pieces soon followed – the Cooper bracelet in 1956; the technically impressive Sixteen Stone diamond ring in 1959; his intricate paillonné Enamel bangles and bold coloured rings; and, perhaps most recognised of all, Jean Schlumberger’s Bird on a Rock brooch in 1965, featuring the Tiffany Yellow Diamond.
A self-taught artist with no formal training, Jean Schlumberger’s designs were first conceived as drawings, his sketches distinguished by a strong sculptural quality.
“Drawing is of fundamental importance because it is the only means of expression I have, and the sketch is the only link between the three members of that complex and disparate trio, formed by the client, craftsman and creator,” he said poetically.
Bringing the world to life, Jean Schlumberger sketched everywhere from Bali and Thailand to his home on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, his designs inspired by everything from exotic birds to fantasy worlds.
Known for his signature paillonné enamel style, his innovative use of 18k yellow gold, and a love of nature’s polychromatic palette that played out in his use of vivid-hued gemstones, his influence on the world of jewellery is incalculable.
Forever part of Tiffany & Co.’s heart and heritage, both the Maison’s Blue Book 2024: Tiffany Céleste and the new 2025 High Jewellery campaign celebrate the artistry, heritage and extraordinary craftsmanship of Jean Schlumberger through some of his most emblematic designs.
Paying tribute to his legacy of uplifting spectacular gemstones, the 2025 High Jewellery campaign showcases the Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Bird on a Rock brooch with pear-shaped and round brilliant diamonds, along with custom-cut baguette diamonds. The indelible diamond bird motif has then been masterfully mounted on a stunning D-colour, cushion-cut diamond of over 25 carats.
Also featured is a Bird on a Rock watch – an extraordinary white-gold timepiece with a diamond-encrusted bird motif that moves gracefully around the dial following the path of 36 baguette diamonds of over four total carats – and Bird on a Rock earrings in platinum and yellow gold with diamonds.
While Jean Schlumberger died in 1987 at the age of 80, his legacy of bejewelled flowers, ocean life, birds, and the universe lives on. But it’s his legendary relationship with Tiffany & Co. that proves the most enduring of all.
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