It is a necklace for sheikhs. But sheikhs with a particularly generous bank account for the jewel that Tiffany & Co. has prepared for the Tiffany event in Dubai at the end of November. At the heart of the jewel is a super gem: The Empire Diamond, an impeccable 80-carat oval-cut stone. The diamond, in fact, is valued at over 28 million dollars and, moreover, it is not alone: the World’s Fair Necklace also includes other 578 diamonds for 180 carats (353 round brilliant and 224 baguettes). The necklace thus becomes the most expensive piece of fine jewelry ever created in its 184-year history by Tiffany, valued at $ 30 million.
The jewel also has another peculiarity: it was designed on the model of a historic necklace created by Tiffany on the occasion of the 1939 Universal Exposition. With one difference: the original necklace did not have a large diamond in the center, but an aquamarine from 200 carats. The idea for the new necklace was born after someone in Tiffany found the draft of the original necklace. But it took two years for The Empire Diamond necklace to be designed.
The stone in the center, the Empire Diamond was mined in Botswana, and then cut and polished in Israel, before being used and set by Tiffany in New York City. The stone can also be removed from the necklace and mounted on a ring, with the help of a Tiffany jeweler made available to convert the piece when desired.
In Dubai, in any case, Tiffany also exhibits jewels from her Blue Book. The exhibition space has a color palette inspired by the famous Louis Comfort Tiffany glass lamps. Inside one of the rooms are presented the Loose Stones, which include both the rarest colored gems and those that are part of the brand’s tradition (morganite, tsavorite and tanzanite) that Tiffany introduced over the last century. Another salon is a tribute to the legendary designer of the Maison, Jean Schlumberger, with his fantastic creations full of ingenuity and creativity.
