The American luxury jewellery and design house celebrated the festive season with special events in the United Arab Emirates. The Tiffany & Co. ‘Constellation of Love’ activities are now over in Abu Dhabi but you can still enjoy an afternoon tea or ‘breakfast at Tiffany’s’ in Dubai.
Abu Dhabi
Bringing the holiday magic to the city, last December Tiffany & Co. unveiled a festive takeover of Abu Dhabi in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Retail. The Constellation of Love, as they called it, was on between December 4 to January 10. The brand attired emblematic places of Abu Dhabi in robin’s-egg blue – the iconic Tiffany colour, trademarked since 1998 (now called the ‘1837 Blue’ in the Pantone® scale).
Marina Mall and The Galleria Al Maryah Island showcased festive windows with emblematic motifs, like the Tiffany Blue Box and Jean Schlumberger’s ‘Bird on a Rock’ designs; Jubail Mangrove Park offered a serene retreat in the nature in Tiffany style, while Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi indulged its guests with a Tiffany & Co. bespoke afternoon tea around the enchanting festive Tiffany blue tree. At the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation – a nonprofit institution founded by HE Bassam Said Freiha on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island Cultural District – the brand set up a small pop-up booth celebrating Jean Schlumberger’s legacy.
About Jean Schlumberger
Jean Schlumberger (1907–1987) was a legendary French designer from Alsace. In his early years he was a creative partner to the revolutionary Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli by creating collections of fantasy buttons and costume jewellery.
After serving in the French Army during World War II, Schlumberger moved to New York. His clips of jewelled birds and sea creatures made him soon famous in the high society of the city. In 1956 Walter Hoving, then chairman of Tiffany & Co., asked Schlumberger to join the company as vice president.
Schlumberger created some of Tiffany’s most iconic designs including the Bird on a Rock clip, his intricate paillonné enamel bangles and bold coloured rings, the Cooper bracelet and the Sixteen Stone diamond ring. He was the one who got the chance to create the setting for the 128.54-carat fancy yellow Tiffany Diamond. This became the Ribbon Rosette necklace with the amazing yellow gem as the centerpiece. (As of today the extraordinary gem has been mounted in five jewels – two times in jewels by Schlumberger. You can find the latest setting here, showcased in Tokyo at the Tiffany Wonder exhibition last year.)
The Sixteen Stone was designed by him in 1959 as a wedding ring. Inspired by his family’s roots as textile manufacturers in Alsace, France, Schlumberger became renowned for his ability to transform precious metals into intricately woven ropes, tassels, ribbons and cross-stitches. The Sixteen Stone ring features eight cross-stitches placed amongst 16 diamonds, symbolising strength and connection.
He created amazing jewels inspired by flora and fauna, from sea to sky. The most famous ones are the Bird on a Rock pieces. The design conceived in 1965, after Schlumberger encountered a yellow cockatoo on his travels in Asia and the Caribbean. His bird was decorated with diamonds and tiny paillonné enamel pieces. Ever since, the bird motif has perched on the world’s most remarkable diamonds and coloured gemstones, on high jewellery pieces and watches. (See a few Schlumberger designs below from former Phillips and Christie’s auctions.)
In the company’s high jewellery collection in 2023 the bird design received a prominent place once again – the first Bird on a Rock collection was presented with a full suite of designs inspired by the iconic brooch.
The Blue Book 2024: Tiffany Céleste was launched last spring and it includes jewels inspired by archival Jean Schlumberger sketches and designs. As Nathalie Verdeille, Chief Artistic Officer, Jewelry and High Jewelry, Tiffany & Co. shared – ‘Our exploration into [Jean Schlumberger’s] work began with Blue Book 2023: Out of the Blue. We immersed ourselves into the depths of the ocean to reinterpret his fantastical vision of the aquatic world. For Blue Book 2024: Tiffany Céleste, in contrast with the sea, the stars provided a new lens to rediscover the extent of Jean Schlumberger’s fantasy world.’
Schlumberger remains one of only four jewellers who have signed their creations for Tiffany & Co., alongside Paloma Picasso, Elsa Peretti and Frank Gehry.
Dubai
One of the most famous breakfasts throughout the history of film making was the one at Tiffany’s. Based on Truman Capote’s novel, the Breakfast at Tiffany’s American romantic comedy film with Audrey Hepburn made the already well known jewellery brand a household name. Holly Golightly is having a take away cup of coffee and some pastry in front of the shop windows of Tiffany at 727 5th Ave, New York.
Tiffany & Co.’s retail dining concept, The Blue Box Café was launched in 2017 and offers much more than that. The first Blue Box Cafe opened at Tiffany’s flagship New York City store that year. Since its reopening in 2023 New York’s Michelin-starred Chef Daniel Boulud and Blue Box Café Executive Chef Raphaelle Bergeon offer a seasonally inspired menu to the visitors.
The New York jewellery brand opened Europe’s first Blue Box Cafe at Harrods, London in 2020; then a pop-up in Miami, one in UAE in The Dubai Mall and last year a new Cafe in Hong Kong.
As I was in town, I really wanted to try the Blue Box Café Dubai. The design in the UAE location is of course based on the iconic colour of Tiffany, with playful touches like big plate wall arts and a unique concrete tile floor adorned with multicolour accents designed by Peter Marino – the renowned architect who led the transformation of the The Landmark, Tiffany & Co.’s 10-story Manhattan luxury retail temple. (He was also responsible for the ‘complete experience’ at Dior’s historic flagship on Avenue Montaigne, which we visited in 2022.)
The dishes are served on Tiffany T True dinnerware in Tiffany Blue®, crafted from Limoges porcelain. This high-quality hard-paste porcelain is produced by factories in and around the city of Limoges, France since the late 18th century.
In the last years we can witness a rise of gastronomy experiences by luxury brands – Armani, among the pioneers, Dior, Gucci, Bulgari, Ralph Lauren and many others opened up their own aesthetically pleasing restaurants and cafes all around the world. Although I love the concept, the result highly depends on the hospitality partner the brands are working with. Thoughtfully maintaining brand values, image and deliver a comprehensive luxury experience for the clients is not easy. A sophisticated culinary adventure serves as an entry-level encounter for those who are not customers yet and as a special treat for loyal devotees of the brand. Yet, sometimes not matching the high expectations it could be a disappointment.
Not in this case. The Blue Box Café Dubai was created in partnership with RIKAS Hospitality Group, founded by Rizwan Kassim. The group’s portfolio includes operations across restaurants, beach clubs, and cafes with different cuisines based principally in Dubai. The menu is inspired by Tiffany & Co.’s New York heritage – it offers three signature options for elevated daytime dining: the famously chic Breakfast at Tiffany’s, an enchanting afternoon tea, and luxuriously casual all-day dining with a delicate French touch. The lively colours meet similar flavours and the service is very attentive yet relaxed, making it a truly pleasant easygoing but high-end dining experience.
The festive season is over, but the Blue Box Café Dubai remains in the city at the Tiffany & Co. flagship boutique in the Dubai Mall, enjoy a lunch, a coffee and their signature cheese cake with friends!
Photo credits: Tiffany & Co. Phillips Auctioneers, LLC. Christie’s. Loupiosity.com
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