The chicken is again. A large model of Tiffany’s iconic Bird on a Rock might be seen perched atop Shanghai’s West Bund Orbit exhibition corridor on March 14 for a excessive jewellery occasion to launch the brand new “Bird on a Pearl” assortment in China.
The avian theme continued throughout the stylish new riverside house as invited company obtained a primary glimpse of the House’s latest assortment, alongside lots of of Tiffany excessive jewellery items displayed in nature-themed settings.
The same large chicken was final noticed in the course of the opening of Tiffany’s Shanghai Taikoo Li Qiantan retailer in December 2023.
In our latest partnership characteristic, Jing Daily analyzes how the legacy motif is proving to be a feather in Tiffany’s cap because the LVMH model seeks to outline its positioning on the pinnacle of excessive jewellery and drive want within the China market via unique merchandise and occasions.
Tiffany’s China focus aligns with Bain-Altagamma’s Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study 2023, which confirmed effective jewellery as “a bright spot for investment amid uncertainty … favored by top spenders on the ultra-high offer, with unfolding demand for excellence and durability.”
Tiffany first launched Jean Schlumberger’s Bird on a Rock design in 1965. Inspired by the yellow-crested cockatoos that the jeweler encountered on his travels within the Caribbean and in Asia, the playful motif has maintained its attract for almost 60 years and continues to encourage new collections.
Bird on a Pearl is the latest reimagining, highlighting uncommon pure saltwater pearls enlivened with the signature chicken motif. The pearls are prized for his or her distinctive measurement, form and luster, with pure colours various from pink to grey, brown and yellow.
“With the richness of their hues, the pearls chosen for this majestic collection transcribe the four seasons through a colorful and luminescent palette,” says Nathalie Verdeille, Chief Artistic Officer, Jewelry and High Jewelry, Tiffany & Co.
Among the capsule highlights are a brooch impressed by an archival Schlumberger acorn motif, that includes a chicken perched on a button pearl, and the Bird on a Pearl necklace, with 5 birds fluttering round a pure saltwater pearl strand that totals over 325 carats.
Bird on a Rock achieved international renown in 1995 when it was set atop one other Tiffany icon, the 128.54-carat “The Tiffany Diamond,” as a part of a Jean Schlumberger retrospective on the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. This assembly of motifs was revisited when it was reset as a pendant with 5 birds fluttering across the well-known diamond for the reopening of Tiffany’s flagship retailer at Fifth Avenue in New York, The Landmark, in 2023.
The identical yr, the idea was expanded to incorporate a full suite of designs spanning pendants, necklaces, rings, earrings, brooches, and timepieces, incorporating the signature chicken in several stances and in flight.
As a part of Tiffany’s rising “Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany” assortment in honor of the prolific Twentieth-century designer, the “Bird on a Rock” capsules have debuted in seasonal phases, maximizing the thrill and desirability of every subsequent launch.
Among these have been the “Diamond Bird on a Rock” and “Rainbow Bird on a Rock.” The latter contains a kaleidoscope of colourful gems, together with a 44-carat amethyst and 44-carat inexperienced cuprian elbaite tourmaline.
Swiss-made timepieces encrusted in diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds have additionally been launched with mechanisms that allow the gem stones and chicken to “fly” across the dial because the wearer strikes.
Invited company on the “Bird on a Pearl” launch in Shanghai may additionally expertise up-close encounters with Rainbow Bird on a Rock and different items from the Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany and Blue Book 2023 collections, among the many lots of of excessive jewellery items on show.
Key to attracting the world’s most discerning excessive jewellery consumers is buying the world’s most valuable gem stones, and the provenance and traceability of gems has maybe by no means been extra vital to shoppers.
Since Charles Lewis Tiffany purchased the 287.42-carat tough yellow diamond in 1878, which was lastly reduce to namesake 128.54-carat “The Tiffany Diamond,” the House’s pursuit of the best pure gems has been an important a part of its model story.
Due to overfishing and the state of the oceans, pure saltwater pearls have turn out to be very uncommon, driving up the worth and desirability of the “Bird on a Pearl” assortment.
The pure pearls from a personal assortment be part of Tiffany’s spectacular record of recent gemstone acquisitions. These embrace a final curation of rare pink diamonds from the now-closed Argyle Mine in Australia, the largest rough Fancy Vivid Yellow diamonds found in Canada, and the ten+-carat Muzo emerald from Columbia.
Since being acquired by LVMH in 2021, Tiffany has set its sights on China’s top-end market via an upgraded retail community and a give attention to its excessive jewellery and “Icons” collections, coupled with unique launches and occasions in key Chinese cities.
The home grew gross sales to five.1 billion euros ($5.54 billion) in 2022 from 3 billion euros ($3.26 billion) in 2020 and is forecast to achieve 7.4 billion euros ($8.04 billion) in 2025. Despite a difficult yr, LVMH’s watches and jewellery section recorded organic revenue growth of 7 percent in 2023, with the corporate noting “powerful creative momentum” for its watch and jewellery manufacturers, significantly Tiffany & Co., Bulgari, and TAG Heuer.
In the Bain-Altagamma luxurious report, mainland China, Generations Y, Z, and Alpha, and monobrand shops had been singled out as pivotal forces set to reshape the posh items market by 2030. Tiffany & Co. has clearly taken observe.
Over the previous yr, Tiffany has been wooing the China market with new boutiques in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Zhengzhou incorporating retail ideas from The Landmark in New York. For the primary time in historical past, the jeweler unveiled its Blue Book 2023 Fall excessive jewellery assortment exterior of New York, with a personal occasion in Shanghai final October.
In addition to the brand new retail and clienteling experiences, the latest occasion in Shanghai was one other probability for Chinese luxurious shoppers to discover the model’s historical past and work together with Tiffany’s best items. As the enormous chicken twinkled on the Shanghai skyline, it was clear that Bird on a Rock’s unconventional and optimistic perspective is a great means for Tiffany & Co. to unfold its wings in China.
