Rago Auctions

The legendary French jewelry designer Jean Schlumberger joined Tiffany & Co. in 1956, where he was furnished with his own studio and any gemstone he could want. In no time at all, Schlumberger orchestrated the mounting of the famed 128.54 carat Tiffany Diamond into the now–iconic Ribbon Rosette necklace, an ambitious undertaking that the company today describes as "a bold move that solidified Schlumberger’s artistic role at Tiffany."

Schlumberger drew inspiration from nature, world travels, and his own family's vocation as textile designers – many of Schlumberger's Tiffany & Co. designs feature jewel–encrusted tassels as well as rope motifs. Each of his designs began with a sketch, dynamic forms that would come to life with precious metals and colorful jewels. As Schlumberger himself once put it, "I try to make everything look as if it were growing, uneven, at random, organic, in motion." His vision and skill earned his jewelry many devotees, among them Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn,Jacqueline Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, and Vogue editor Diana Vreeland, and his legacy continues today through Tiffany & Co. Schlumberger's original designs are held in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.