Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany & Co., also called Tiffany's, is a New York City-based luxury jewelry company founded in 1837.

Tiffany & Co. was founded n 1837 as Tiffany & Young by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young. It began as a stationery store, then slowly expanded to other offerings like silverware and eventually jewelry. Tiffany and Young was renamed Tiffany, Young & Ellis in 1841 after J.L. Ellis joined the leadership team. Charles Tiffany bought out Young's and Ellis's shares in the company in 1853, making him the sole owner, upon which he renamed the company Tiffany & Co.

The Tiffany Yellow Diamond necklace. The yellow diamond is one of the largest ever discovered, purchased by Charles Tiffany in 1878.

Tiffany's became well-known for its diamonds beginning in the 1840s when Charles Tiffany began using diamonds in his jewelry that he purchased from European aristocrats; this made diamonds much more accessible to the American public. Tiffany's began making gold jewelry in 1868, which also expanded the access of such to the public. The company has introduced other gemstones to the American public, like kunzite, tanzanite, tsavorite, and morganite.

Tiffany's flagship store opened in New York on the corner of 57th Street and Fifth Avenue in 1940. The flagship store was featured in the famous 1961 Audrey Hepburn movie Breakfast at Tiffany's, which was filmed inside the store. Other movies filmed in the store were Sleepless in Seattle, released in 1993, and Sweet Home Alabama in 2002.

Tiffany & Co. was officially acquired by LVMH in January 2021, after a legal battle between the two companies was resolved. LVMH originally agreed to acquire Tiffany's in 2019. In September 2020, LVMH attempted to pull out of the deal after Tiffany's reported mostly underwhelming profits for the year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. LVMH pursued an exit from the deal under the guise of Tiffany's having breached obligations in the merger agreement the two companies signed. This led to Tiffany's filing a lawsuit against LVMH for not honoring its side of the agreement. Case proceedings were expedited due to the approaching date of the deal completion. On October 26, 2020, all regulatory approvals needed for the deal were approved, and new terms were negotiated between Tiffany's and LVMH. By the end of December 2020, a new deal had been reached with LVMH paying slightly less for Tiffany's than the original amount agreed upon.

Tiffany's offers a wide collection of luxury jewelry, including bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings, brooches, and watches.

Some key charms in the Tiffany Key collection.

An original Return to Tiffany's key ring.

Some of Tiffany's jewelry lines have been sold for decades, and some for over a century. The Tiffany Setting, Tiffany's first engagement ring line, was introduced in 1886 and is still sold today. In 1969, the Return to Tiffany's key ring was released. Each key ring was in the shape of a heart and had a serial number that registered the owner to Tiffany's, so that it could be reunited with its owner if lost and returned to the flagship store. The iconic heart-shaped key ring charms went on to inspire a jewelry line based around the same charms. The Tiffany Keys line launched in 2009 and the Tiffany T line in 2014.

A Tiffany Setting engagement ring.

Tiffany's launched a luxury home goods line in 2017, as well as a perfume and fragrances line.

In 2000, the Tiffany & Co. Foundation was founded. The Foundation focuses on protecting natural resources, specifically through marine conservation (including coral) and responsible mining practices. In 2015, Tiffany's pledged to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. Tiffany's released its Tiffany Save the Wild jewelry collection in 2017, with all profits donated to the Wildlife Conservation Network and a pledge for donations to total $4 million by December 2019. The company pledged a donation of $1 million towards efforts to preserve the Great Barrier Reef in 2018. In 2019, Tiffany's launched its Diamond Source Initiative, which provides transparent source information on all new diamonds.