GREEN ROOM MEMBERS

One of the 20th century’s most gifted artists, Jean Schlumberger (1907–1987) created objects of unparalleled beauty. He was a man of refined taste—an artist who conceived spectacular jeweled statements with an incredible sense of dimension and life. Schlumberger was uninhibited in his conceptualizations of flora and fauna, at once representing and creating a unique fusion of natural forms to create his distinctive designs. His innovative and imaginative designs are inspired by everything from deep-water shells and exotic plants to fantastical birds. Endless hybrids evolve from animals, vegetables and minerals; a starfish becomes a star and a flower a sun—a bird’s plumage transforms into an angel’s wing. Deeply imaginative, Schlumberger’s magnificent creations are enduring icons that reflect both the artist’s ingenuity and the technical virtuosity of TiffanY'S expert craftsmanship.

Born in 1907 into a prominent family of textile manufacturers in Alsace, France, Schlumberger demonstrated a talent for drawing from a young age. Despite his constant sketching, his parents, dissuading him from pursuing the arts, sent him to Berlin in the 1930s to seek a career as a banker—but Schlumberger had other plans for himself.

In his early 20s, Schlumberger moved to Paris where he could hone his creative impulses and love for the arts. He got a job working for French couturier, Lucien Lelong, then subsequently worked at a Parisian art publishing house. He reveled in Paris’ vibrant and eccentric zeitgeist, drawn to the originality and novelty that saturated 1930s Parisian culture. A lover of antiques and without the financial means to acquire materials, Schlumberger would stroll through the Marche des Puces, the Paris flea market, looking for relics of Victoriana like serpents and cherubs or colored glass objects. One day, Schlumberger found Meissen porcelain flowers adorning an old chandelier he came across and turned them into elegant clips for his sophisticated friend circle. Schlumberger’s porcelain clips were an instant hit.

Creating new jewelry designs inspired by his discoveries, word of Schlumberger’s talents spread fast. Receiving sufficient requests for his designs to enable him to quit his regular job, he began to focus exclusively on jewelry. Opening an atelier on rue de la Boetie, Jean Schlumberger quickly became the sought-after purveyor of exceptional jewelry for the Parisian elite. In 1937, fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, too, learned of Schlumberger’s artistic genius, impressed by his earrings she saw the Duchess of Kent wearing.

By the end of the 1930s, Schlumberger had branched off and became a success story in his own right. He created hat pins for Madame Suzy, strappy heeled sandals for Delman—lauded on both sides of the Atlantic for his exceptional designs. After serving in the French Army during World War II, Schlumberger moved to New York. In Manhattan, he crossed paths with childhood friend, Nicolas Bongard, who was designing handmade buttons. In 1947, the pair opened a small salon together; and soon thereafter, Schlumberger’s clips of jeweled birds and sea creatures were seen on the most fashionable women. The legendary partnership between Tiffany & Co. and Jean Schlumberger began in 1956, when Walter Hoving, then chairman of Tiffany & Co., asked Schlumberger to join the company as vice president. Schlumberger agreed, ushering an unprecedented chapter in the world of jewelry design. With vibrant rare colored gemstones and diamonds at his fingertips, Schlumberger worked out of his personal design studio and salon on the mezzanine floor of the original Tiffany & Co. Fifth Avenue flagship store. Schlumberger created some of Tiffany’s most iconic designs including the Bird on a Rock clip, his intricate paillonné enamel bangles and bold colored rings, the Cooper bracelet and the Sixteen Stone diamond ring.