Tiffany & Co.

   Established 1837 in downtown New York City as Tiffany & Young, a stationery and fancy goods emporium by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young. In 1845, the company published its first catalog known as the Blue Book, a tradition that continues today. In 1886, the famous "Tiffany setting" was introduced (a six-prong solitaire diamond engagement ring), and, in 1853, the company name was changed to Tiffany & Co. Tiffany was the first to use the 925/1000 sterling standard, later adopted as the United States Sterling Standard and, in 1926, Tiffany's standard of purity for platinum became the official standard for platinum for the United States. In 1902, Louis Comfort Tiffany launched the Tiffany Art Jewelry department and, upon his father's death, assumed the role of artistic director. In 1940, Tiffany moved to its present headquarters on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, which was immortalized by Truman Capote's novel, Breakfast at Tiffany's, which was made into a film in 1961 starring Audrey Hepburn.

   Tiffany's collaborations with artists, designers, and architects began in 1956 with Parisian master jeweler, Jean Schlumberger, then Elsa Peretti in 1974, Paloma Picasso in 1980, and famous architect Frank Gehry in 2006. Trophies, handcrafted by Tiffany artisans, include the National Football League's Vince Lombardi Trophy (Super Bowl trophy beginning in 1967); the National Basketball Association's Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy; NASCAR's Nextel Cup Trophy (2004), which takes more than 135 hours to create; the U.S. Open Tennis Championship Trophy; and the Major League Baseball's World Series Trophy. Tiffany has been traded on the New York Stock Exchange since 1987. In 2001, the Tiffany & Co. Foundation was established in support of nonprofit groups dedicated to preserving the arts and environmental conservation. FIT was one of the first recipients in recognition of Elsa Peretti's 25th Anniversary with Tiffany and her contribution in the development of FIT's jewelry program. Jewelry and other products are still presented in the classic "Tiffany Blue Box," just as they were in 1837.