Architectural accessories
Synonymous with refined New York-style luxury, jeweler Tiffany & Co. has signed up California-based Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry to enhance its conservative image with a little left-field design credibility. The stellar collaboration has resulted in six lines of jewelry, each drawing on motifs from the star architect's oeuvre, including fish, folds and orchids.
Working closely with Tiffany's veteran craftsmen, Gehry has applied his signature angular undulations to materials like ebony, black gold, opal, oxidized silver and agate. These gently twisting fluid forms, with their striking plays on light, push the restrained Tiffany's sensibility right to the limit.
It is 20 years since the snooty Big Apple brand last asked an outside designer to work on its behalf, and for those keen to own a piece of this historic collection without breaking the bank, the least expensive of the tasteful rings from the Torque range goes for around 40,000 yen. At the other end of the spectrum is a diamond brooch modeled on the floor plan for Gehry's much heralded Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, which retails for close to $1 million.