Charles Lewis Tiffany founded Tiffany & Co., a prestigious seller of jewelry and luxury goods. He started as a clerk and opened a stationery store in New York City in 1837. The company expanded to include silverware and jewelry, and set up shop in Paris. Tiffany set the standard for 925 sterling silver and opened shops in London and Geneva. The company still sells high-end jewelry, stationery supplies, perfumes, watches, fine china, and crystal.
Charles Lewis Tiffany is the founder of Tiffany & Co., one of the best known and most prestigious sellers of jewelry, silverware and other fine products for the home. Born in Killingly, Connecticut on February 15, 1812, Charles Lewis Tiffany was working as a clerk at age 15 in a store owned by his father. He opened a stationery store in New York City in 1937 with his friend, John Young, and the business continued to grow into a highly successful business known for quality, luxury products.
Charles Lewis Tiffany and John Young began adding silverware and jewelry to their line of stationery products. In 1948, their company began making its own jewelry and they set up shop in Paris. In 1883, Charles Lewis Tiffany and John Young were producing high quality silverware, including official royal designs for Queen Victoria. Soon, the company began selling stained glass Tiffany lamps designed by Charles Lewis Tiffany’s son, Louis Comfort Tiffany. Louis Comfort Tiffany started out painting landscapes but then became a decorative artist creating stained glass, mosaics and lamps.
In 1851, Charles Lewis Tiffany set the standard for 925 sterling silver. Because pure silver is too soft on its own, copper or other metal alloys must be added to allow the silver to form into jewelry and other items. According to Charles Lewis Tiffany’s quality standards still followed today, silver jewelry must be at least 92.5% pure silver, with the remaining 7.5% being a metal alloy. Tiffany also opened a shop in Paris in 1851.
By 1868, Charles Lewis Tiffany had opened a Tiffany’s in London and one in Geneva. Tiffany had a large investment in diamonds and was selling them at a large profit. After his purchase and then the extremely profitable sale of some of the French crown jewels in 1887, Charles Lewis Tiffany received the nickname “The King of Diamonds” from journalists.
Tiffany & Co. still remains a popular source of high quality luxury goods. The company still primarily sells jewelry, including engagement rings and other sterling silver and gold pieces. Charles Lewis’ company Tiffany still sells many of the high-end stationery supplies that he sold in the early days, and also carries other products such as perfumes and watches. In addition to silverware, Tiffany & Co. also sells fine china and crystal.
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