A flight into Tiffany & Co.’s latest Bird on a Pearl high jewellery collection

Life

Inside a private chalet in the snow-swept luxury enclave of Gstaad, Switzerland, Tiffany & Co has taken up residency to present its latest one-of-a-kind high jewellery capsule collections. On hand is Victoria Reynolds, the house’s chief gemologist – who next year will celebrate 40 years with the company. But even after all that time, and all the endless presentations she has been a part of, Reynolds is still wowed by what the brand has been able to bring to life – this time in this tiny mountain village. “Isn’t this extraordinary?” she says gesturing around her to a series of traditional cuckoo clocks mounted on the walls. Tiffany & Co refurbished them as charming abodes for the brand’s latest series of unique Bird on a Pearl creations. Pearching each bejewelled bird in the centre of an individual clock, instantly telegraphing a message of whimsical sophistication. The mise-en-scene could not have been more picturesque. With the Swiss Alps as a backdrop, and a freshly fallen snow turning the entire town a pristine white, the environs became the perfect counterpoint to the luminescent pearls, large vibrant gemstones and shimmering diamond embellishments on display.

“For my 39 years with Tiffany – I started when I was twenty-three years old – I have been completely blown away by the craftsmanship and innovation that Jean Schlumberger had,” Reynolds says, of the man who created the first Bird on a Rock in 1965. Originally inspired by a yellow cockatoo, the brand’s chief artistic officer Nathalie Verdeille has given the iconic bejewelled winged creatures a modern reinterpretation across a series of new iterations. This includes a new round of Bird on a Pearl designs – after the original offering found international success when it first debuted in 2023. Pearls, the gemologist explains, are unlike any other gem on the planet. “The pearl is a reflection of the ecosystem that it’s formed in. And that’s what I find so fascinating,” Reynolds shares. “They’re one of the most nuanced, interesting gemstones to work with because of their unique colour – you have platinum pearls, you have aubergine pearls, you have pistachio colored pearls.” The latest Bird on a Pearl collection once again places Jean Schlumberger’s iconic motif in conversation with some of the rarest natural saltwater pearls in existence – drawn exclusively from the private collection of Hussein Al Fardan. Making this the fourth time the house has collaborated with the Qatari businessman and premier expert in natural Gulf pearls. His long family history of working in the pearl industry means that Al Fardan has what is considered to be the world’s most extensive private collection of natural pearls.

For Reynolds, the connection feels almost preordained as she recounts the story of when she discovered that Mr. Al Fardan had in his private collection a first edition copy of The Book of the Pearl: The History, Art, Science, and Industry of the Queen of Gems, written by Tiffany & Co’s first chief gemologist Dr. George Frederick Kunz in 1908, which is considered to be the definitive book on the topic of pearls. “I literally got shivers when I saw him pull out that book,” recalls Reynolds. In the new capsule, those nuances in each of the pearls became the foundation of the visual narrative. The rich chocolate brown hue of one pearl is accented by feathers on the bird poised above it, crafted out of cognac diamonds. Or another clever new design in the collection sees the head of a number of different birds carved out of different coloured star sapphires. Once again chosen to be perfectly in tune with the pearl it has been paired with. And no description of this new collection would be complete without paying homage to one showstopping high jewellery brooch set with a glossy orangy brown and white baroque natural saltwater pearl, clocking in at 36.79 carats and designed to look like a heart bursting forth with diamond festooned wings of love. It sold almost instantaneously and has all the hallmarks of becoming one of those designs that is referenced for generations. Every piece on display is an elegant balancing act of bold imagination and technical precision.

But for Reynolds, it is not perfection that captivates, it is individuality. “In their imperfection is their perfection. It makes them perfect. That makes them unique. No two are the same,” she says of the pearls. “The luster, the skin, the shape, the primary colour, the secondary colour.” Her relationship with Mr. Al Fardan has transformed her understanding of these treasures. Visiting his collection, she says, “it’s a little bit of a religious experience because you’re working with somebody who loves these things as much as you do” The reverence is palpable, and so is the rarity. “These things do not exist anymore. They’re rare because the world doesn’t produce them anymore,” Reynolds explains, who feels that helping to “lift up the rarity and the beauty” of natural Gulf pearls feels both urgent and necessary for a house that is now historically connected to them. But the impressive Bird on a Pearl pieces were not the only highly imaginative offering Tiffany & Co. had on hand to surprise its clientele who had been flying into Gstaad all week for private viewings. Reynolds also introduced Love Birds – a high jewellery concept born from gemstone pairings discovered years in advance. “For all of our global collections, we’re working three years out,” Reynolds explains as she points out that with this collection the house made the rather daring decision to only sell the pieces as pairs – as love birds. Each unique duo has been designed to bring distinctive gemstones, crafted in different cuts, together.

Their deep connection found through the expert eyes of Verdeille and Reynold. The women would travel to endless gem shows together and the idea of creating love birds grew organically as they would be sorting through some of the world’s most vibrant gemstones, from opals and moonstones to rubellites and aquamarines. “We ended up having just enough to do twelve,” says Reynolds. Each pairing was intentional, each bird positioned in deliberate dialogue. “If you just allowed people to pick singles and put them together, they sort of lose the symbolic nature of what Nathalie’s intention was,” Reynolds notes. “I haven’t had a single person that said ‘I don’t like the pairings,’” she adds. Going on to tell the story of one couple who liked the idea so much they bought two pairs of Love Birds on the spot, and began to call them their ‘winter birds’ and ‘summer birds’. Tiffany is also in luck that the brooch – once considered traditional – has found new relevance, both in the high jewellery arena and also in fashion circles. “They’re having a moment because they are a way for men to also wear jewellery,” Reynolds says, adding, “It’s the bird that gives them permission because then it’s not too serious.” Serious jewellery, whimsical spirit, it’s a delicate equilibrium that Reynolds and Tiffany & Co have once again mastered with flying colours.

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Images: Supplied