NEW YORK — There’s a first time for everything — even at venerable jeweler Tiffany & Co.
After 161 years of showing its annual collection of one-of-a-kind designs only in Tiffany’s Blue Book catalogue, the luxury retailer on Monday unveiled the entire assortment on the recently remodeled main floor of its Fifth Avenue flagship here.
Tiffany kicked off the display with a celebration during which guests, including Keri Russell, Mira Sorvino, Dustin Hoffman, Carol Kane, Christopher Lloyd and Newt Gingrich and his wife, Calista, ogled an estimated 200 rare gems in cases and on models outfitted in gowns specially designed from recycled paper.
“We used muffin cups to create a collar, packing material from Crate & Barrel to create the effect of an eyelet skirt and even Chinese paper lanterns,” said David Monn, the event architect. “We wanted the models to be dressed in something that was more about art, like the jewels.”
“It’s like Project Origami,” said Carson Kressley of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” admiring a gown that cascaded to the floor with a train of rosettes.
Kressley was also drawn to the cases of jewels created using rare and time-consuming techniques, like a plique-à-jour flamingo that allows light to shine through the enamel, emulating the effect of stained glass. Other showstoppers were a $4.5 million necklace comprising 84 carats of diamonds and a 41.37-carat pear-shaped diamond pendant. It also featured rare colored diamonds, like a pair of earrings modeled after an archival Tiffany design from 1925 that held yellow diamonds at the center.
“If you want an evening in New York with quite a spectacle, this is the place to be,” Gingrich said before heading upstairs to see a predinner performance by Tony Bennett.
Tiffany’s Blue Book collection will remain on display through Sunday.