Bracelet

Among the first pieces of jewelry Louis C. Tiffany exhibited were the 27 examples shown to international acclaim at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. Three years later, Tiffany & Co. purchased the enameling and jewelry-making department of Tiffany Furnaces at Fifth Avenue and 37th Street and established a dedicated "Art Jewelry" section. From that time onwards, all jewelry produced in-house was marked "Tiffany & Co.," even if the design was created by Louis C. Tiffany, Julia Munson, or by Meta Overbeck, who supervised the Art Jewelry department beginning in 1914. The present bracelet is in fact marked on the reverse of the clasp, "TIFFANY & Co."




Louis Tiffany developed a special fascination with the constantly changing colors of opals, which are featured here along with some of his other favorite gemstones, such as green demantoid garnets. The gold filigree work, in particular, references Louis Tiffany’s early travels to the Near East, notably North Africa, where he developed an exceptional sensitivity to color and light.