Tiffany & Co.’s beloved winged creature returns on one-of-a-kind natural pearls that can take up to 20 years to source
Tiffany & Co. is doubling down on its Bird icon. During LVMH watch week, the company’s CEO Anthony Ledru told Robb Report its Jean Schlumberger-designed avian mascot would remain a focus for the house going forward, and that vision continues to take flight in the latest Bird on a Pearl capsule collection. The first time the famous bird landed on a pearl was in 2023 when creative director Nathalie Verdeille imagined Tiffany’s diamond-accented animal atop a new perch. What makes the Bird on a Pearl capsule collections so special is that they are made from extremely rare natural saltwater pearls.
Due to the increasing pollution in the world’s oceans, natural pearls are becoming extremely elusive—even still, according to Sotheby’s, the majority of natural saltwater pearls were harvested 100 years ago. The pearls are sourced for Tiffany by Hussein Al Fardan—a renowned expert on natural saltwater pearls—from the Gulf region. Al Fardan has the largest private collection of natural saltwater pearls from this part of the world. The pearls are so rare that constructing a single necklace from this kind (known of their size, shape, and luster), can take up to 20 years of sourcing. This is the third year in a row the collector has exclusively opened up his vault for Tiffany & Co.
The pearls are not reserved only for the birds. The collection also includes acorn and leaf motifs, such as in a pair of drop earrings or a toi et moi ring featuring pearls in different hues. One particularly spectacular ring has a sizeable grey drop natural pearl of over 12 carats nestled among a platinum and 18-karat yellow gold setting of diamond-accented leaves like an egg in a bird’s nest.
Given the rarity of natural pearls combined with the provenance of Tiffany & Co. along with Al Fardan’s sourcing, these are bonafide collector’s pieces worth generational nesting for the serious jewellery connoisseur.
This story was first published on Robb Report USA. Featured photo by Tiffany & Co.
