HARPER’S BAZAAR JULY 2018 85
It is de rigueur for jewellery houses to focus on letting their
gemstones take centre stage with minimal metal for their settings.
The six-prongedTifany setting, for example, was introduced in
1886 to hold its diamond above the ring, enabling light to pass
through it to create the illusion of a bigger stone that seems to
loat on air.In his collection,however,Krakof has made metal a
leitmotif: In addition to making it more visible, tiny balls of
platinum also stud the designs to make it seem as if the lower’s
petals have been pinned together by rivets.
“The collection started with the idea of taking something
feminine and historical toTifany and recreating it in a modern
way,” he explains.“It is a good illustration of that mood, that
attitude,of something that’s pretty but not traditional.Something
that could be modern,kind of cool,and everyday...They’re precious
but they’re not too precious to be worn with whatever you’re
wearing every day.”
In this aspect, his irst jewellery collection forTifany is yet
another manifesto of his design philosophy; one that presents
ubiquitous items like paper plates and paper cups in a new, fresh
light that renders them instantaneously luxurious and covetable.
And much like his homeware collection, there’s a sense of irony,
wit and humour that permeates the jewellery,infusing them with
a modern sensibility that will resonate with the Gen Z audience
that every brand is intent on wooing.
“You have to imbue a product with some kind of higher
meaning than just‘it’s a bracelet’.That’s the thing I was trying to
inform all these products with,and wit is a part of [that].But this
idea of wit is uniquelyTifany’s, in this space especially, so it’s a
great place for us to play. But it also relates to American design,
which is functional,” he continues.“It’s not meant to be put on
a shelf somewhere;it’s meant to be worn and used.Taking something
that’s everyday—a paper cup, a straw, something like that—and
rendering it in something extraordinary,is again that juxtaposition
of ideas. It’s really throughout the entire collection—that’s what
creates that tension, that sense of humour, that wittiness.”■Vase; ruler; paperweights;
earrings; bracelet;
necklace, Tifany & Co.PROP STYLING: NOEMI BONAZZI