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Enter the Natural World of Jean Schlumberger, Tiffany & Co. Legend
Renowned Tiffany & Co. designer Jean Schlumberger found his greatest inspiration not only in glamorous society figures, but in the natural world and the extraordinary creatures that inhabit it.
Tiffany & Co. jewelry designer Jean Schlumberger, circa 1965. (Courtesy of Tiffany & Co.)
One of the most celebrated and gifted artists of the 20th century, Tiffany & Co. designer Jean Schlumberger found inspiration in nature, conceiving diamond birds of fancy soaring through the great blue sky, and shimmering starfish and seahorses gliding through the deep blue sea. His fantastical and vibrant jewels stretched the creative bounds of jewelry design, imagining jewelry as art and defining mid-century style.
His muses included some of the foremost style icons of the time, with high-society women like Bunny Mellon, Babe Paley, Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor championing his exuberant work to express their individuality. But the nucleus of his inspiration has always been firmly rooted in nature. Across his work, lively birds, butterflies, shells, grasshoppers, fish, and delicate floral vines and leaves appear again and again—motifs that feel as organic as the diamonds themselves, formed deep within the Earth.
“I try to make everything look as if it were growing, uneven, organic,” Schlumberger once said. “I want to capture the irregularity of the universe.”
Meet the Expert
- Dr. Sylvain Cordier is the Paul Mellon Curator and Head of the Department of European Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the institution that now houses Bunny Mellon’s remarkable Schlumberger jewelry collection.
- He earned his Ph.D. in the History of Art from the Université Paris-Sorbonne and specializes in 19th-century French art and decorative arts.
Jean Schlumberger’s Early Life and Career
Jean Schlumberger was born in 1907 to a family of textile manufacturers in Alsace, France. While he demonstrated a keen talent for drawing from a young age, his parents attempted to persuade him to pursue a career as a banker. In his early 20s, Schlumberger moved to Paris to hone his artistic craft.
He began working for French couturier Lucien Lelong before landing a job at a Parisian art publishing house. Eventually, he opened an atelier on rue de la Boetie, swiftly becoming a sought-after purveyor of exceptional jewelry for the Parisian elite. He even designed a pair of earrings for the Duchess of Kent, which caught the eye of fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. That’s when Schlumberger really cut his teeth.
In 1937, Schiaparelli enlisted Schlumberger to lead design for her collections of surrealist buttons and costume jewelry. He would rummage through Parisian flea markets for Meissen porcelain floral motifs.
But just as his career in Paris began to take off, he was called to serve the French forces in World War II. Upon his homecoming, Schlumberger decided to move to New York City to open his very own jewelry salon. In 1956, Tiffany chairman Walter Hoving struck gold when he discovered the self-taught French-born jewelry designer and brought him on board.
Schlumberger is credited with revitalizing the Tiffany brand with his whimsical designs, beloved for their imaginative use of natural diamonds and bright, vivid gemstones. He was the first designer the house ever allowed to sign their work. By 1958, Schlumberger became the first jeweler to receive the coveted Coty American Fashion Critics’ Award.
In 1977, the French government named Schlumberger a Chevalier of the National Order of Merit. His designs have been showcased in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and the world’s largest collection of his designs, given by Paul and Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, is a part of the permanent collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Jean Schlumberger’s Muses, Famous Clients and Celebrity Collectors
By the 1960s, Jean Schlumberger’s ultra-creative Tiffany & Co. jewels became de rigueur for the most fashionable women in the world, from tastemakers and socialites to actresses and even First Ladies. Schlumberger’s jewels became a favorite among the most glamorous women of the era, embraced by socialites, tastemakers, actresses, and even First Ladies. Today, his designs continue to resonate with a new generation of A-listers, including Teyana Taylor, Lady Gaga, Colman Domingo, and Kendrick Lamar, championing his creations.
Jackie Kennedy
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy wore Schlumberger’s vivid enamel Crosillon bracelets so frequently that they became known as the “Jackie bracelets” in the press. Introduced in 1962 by Tiffany and designed by Jean Schlumberger, the vitreous enamel bangles are set in 18-karat gold and sprinkled with diamonds in gold bezels. They became her favorite bracelets when her friend and mentor, Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon, gave her a white-and-gold iteration. Soon after, President John F. Kennedy reportedly bought his wife another Crosillon bangle. She began collecting them and curating brightly colored wrist stacks. They are offered in a rainbow of colors and are still sold to this day.
The style icon was also known to wear a bauble, referred to as her “swimming ring.” While not much is known about the ring, it served as inspiration for the diamond and sapphire eternity band her son, John F. Kennedy Jr., proposed to Carolyn Bessette with. Much is debated when it comes to Jackie’s “swimming ring”—whether it included emeralds or sapphires – and where it came from.
Some believe President Kennedy commissioned the jewel from Van Cleef & Arpels as a 10th anniversary gift, a perfect match to her diamond and emerald Toi et Moi Van Cleef engagement ring. Others think the “swimming ring” was a Sixteen Stone ring design by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co. It would have been at home in her jewelry box among the rest of her Schlumberger creations, like her Crosillon bangles and her Two Fruits brooch.
Elizabeth Taylor
With such an extensive and mind-boggling collection of natural diamond treasures, it’s safe to say diamonds were truly Elizabeth Taylor’s best friend. In her 2002 memoir, Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry, the star writes, “The importance of jewelry is emotional and psychological.” She continued, “We are all temporary custodians of beauty.”
Taylor owned a collection of Jean Schlumberger jewels, including the Tiffany & Co. ‘Fleur de Mer’ brooch, gifted to her by Richard Burton on June 28, 1965. Crafted from platinum, gold, sapphires, and natural diamonds, the circular-cut diamond orchid blossom brooch was reportedly purchased by the couple for $15,900. The jewel is considered one of the earliest pieces designed by Schlumberger after he was brought on as Tiffany’s first named jewelry designer.
As part of her extensive jewelry collection went under the hammer during the Christie’s ‘Legendary Jewels’ auction in 2011, the diamond and sapphire ‘Fleur de Mer’ brooch sold for $542,500. Most recently, the jewel went up for auction again at the Phillips’ New York Jewels Auction in December 2025.
Taylor attended the 1964 premiere of her husband’s film, Night of the Iguana, wearing her brunette tresses tied up in a topknot bun, wrapped in a ribbon with a diamond fish ornament, designed by Jean Schlumberger of Tiffany & Co.
“Richard gave me this pin to wear for the opening of The Night of the Iguana,” she wrote in Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry. She says the jewel, “forever symbolized the early days of our marriage when we lived in Puerto Vallarta, while Richard was working on the Tennessee Williams film.”
“To me, this is one of the most extravagant pieces that Schlumberger ever designed. This timing was fortuitous,” she said. Burton nicknamed the Schlumberger brooch “The Iguana” in honor of the film. “Richard and I had a sentimental attachment to the Schlumberger Iguana brooch because it symbolized when we were so madly, happily in love.”
Richard and I had a sentimental attachment to the Schlumberger Iguana brooch because it symbolized when we were so madly, happily in love.
Designed as a diamond body with polished gold scales and brilliant-cut diamonds, accented by cabochon sapphire eyes and a calibré-cut emerald mouth, extending polished gold whiskers, mounted in 18-karat gold and platinum.
A prime example of Schlumberger’s affection for the ocean and its wondrous inhabitants, the designer’s reign saw sea creatures on the most fashionable women.
Babe Paley
Iconic American socialite and Vogue editor Barbara “Babe” Paley is lauded for her high-society circle and mid-century chic style. The wife of CBS founder William S. Paley, she’s known for being one of Truman Capote’s “swans,” recently depicted in FX’s FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans.
Considered one of the world’s best-dressed women, Paley may have been closely associated with Verdura jewels, but she also nurtured a deep appreciation for Schlumberger’s work at Tiffany & Co. She had a particular adoration for statement brooches.
She was even photographed wearing a starfish brooch designed by Schlumberger in her New York home in 1963, highlighting how effortlessly she incorporated the most lavish of jewels in her daily life. Crafted from 18-karat gold in a convex starfish form, the oceanic jewel is set with over eight carats of diamonds and more than 39 carats of sapphires, accented with garnets.
In June 2025, one of Schlumberger’s Tiffany & Co. ‘Etoile de Mer’ brooches (which translates to starfish) went under the hammer at Phillips’ New York Jewels Auction. The star of the sea is set with two pear-shaped tsavorites, accented by circular-cut sapphires and glistening with pear-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds, and sold for $114,300.
Bunny Mellon
The heiress to the Listerine fortune, Bunny Mellon acquired over 142 Jean Schlumberger jewels throughout her life, forging a close bond with the designer as well. A socialite, philanthropist, and avid collector of jewelry, Mellon began her friendship with Schlumberger after a mutual friend, British interior designer Syrie Maugham, connected the pair in 1955 – the year before he signed on to Tiffany & Co. Mellon was already a fan of his work and made regular visits to his salon on East 63rd Street in New York City.
Once Schlumberger made a name for himself at Tiffany & Co., the unparalleled resources and global reach of the premier jewelry retailer allowed for his creative freedom to enter an unbridled new chapter, expanding his access to a higher caliber of stones and materials to work with. The world was his oyster. “Being integrated into Tiffany, he was offered extraordinary gemstones, much more easily than when he was independent,” says the Paul Mellon Curator and Head of the Department of European Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Dr. Sylvain Cordier. Bunny Mellon became a frequent presence in his studio. Her discerning eye helped shape many of his most memorable designs.
From the famed Flowerpot brooch to Mellon’s shell bracelets and the Jasmine necklace, some of Schlumberger’s most exceptional works were fortified by Mellon’s integral and inspiring role in the creative process. She even played a part in some of the first designs Schlumberger ever created at Tiffany & Co. Mellon has proposed the idea of a butterfly-themed choker, which evolved into two matching bracelets that could be connected. While Mellon preferred the bracelets, Schlumberger preferred the choker. The transformable element of the bauble was the perfect compromise.
Through all of this extraordinary work, what stands out the most is Schlumberger’s Bird on a Rock brooch. A defining career achievement for Schlumberger and a perennial Tiffany design staple to this day, Bunny Mellon purchased one of the first Bird on a Rock pins to ever exist, featuring a canary yellow and white diamond bird with an emerald eye, standing atop a cabochon lapis lazuli stone.
When Bunny Mellon died in 2014, she left her collection of 142 Schlumberger jewels to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. “There was a connection that bonded them together,” says Dr. Sylvain Cordier. “You realize so much of what she found beautiful in nature, Schlumberger was able to design.” The museum recently loaned her legendary brooch to the Tokyo Node Gallery to be showcased at the “Tiffany Wonder” exhibit in 2024.
The History of Jean Schlumberger’s Bird on a Rock Brooch
For nearly six decades, Tiffany’s Jean Schlumberger Bird on a Rock brooch has spread its diamond-embellished wings, perching on the lapels of Hollywood’s brightest stars. First sketched in 1965, the whimsical design has long since taken flight as one of Tiffany & Co.’s most iconic creations. You don’t need to be a bona fide birdwatcher, binoculars in tow, to have spotted the omnipresent brooch.
Inspiration sparked when Schlumberger encountered a yellow cockatoo outside of his home in Guadeloupe. He dreamt up a whimsical pavé diamond feathered creature with sapphires for eyes, daintily perched upon a large gemstone. His debut iteration included the signature diamond bird sitting on a large light brown topaz.
With its sparkling natural diamonds and playful silhouette, the Bird on a Rock remains a beloved icon—one that honors its storied past while effortlessly keeping pace with the present.
How Jean Schlumberger Designed Settings for the Tiffany Diamond
The rare, Fancy Yellow Tiffany Diamond was unearthed in 1877 in the Kimberley mines of South Africa as a 287.42-carat rough diamond. When Charles Lewis Tiffany purchased it for approximately $18,000, he earned the nickname, “The King of Diamonds.” It became a symbol of Tiffany & Co.’s legacy of excellence and one of the most celebrated gemstones in the world. In 1878, the rough diamond was cut in Paris, transforming it into a 128.54-carat cushion-shaped brilliant with an extraordinary 82 facets that enhanced its remarkable brilliance.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the diamond traveled the world through global exhibitions as a loose stone, until it was mounted in a lavish white diamond necklace for socialite Mary Whitehouse to wear at the 1957 Tiffany Ball in Newport, Rhode Island, where she became the first person to wear the astounding natural diamond. Since then, the Tiffany Diamond has been mounted into four other pieces of jewelry, two of which were designed by Tiffany’s famed in-house jeweler, Jean Schlumberger.
In 1961, Audrey Hepburn began filming Breakfast at Tiffany’s in New York City. Based on the Truman Capote best-selling novel, the movie marked the first time motion picture cameras were allowed inside a Tiffany & Co. boutique.
Hepburn’s character Holly Golightly and her love interest Paul Varjak (played by George Peppard) stroll through the store together when she says, “It isn’t that I give a hoot about jewelry, except diamonds, of course…Like that.” The camera pans to the 128.54-carat Tiffany yellow diamond necklace, which sits prominently inside the jewelry case.
In promotional stills for the film, Hepburn teamed her little black Givenchy dress and evening gloves with the 128.54-carat Tiffany Diamond set within the Schlumberger-designed Ribbon Rosette necklace, making her the second woman to ever wear the stone.
In 1995, the Maison mounted its famed Tiffany Diamond onto yet another unique setting by the renowned designer. With Schlumberger’s signature pavé diamond bird sitting atop the colossal stone, the Tiffany Diamond married the Bird on a Rock design, which would go on to be one of Tiffany & Co.’s most recognizable motifs to date. The piece was revealed at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs Jean Schlumberger retrospective in Paris that year, gaining notoriety as it traveled the world on exhibition.
It remained in the Bird on a Rock setting until 2012, when the diamond was re-set in a necklace featuring over 100 carats of white diamonds in celebration of Tiffany’s 175th Anniversary. Nearly 30 years later, the Tiffany Diamond rejoined the fluttering bird in celebration of the reopening of The Landmark on Fifth Avenue in 2023. Now in a new transformable pendant, five birds take flight, encircling the legendary diamond.
Jean Schlumberger Found Inspiration in Nature
Known for his keen admiration for nature, Schlumberger found inspiration in the flora and fauna he encountered on his travels through Bali, Asia, and the Caribbean, crafting baubles replicating sea creatures, flowers, and more.
Flora & Fauna
With diamond-embellished butterflies fluttering across the clavicle in impeccably constructed necklaces, or natural diamond branches elegantly climbing across one’s neck, Schlumberger’s pure love for plants, flowers, insects, and beyond is clear. For example, the Leaves necklace, recently spotted on Teyana Taylor at the 2026 Actor Awards, captures the spirit and energy of nature with sculptural, interlocking vines of 18-karat yellow gold and leaves of pavé round brilliant diamonds, set in platinum.
Under the Sea
From Babe Paley’s iconic diamond starfish brooch to Elizabeth Taylor’s fluid diamond fish, Schlumberger exhibited his fascination with ocean life through the most imaginative and wondrous designs, with diamonds glistening so intensely it resembles the light catching a glint on the ocean’s surface.
Creatures of the Wild
To love the Earth is to love its animals. From the Bird on a Rock, Schlumberger’s adoration for animals even extended to the largest living land animals on Earth.
Tiffany’s Elephant Head Brooch by Jean Schlumberger was crafted in 1968. Crafted in gold, enamel, and precious stones, the jewel reflects Schlumberger’s adventurous travels and connection to India, where the elephant represents wisdom and strength.
Juicy Fruits
Schlumberger’s Two Fruit brooch lets the imagination run wild, using natural diamonds to accentuate the unnamed and presumably exotic fruits. President Kennedy even gifted Jackie a ruby, diamond, and gold model after the birth of John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1960.
During the 2025 Academy Awards, Robert Downey Jr. arrived wearing a vintage Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co. Two Fruit brooch pinned to his lapel. Crafted in 1956, the ruby clip, similar to Jackie’s, was sourced from the Tiffany Archives, featuring natural diamonds sculpted into leaves.
Gossip Girl alum Chace Crawford wore the fully diamond-embellished iteration to the Tiffany & Co. Blue Book 2025: Sea of Wonder launch at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in April 2025.
Not the only fruit, he’s imagined in gems, Schlumberger crafted a whimsical strawberry from rubies and gold, with marquise-cut diamonds at the stem.
With his playful and otherworldly interpretations of nature’s wonders, Schlumberger’s mesmerizing pieces are a timeless reminder of the designer’s unrivaled talent and never-ending curiosity.
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