This is an archived article and the information in the story may be outdated. Please check the time stamp on the story to see when it was updated last.
Tiffany & Co. may just be the most recognizable brand to originate in America. We can all pick the Tiffany blue out of a lineup, name the screen actress to forever memorialize the company on film, and imagine (or maybe actually have!) a fabulous "please return to" tag hanging from our wrist. But outside of these iconic vestiges, what do we really know about the famed jewelry company...?[Photo: Flickr]
Far from specializing in the luxury jewelry now synonymous with the brand’s name, Tiffany & Co. started out selling costume jewelry and stationary. In fact, Tiffany & Co. had a different name altogether. The brand was initially co-owned by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young and was known as Tiffany, Young and Ellis.
In 1852, nearly 20 years after its debut, Tiffany bought out Young and changed both the company’s name and its commercial focus.
[Photo: Instagram]
In 1845, Tiffany & Company released their Blue Book, the first mail-order catalogue to appear in the U.S.
[Photo: Tiffany & Co.]
Tiffany’s packaging is pretty iconic, but did you know that the shade of those little blue boxes is actually a patented color? Yep, Pantone 1837 (a clever number marking the year of Tiffany’s foundation) is informally known as Tiffany Blue. So pretty, maybe we should choose this color for our walls…? [Photo: Tiffany & Co.]
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the name Tiffany & Co.? Maybe diamond engagement rings, Audrey Hepburn and her iconic tiara, 5th avenue at Christmastime...? I’m guessing it doesn't include the phrases "touchdown," or "Go long!".
As it turns out, Tiffany & Co. plays a sizable role in the NFL showdown of the year. Since 1967, Tiffany has been designing the Super Bowl's grand prize — aka The Vince Lombardi Trophy. Does that mean we like football now?
[Photo: Tiffany & Co.]
More sports facts! The New York Yankees' logo was originally designed in 1877 by Louis B. Tiffany (son of Charles) as part of a medal awarded to NYPD officer John McDowell. Over 30 years later in 1909, The Yankees adopted the interlaced N and Y insignia as their own.
[Photo: Splash News]
In 1968, FLOTUS Lady Byrd Johnson commissioned Tiffany & Co. to design a set of China for the White House.
[Photo: Tiffany & Co.]
At the time of its opening in 1990, the largest Tiffany & Co. store outside of NYC was in Tysons Corner, Virginia. Weird, huh?
[Photo: Shutterstock]
