After decades of the jewellery business centring on what a man might purchase for his paramour, thereâs a new buyer in town: a self-empowered woman who is out to treat herself to something bold, timeless, and impossibly chic. Enter Tiffany T1, Tiffany & Co.âs latest iteration of its iconic 1980s âTâ motif, modernized with todayâs discerning woman in mind. âI think a collection thatâs meant for a person to buy for themselves has to be designed in a way that speaks to them,â says Tiffanyâs chief artistic officer, Reed Krakoff. âAnd this collection was led by creating something that felt edgy yet super refined and also luxurious.â
The first T1 collection features a curated edit of nine rose gold styles, ranging from a narrow-width 18K hinged bangle to a ring inset with round-cut pavĂŠ diamonds. Each design centres around the iconic âTâ, crafted with a modernist bevelled edge that forms an unbroken circle with a subtle clasp or design detail. Call it the new eternity bandâone that can be worn as a symbol of strength, rather than commitment to another. âThe fact that itâs bold, slightly edgy, angular, and with a sexier point of view suggests all those attributes and attitudes of a person who is empowered and not afraid to claim for themselves what they want,â says Krakoff.

The T1 collection debuted this summer, but we got a megawatt preview this past February, when actress Charlize Theron wore a chokerâ masterfully hand set with round-cut and baguette diamonds on either side of the âTââto the BAFTA ceremony alongside an Art Deco-inspired column dress. The choker is Krakoffâs favourite piece in the assortment. âItâs often hard to create something thatâs credible to be worn by a celebrity on the red carpet, but also by people every day,â he says of the style.
Krakoff, who helmed Coach prior to his appointment at Tiffany, is well-known for his transformation of iconic brands and his mastery of mixing high and low. â[ Jewellery] is something thatâs worn every day, and something that is a big investment, so people want to incorporate it into their wardrobe,â he says. To wit, even the collectionâs most intricate diamond pieces can be layered together with casual pieces. âThereâs something to the permanence of joyâ the fact that jewellery is something that lasts for a very long time, that people really develop a relationship with it, and it becomes really personal.â

Personal style is at the heart of the T1 collection, and for many, that means amping up the contrast. âA lot of the design work I do is about juxtaposing two ideas that arenât necessarily expected and figuring out a way to create a new point of view within a collection,â says Krakoff of the choice to debut with rose gold, a decidedly feminine offset to the collectionâs angularity. (T1 will be released in yellow and white gold later this year.)

The T1 collection was conceptualized in a pre-COVID-19 world, but with a bit of finessing for the realities of 2020, launches alongside the announcement of a $1-million donation to COVID-19-related relief causes by the Tiffany & Co. Foundation, half of which was allocated to the World Health Organizationâs initiatives.