The Tiffany & Co. Bird on a Rock Brooch Continues to Soar
Designed by Jean Schlumberger in 1965, the Tiffany & Co. Bird on a Rock continues to be heralded as a red carpet favorite.
For nearly 60 years, the Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Bird on a Rock brooch has spread its natural diamond-encrusted wings, continuing to land on the lapels of Hollywood’s brightest stars. Since its inception in 1965, Bird on a Rock has cemented itself as a staple of Tiffany & Co, soaring throughout the 2024 red carpet season.
You don’t need to be a bona fide birdwatcher, binoculars in tow, to have spotted the omnipresent brooch on A-listers everywhere. Florence Pugh, Michael B. Jordan, Emily Blunt, and Jeremy Allen White can count themselves as fans. The diamond Bird on a Rock design has maintained its status as a perennially beloved icon, paying tribute to its heritage while evolving with the times.
The History
Behind the Bird
Schlumberger cut his teeth making surrealist buttons and costume jewelry for fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, rummaging 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.
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. But it was a yellow cockatoo he sighted outside of his home in Guadeloupe that changed everything.
Schlumberger 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.
One of the first Bird on a Rock brooches was purchased by socialite and philanthropist Rachel “Bunny” Mellon. The canary and white diamond bird with an emerald eye, stands atop a cabochon lapis lazuli stone. The heiress accumulated about 142 Schlumberger jewels throughout her life, leaving it all to Virginia’s Museum of Fine Arts. The museum recently loaned her legendary brooch to the Tokyo Node Gallery to be showcased at the “Tiffany Wonder” exhibit, which ran from April 12 to June 23.
Considered one of the greatest jewelry creatives of the 20th century, Schlumberger is one of just four artists authorized to add their name to their designs for the jewelry house. He once said of his creations, “I try to make everything look as if it were growing, uneven, at random, organic, in motion.”
Bird on a Rock would go on to be one of Tiffany & Co.’s most recognizable motifs to date, reaching new heights in 1995, when the Maison mounted its famed 128.54-carat yellow Tiffany Diamond onto the designer’s unique setting. 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.
Nearly 30 years later, the Tiffany yellow diamond has been rejoined with the bird design 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.
An Emblem of Modern Dress
When LVMH acquired Tiffany’s in 2020, the House brought Schlumberger’s birdy brainchild back into the forefront, featuring the design in campaigns while it cropped up on every red carpet. In 2023, the jeweler released an assortment of diamond birds atop the finest of pearls.
For me, the art of jewelry is, first of all, a means of expression.
– Jean Schlumberger
Then, Tiffany’s unveiled the first Bird on a Rock full collection, featuring a full suite of pieces derived from the brooch. Pendants, necklaces, rings, earrings, and of course, brooches were breathed new life. Depicted in various silhouettes, the diamond-embellished birds are depicted in flight, sitting, or standing. Actress Florence Pugh was recently spotted in one of the new iterations of the Bird on a Rock pendant, wearing the design on a diamond and gold chain during Paris Fashion Week.
Another necklace born from the Bird on a Rock design made waves this year. Selena Gomez attended the 2024 Emmy Awards wearing a Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Bird on a Rock necklace, featuring a 35-carat morganite center-stone, pink sapphires, and plenty of natural diamonds. A flock of diamond birds fly around the collar, meeting a gemstone at its center, whether its an aquamarine as seen on House Ambassador Anya Taylor-Joy, or a duo of large white and Fancy yellow diamonds.
House Ambassador Anya Taylor-Joy took the classic diamond brooch for a spin at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, celebrating the release of her latest film, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Another Mad Max veteran, Rose Huntington-Whiteley showed off her Bird on a Rock while attending the opening of the “Tiffany Wonder” exhibit at the Tokyo Node gallery.
Emily Blunt has been sporting Schlumberger by Tiffany designs all awards season but took the classic approach with two Bird on a Rock brooches at the Tiffany & Co. Fashion And Film Party this year.
The Bird on a Rock brooch made memorable appearances at the 2024 Venice Film Festival. Styled by Chloe Hartstein, actor Justin Theroux arrived in a custom Zegna suit by Alessandro Sartori with the iconic Tiffany & Co. Bird on a Rock natural diamond brooch for the premiere of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Taylor Russell also stunned on the red carpet at Palazzo del Cinema, wearing the Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Bird on a Rock brooch in platinum and 18-karat yellow gold with a diamond of over 12 carats, creatively pinned to a black velvet choker.
Ever evolving, the Bird on a Rock’s innate romanticism and timeless nature knows no bounds.
The latest high jewelry collection, Rainbow Bird on a Rock, unlocks the birdcage, flying free with vivacious and bold hues. The collection pays homage to its mid-century modern roots, while splashing the motif with new waves of color. Aquamarines, tourmalines, fire opals, tanzanites and tsavorites are paired with the birds’ essential natural diamonds, because what is a bird without its feathers?
The brooch has been recreated with the fabulous diamond bird standing above the most incredible variations of colored gemstones, and of course, fancy colored diamonds. Cementing Tiffany’s reputation for incomparable craftsmanship, every diamond and gem is hand-selected and hand-set by the House’s artisans, while more than eight people work on a single brooch over the span of 50 hours.
A Gentleman’s Favorite Jewel
As one of the 21st century’s most iconic jewelry designs, the Bird on a Rock brooch elevates any ensemble with its genderless allure. Glamorous and dapper, the artful badge breaks the binary code with gentleman favoring the jewel. Countless actors, athletes, and musicians have all championed the Bird on a Rock brooch, proving diamonds are for everyone.
Michael B. Jordan walked the 2023 Oscars red carpet in a dapper Louis Vuitton tuxedo with not one, but two massive Tiffany & Co. diamond Bird on a Rock brooches. While one pavé diamond bird sat atop a pink morganite gemstone, the other was perched above a 58-carat green tourmaline stone. The Bear actor Jeremy Allen White attended the 2024 SAG Awards sporting a Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Bird on a Rock brooch with a diamond of over 13 carats pinned to his white Saint Laurent suit jacket.
In 2022, famed basketball player Dwyane Wade attended the Met Gala wearing the Schlumberger design pinned to his Versace lapel and this year, actor Jeff Goldblum followed suit at the Met, adding the Bird on a Rock to an array of brooches.
This April, Usher attended Tiffany & Co.’s star-studded dinner at the Beverly Estate in Los Angeles to celebrate the launch of the Blue Book 2024 Céleste collection, wearing two Bird on a Rock brooches and a new 39mm Bird on a Rock timepiece on his wrist. Jonathan Groff wore a Bird on a Rock brooch to receive the Tony Award for his role in Merrily We Roll Along.
Odell Beckham Jr. arrived at the Super Bowl LVI with a Bird on a Rock brooch pinned to his Louis Vuitton varsity jacket, Trevor Noah wore one to host the 2024 Grammy Awards, and even Jay-Z has adorned the icon in his Tiffany & Co. campaign. South Korean actor and singer Rowoon has donned the brooch, as has actor Matt Bomer to the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards.
The list of celebrity sightings is endless. It’s safe to say, we won’t be saying bye-bye to birdie anytime soon.
