Architect Frank Gehry designs for Tiffany

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Published: Thursday, September 22, 2005

Frank Gehry Applies Touch to Tiffany
By Jennifer Hirshlag

NEW YORK — It seems Frank Gehry is scaling down.
The Pritzker Prize-winning architect behind the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles has entered into a long-term partnership with Tiffany & Co. to create an exclusive jewelry collection and tabletop items. The partnership marks the first time Tiffany has signed on a superstar creative talent since its agreement with Paloma Picasso 25 years ago.
"I'm a hick from the sticks," the Canadian-born, Los Angeles-based Gehry told WWD Wednesday. "I don't know much about buying jewelry or having jewelry. But I've watched fashion over the years because there is relevance in it for me. It is a way of taking the temperature of the world. And I've been surprised at how much fun I've been having with this project. I submit sketches to the design team at Tiffany, and they turn around and make something that looks so drop-dead gorgeous."

"If you look at the floor plan of Bilbao and some of my buildings, they're not normal floor plans," he said. "There's a nice quality to them, and if you fill them with diamonds, you could make a brooch or other similar pieces."

The Gehry Collection will make its debut in April in select U.S. doors, as well as in the flagship in Tokyo, and eventually will roll out into wider distribution for next fall. It will comprise six distinct jewelry collections, as well as a selection of tabletop items that incorporate precious metals, precious stones and wood. Tiffany would not comment on the price ranges at this time, but a spokeswoman did say they would be on par with its other collections.

Gehry... said designing jewelry has forced him to go to a different place in his work, although he wasn't sure exactly how or whether it might influence his architectural approach going forward.
"Who knows?" he asked. "Maybe it's time for a sterling silver building."





excerpt wwd.com

[Hebden]

Thanks for the article. It'll be really interesting to see the designs.

[CharlottefromCA]

OH MY! I love Frank Ghery.. though I find some of his designs now.. a little repetitive... but nonetheless.. this sounds really exciting... I can't wait to see pictures

[travis_nw8]

gehry as a brand..mixed feelings- but i did like the cardboard furniture he designed and the fossil watches. although i would love to see zaha hadid do a range of jewellery- just imagine the flowing forms....

[travolta]

yeah, i liked his cardboard furniture as well. imho, i think he's over hyped, although put in the correct location his buildings are striking (weisman art museum off the mississippi in humble mn)

btw. i liked his quote 'i'm a hick from the sticks' hopefully, his jewelry and table top lines are reflective of that earthy perspective and aren't just minaturized versions of his buildings.

[CharlottefromCA]

Originally Posted by travolta

hopefully, his jewelry and table top lines are reflective of that earthy perspective and aren't just minaturized versions of his buildings.

For some reason that reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Marge asks him to design a concert hall and he says no.. but then he throws a crumpled piece of paper and is inspired.. and then designs the concert hall which turns into Ms. Burns' prison...

[masquerade]

i love the watches he did for fossil. hopefullly this jewelery line will reflect that same asthetic

[Meg]

am not that familiar with him to be honest...where in Canada is he from?

Would love to see pics of the jewelry though....sounds beautiful

[helena]

meg I don't know where he is from but he designs amazing buildings...curved metal structures. very inspired

[INTER]

Can´t wait to see his designs, and buy (if I can afford any!). Instead of diamonds and platinum he should use titanium like the Guggy in Bilbao. It would be more affordable!

[chantal]

Gehry -- can't wait to see his Tiffany designs!!!

[A la mode]

Originally Posted by travolta

yeah, i liked his cardboard furniture as well. imho, i think he's over hyped, although put in the correct location his buildings are striking (weisman art museum off the mississippi in humble mn)

Yeah except with all the ugly university buildings surounding it.

[Fashionista Babe]

Meg, hes from Toronto, Canada and now based in Los Angelas. He just designed the renovations for the Art Gallery of Ontario (which is right where his childhood home is located). I studied his lesser known work for my Architectural Thesis and i love him...ahh architecture and fashion..

[Spacemiu]

Wow great coloberation , I love love Frank Gehry.

[glamourbebe]

http://www.nationaljeweler.com/natio..._id=1001179186

Architect Gehry to design for Tiffany

SEPTEMBER 22, 2005 - New York -- Frank Gehry, the architect behind Spain's undulating Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and other seminal structures of the last two decades, will create an exclusive jewelry collection for Tiffany & Co. slated to reach stores in April 2006.

"Our association with Frank Gehry represents another milestone in Tiffany's heritage as a leader in the world of jewelry design," said Michael J. Kowalski, the company's chairman and CEO, in a company release issued Wednesday. "His revolutionary aesthetic has literally redefined architecture, and we fully anticipate that our partnership—combining as it does Mr. Gehry's genius with Tiffany's tradition of innovation and utmost quality—will change the rules of jewelry and fashion to equal and spectacular effect."

Comprised of six jewelry lines, the Gehry Collection will include tabletop items in addition to architect's wearable creations, according to Tiffany & Co. Gehry's designs will launch in Japan, as well as in select U.S. stores in April 2006, with the lines reaching additional locations in Asia and Europe in fall 2006.

"Jewelry is an art form," Gehry said in Tiffany's release. "In conceptualizing designs for Tiffany, I worked as I always do, sketching and creating models. Sculptors and painters have inspired me with their ability to make things with their own hands. This process led to the discovery of new ways to give feeling and spirit to form, and realize our shared vision of jewelry that provides a beautiful context for living now."

Gehry's designs will incorporate precious metals, stones and wood, and will include "provocative new shapes highlighted with brilliant color, patina and rich grain," according to Tiffany & Co. Throughout his career, Gehry has built high-profile commissions and earned many of the field's top honors, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1989 and the National Medal of Arts in 1998.

Tiffany & Co. operates retail stores and boutiques in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe, and sells directly through its Internet, catalog and business gift operations.