Tiffany Eyewear

[ShesElectric]

It has been the go-to company for engagement rings and diamonds for 170 years now. While diamonds may be Tiffany's best friend, it has chosen to let the sunshine in with a new addition: posh specs.
The jewelry house is expanding into eyewear starting this holiday season, both of the opthalmic and sun persuasions. Styles include the sterling silver and diamond Lace glasses, the Tiffany Bubbles, which have crystals running along the side, and the Return to Tiffany, featuring the brand's signature sterling silver oval plaque on the side.​

http://fabsugar.com

Apparently they went on sale this month. Has anyone seen 'em? Are they worth the $1,000 price tag?

http://fabsugar.com​

 

[thras]

This will unfortunately sell really well.

 

[seanutbutter]

^ "Unfortunately" is right. I doubt any pair of sunglasses is worth $1,000.

 

[thras]

^ "Unfortunately" is right. I doubt any pair of sunglasses is worth $1,000.

Well, I wouldn't go THAT far... you clearly haven't been acquainted with the Cartier Santos-Dumont sunglasses in rose gold and burgundy leather (silver shown here).

(Cartier.com)

 

[Street_a_Licious]

i dont believe in gold sunglasses. gold is way to soft to withstand the abuse i'm putting my shades through.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

i dont believe in gold sunglasses. gold is way to soft to withstand the abuse i'm putting my shades through.

Ditto.

Though those Cartiers are nice..

I'm really not a fan of Tiffany diamonds (glass, yes.), the diamonds in those sunglasses must be really poor quality no?
They'd have to be because nobody would actually pay more than $1000 for a pair of sunglasses right? No matter how many carats of diamonds were in them.. though I don't know..

 

[Marnie08]

They were selling in Palm Beach (not in Tiffany's, but eyeglass stores) over the winter. Personally, I did not think they were worth $1000.

 

[the-smiths]

Theyre crystals, not diamonds.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

Theyre crystals, not diamonds.

Oh.. that's even worse..

 

[Meg]

not all of them are worth 1k because I saw some at Nordstrom's (case in point, since when would Nordstrom's sell 1k sunglasses....) and they weren't diamonds, etc. they were pretty basic black sunglasses that a couple of my friends tried on.

 

[thras]

I saw them at Sunglass Hut yesterday. I think they're really ugly.

 

[Suburban Snob]

I saw some today IRL, but the pairs I saw were $495 to $600-ish. They were...bad.

 

[fashion.fashoff]

more overpriced schlock from tiffany & co. from the 1860s or so thru the mid-20C, and esp. in the late 19C, tiffany produced some of the most beautiful, artistic jewelry and silver on the planet. i don't know what happened, but now a large percentage of their stuff is just tacky. kind of sad really.

 

[chaneladdict]

I know, a lot of their diamonds are so gorgeous, but I am starting to feel that if I had one, I would think of all the ugly stuff Tiffany's does now. Blech.

 

[fashion.fashoff]

^yes. and the same (and better) quality of diamonds offered by tiffany can certainly be purchased elsewhere for less.

 

[Suburban Snob]

Well I think the problem is that Tiffany's wanted it both ways. They wanted to maintain their high end image and beautiful quality pieces while raking in the money with their silver jewelry for the masses. I can't see how you can have it both ways.

 

[fashion.fashoff]

tiffany has kind of had an arc and i feel they peaked in the period of about 1870-1910. they started by selling pieces made by other makers, nothing vastly different from any other luxury retailer in manhattan; then they began making their own wares and bringing in some fantastically talented designers. their stuff of this period won awards and was often highly avant-garde for the time. then over the course of the 20th century they gradually became more and more commercial; eventually started farming production out to cheaper factories in mexico and italy; and now, their designs are generally boring and their quality is just mediocre i feel (at least for the silver stuff).

circa 1880 tiffany silver jewelry (chatelaine clip). it is beautifully designed and handmade of heavy silver (photo by me

today's tiffany silver jewelry. it is tacky and mass-produced (tiffany.com

 

[chaneladdict]

^ oo do you own that clip?? It's gorgeous!!!! There is just no comparison between those two.

 

[littlecoco]

What happened!! it's the same story with every other luxury brand...ugh..once it goes to the masses it's downhill from there. but of course either way I wouldn't be paying for it, but you know what I mean.

 

[fashion.fashoff]

hi, yes, that clip is in my collection. the technique, called "pearling", was inspired by the sea--bubbles, octopi, etc. and used on lots of things like silver baby's cups, vanity accessories, etc. this is a cloak clasp from the same period with similar motifs (photo by me).

the tiffany situation is just really sad to me because way back when the name was really associated with some of the most beautiful items and best designers in the world. i know they have continued to have designer lines, but i think most of it is fairly middling. i guess they had to decide between mass appeal and aesthetic integrity, and they chose the former. some of the gehry stuff is kind of interesting, although even that seems a little commercialized.