Famed jewelry designer Jean Schlumberger was born in 1907 in the Alsace region of France. A child of a family in the textile manufacturing industry, he could often be found sketching something colorful. Schlumberger jumpstarted his career in the 1930s when his designs caught the eye of Elsa Schiaparelli. While designing his fantasy buttons and costume jewelry for Schiaparelli’s couture collections, notable Vogue editor Diana Vreeland discovered his talents which further established Schlumberger in the fashion world.

After serving in the French Army in World War II, he moved to New York where he met his longtime business partner, Nicolas Bongard. The two would go on to open a jewelry salon together where his jewels exploring flora and fauna were front and center.

Schlumberger is perhaps most well-known for his association with Tiffany & Co. In 1956 he became their Vice President, and thus began his lasting design legacy with Tiffany. Walter Hoving who was the Chairman of Tiffany at the time, invited Schlumberger to stamp his imaginative designs with his own name. He was the first designer at Tiffany to be given this opportunity.

Inspired by his travels to Bali, India and Thailand, he often began each design with a detailed rendering, then meticulously selected the best gemstones and metals to bring his extravagant jewels to life.

Schlumberger has several instantly recognizable creations. His ‘Paillonné’ enamel bangles overlapped by signature gold stitching, as well as the iconic ‘Bird on a Rock’ clip quickly became favorites of Elizabeth Taylor and Jackie Kennedy.

“Capturing the irregularity of the universe”, as he famously once said, Schlumberger redefined jewelry design with his fantastical and distinctive wearables.

Though he passed in 1987, Schlumberger’s whimsical spirit lives on with many of his designs still being offered at Tiffany today.