Bird on a Rock: The $300,000 Kunzite Edition
May 27, 25
(IDEX Online) - Tiffany & Co. is to create a limited edition of Bird on a Rock brooches using pieces from a huge 7,500-carat kunzite gemstone.
They'll mark the 60th anniversary of iconic design, created by Jean Schlumberger in 1965.
The kunzite, found in Mozambique over 25 years ago, will be cut into stones of around 45 carats each for 10 brooches (with the option to convert into a pendant), priced at around $300,000.
The iceberg-shaped remainder of the original kunzite will be left uncut and fashioned into a decorative tabletop ornament.
"We are honored to share this incredible gemstone with the world," said Victoria Wirth Reynolds, chief gemologist and vice president of high jewelry diamond and gemstone acquisition at Tiffany & Co.
"By cutting 10 unique stones from the rough, it will be the perfect celebration to honor the 60th anniversary of the iconic Bird on a Rock."
The whimsical Bird on a Rock design is inspired by a yellow cockatoo and has become one of Tiffany's most enduring high jewelry creations.
Kunzite is a pink-to-violet variety of the mineral spodumene, first identified in 1902 and named after Tiffany's first chief gemologist, George Frederick Kunz.
Pic courtesy Tiffany & Co.