First Impressions
- Tiffany & Co.’s four anniversary Bird on a Rock brooches are one-of-a-kind high-jewellery creations, each built around an exceptional central gemstone aligned with one of Japan’s four seasons, produced by a team of more than eight artisans over more than fifty hours per piece, and available exclusively on private request through Tiffany Ginza and high-jewellery salons worldwide.
- The quartet marks the first anniversary of Tiffany Ginza, the House’s largest flagship in Asia, which opened on 11 July 2025 in Ginza 6-chome, Tokyo.
- Each brooch reinterprets Jean Schlumberger’s original 1965 design, with spring, summer, autumn, and winter each given a distinct gemstone and distinct character.
- Production required over two years of anatomical study before a single component was set, placing these pieces among the most laborious undertakings in Tiffany’s contemporary atelier.
Design & Heritage
Jean Schlumberger first set down the Bird on a Rock in 1965, inspired, according to Tiffany’s own archival documentation, by rare birds he encountered during travels to Asia and the Caribbean. The original piece placed a diamond-encrusted bird atop a substantial gemstone “rock,” and it was purchased almost immediately by the American philanthropist Rachel “Bunny” Mellon. Six decades later, the design has appeared on some of the most closely photographed lapels in the world, worn recently by Amanda Seyfried, Florence Pugh, Michael B. Jordan, Jeremy Allen White, Emily Blunt, Greta Lee, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
The brooch’s cultural weight deepened considerably in 1995, when Tiffany chose to set the Tiffany Diamond, one of the largest and most storied fancy yellow diamonds in existence, into the Bird on a Rock itself. That act deliberately intertwined Charles Lewis Tiffany’s founding legacy with Schlumberger’s creative one. Today, the collection is overseen by Chief Artistic Officer Nathalie Verdeille, and has expanded into rings, necklaces, pendants, earrings, and bracelets. The brooch, however, remains the collection’s spiritual centre.
Four Seasons, Four Distinct Creations
The interpretive choice of Japan’s four seasons is grounded in cultural specificity rather than decorative convenience. Japanese seasonal awareness, expressed through the concept of kisetsukan, sits at the centre of every major traditional art form in the country, from haiku (with its obligatory seasonal word, the kigo) to wagashi confectionery, kimono design, and the ancient tradition of hanami, or cherry blossom viewing. Tiffany’s anniversary quartet enters directly into that language. Spring (Haru) carries the sakura and plum blossom; summer (Natsu), deep green foliage and cool water; autumn (Aki), the crimson and gold of momiji maple leaves and chrysanthemum; and winter (Fuyu), snow, camellia in bloom, and the still silhouette of Mount Fuji.
These four brooches are not variations on a single design. Each central gemstone was selected specifically for its expressive alignment with a particular season, which means each piece evolved along its own creative path. The family resemblance is real, but the four brooches are four separate creations. For a GCC collector acquiring any one of them, that singularity is absolute: no other piece in the world will share its gemstone, its seasonal identity, or its place in the anniversary narrative.
Craftsmanship & Atelier Process
The technical production of a single Bird on a Rock brooch is among the more exacting undertakings in Tiffany’s contemporary atelier. A team of more than eight artisans assembles seven hand-crafted components over the course of more than fifty hours of work per piece. Before the first component is set, Tiffany’s jewellery designers spent over two years studying the anatomy of birds in motion, calibrating the rendered form so that the finished brooch reads as a living creature caught in a moment of flight, alighting, or repose. For four one-of-a-kind anniversary pieces, that baseline process was amplified by the additional complexity of sourcing and working around four exceptional, season-specific gemstones.
The four brooches are now housed on the dedicated High Jewelry floor of Tiffany Ginza, within the Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany section, a space designed from the outset to receive precisely this kind of creation. Peer high-jewellery houses such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, and Chaumet operate within the same register of one-of-a-kind creation, but the Bird on a Rock anniversary quartet carries a provenance specific to both a sixty-year design lineage and a fifty-three-year relationship with Japan.
Ownership & Collector Considerations
As with all Tiffany Jean Schlumberger high-jewellery pieces, the four anniversary Bird on a Rock brooches are available on private request through Tiffany Ginza and through Tiffany’s high-jewellery salons worldwide. For collectors in the Gulf, that access pathway is direct: private appointments at Tiffany’s regional high-jewellery salons allow for the kind of unhurried dialogue that a one-of-a-kind acquisition demands. The brooches carry no edition number beyond their inherent singularity, and their provenance is immediate: created for a landmark anniversary, documented in relation to a specific Japanese season, and produced within the strict atelier protocols of the Jean Schlumberger collection.
Tiffany’s relationship with Japan began in 1972 and now spans more than fifty years, a depth of commitment that frames the anniversary quartet as something other than a commercial gesture. As CEO Anthony Ledru noted during the 2024 Tiffany Wonder exhibition in Tokyo: “Tiffany & Co. has been inspired by Japan for decades and the House’s authentic connection and extensive history in the region has only continued to grow.” For a collector choosing between comparable one-of-a-kind high-jewellery offerings, provenance of this kind, anchored in a half-century cultural relationship and a sixty-year design, is a material consideration alongside the gemstones themselves.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Tiffany & Co. anniversary Bird on a Rock brooches, and where can I see them in person?
Tiffany & Co. created four one-of-a-kind Bird on a Rock brooches to mark the first anniversary of Tiffany Ginza, the House's largest flagship in Asia. Each brooch interprets one of Japan's four seasons through an exceptional central gemstone. They are displayed at the dedicated High Jewelry floor of Tiffany Ginza in Tokyo and are available on private request through Tiffany Ginza and Tiffany's high-jewellery salons worldwide.
Who originally designed the Bird on a Rock brooch, and when was it created?
The Bird on a Rock brooch was first sketched by Jean Schlumberger in 1965, inspired by rare birds he encountered during travels to Asia and the Caribbean. Schlumberger is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century's most gifted jewellery designers. Today the collection is overseen by Tiffany's Chief Artistic Officer, Nathalie Verdeille.
How long does it take to produce a single Bird on a Rock brooch?
Each Bird on a Rock brooch is produced by a team of more than eight artisans who assemble seven hand-crafted components over the course of more than fifty hours of work per piece. Before construction begins, Tiffany's jewellery designers spent over two years studying the anatomy of birds in motion to ensure the finished piece reads as a living creature.
How significant is Japan to Tiffany & Co.'s history?
Tiffany & Co. first opened in Japan in 1972, establishing a presence that now spans more than fifty years. The Tiffany Ginza flagship, which opened on 11 July 2025, is the House's largest in Asia and represents what Tiffany itself has described as the beginning of the next half-century of its presence in Japan.
Can collectors outside Japan acquire the four anniversary Bird on a Rock brooches?
As with all Tiffany Jean Schlumberger high-jewellery pieces, the four anniversary brooches are available on private request through Tiffany Ginza and through Tiffany's high-jewellery salons worldwide, making them accessible to collectors in the GCC and beyond.
