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This week Tiffany & Co debuted the new Titan Setting, which creates the illusion of a hovering diamond. The effect is possible thanks to the Floeting “platform”, a patented creation from a New Zealand jewellery company that includes a micro-engineered round brilliant diamond and its accompanying mounting, set without prongs or bezels.
“The diamond appears to sort of defy gravity,” says Floeting’s co-inventor Chris Benham, speaking from Wellington.
The launch is the latest effort from the LVMH-owned house to elevate its standing in the high-end jewellery segment, where its promise has been slow to materialise despite the French conglomerate’s investment in its rebranding since 2021. The LVMH group does not report individual brand performance, but sales of its watches and jewellery division struggled to perform in 2024, closing the year with revenues down 2 per cent over 2023 on an organic basis. Despite an improvement in Tiffany’s performance, investment in the category weighed on operating profit.
Under LVMH, Tiffany in 2023 unveiled a complete redesign of its Manhattan flagship store, which has been described as “the biggest investment in the history of luxury”, and a number of collaborations with names such as Supreme, Fendi, Nike and Beyoncé. The Titan Setting itself is part of a new instalment of the Titan collection, a collaboration with Louis Vuitton men’s creative director, recording artist and producer Pharrell Williams that the house debuted last year.
Tiffany is the first jewellery house to use the Floeting platform, which took 17 years to perfect, with input from science and gemstone laboratories, and even an ex-Formula One engineer. The stone that comes with it features 89 facets, about 50 per cent more than your average round brilliant diamond, and ultra-precise micro grooves to connect the setting.
The development of the first round brilliant diamond is credited to Belgian diamantaire Marcel Tolkowsky in 1919, and the cut has long been Tiffany’s wheelhouse — its patented Tiffany setting engagement ring features a round brilliant diamond held by six prongs. But the shape today has become increasingly indistinguishable in the market and a harder sell as consumers seek more interesting and unusual fancy cut stones.
Tiffany’s move to partner with Floeting follows a trend among top jewellery houses seeking to strengthen brand identity by developing recognisable cuts, settings and designs. Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, one of the largest online jewellers in Europe, says that “there’s a very strong commercial incentive right now to make everything about the brand — and that’s where the cuts really come in, [as they] allow brands to differentiate significantly”.
Most prominent in this effort is Louis Vuitton, which has cut stones into the star and flower shape of its iconic monogram print in both its high and fine jewellery collections. Francesca Amfitheatrof, artistic director for watches and jewellery at Louis Vuitton, calls the LV Monogram cuts the “holy grail” for clients, who are “totally seduced” by them, she says. Meanwhile, another LVMH stablemate, Chaumet, has also created a unique hexagon-shaped cut called Taille Impératrice (empress-cut in French), featuring 88 facets, which riffs off the house’s signature bee-themed jewellery collection.
Engineering new cuts, however, requires a considerable amount of time and investment. For this reason smaller independent jewellers have been designing around signature fancy cuts, such as Bond Street’s David Morris, who is known for its regular use of rose cut diamonds. Rather than embarking on the development of a completely new cut and setting, Tiffany has partnered with Floeting, which had already spent almost two decades working on its creation.
“The idea that things move and perform beyond explanation is fascinating,” says Williams of why he was drawn to the Floeting platform, which has been employed in a diamond earring with a fishtail setting, and a ring encircled by four Titan spears that highlight the central diamond. “For one to look and question ‘Wait a minute, how is that stone there?’”
The collection also introduces a unisex-style pendant, earrings, necklace, bracelet and ring punctuated with earthy grey Tahitian pearls over 11mm in diameter. Men are increasingly drawn to Tiffany Titan, according to the house and the Floeting novelty may further that interest. Christine Douglas, Floeting’s co-inventor, says that the setting has attracted a new segment of male clients who haven’t traditionally considered diamonds, in particular engineers, architects and those working in tech.
“We thought that people might be put off by the technology, but in fact it’s been the opposite,” she says. Tech bros who are embracing diamond jewellery with a touch of Pharrell magic? That could be the boost that Tiffany needs.
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