Charles Lewis Tiffany

The undisputed masterclass in owning a color.

Chosen by Charles Lewis Tiffany in 1845.

The robin's egg blue box wrapped in a white silk satin ribbon.

Oh my

And now that you've seen it, let's move on to the Tiffany and Company building, where one of the nation's leading jewelry makers, of course, get an old world building.

Moving multiple times yet again, before finally settling on this palace, where Charles Tiffany, where he was going to relocate again, but he died that year.

And Charles Cook took over, where he hired McKim, Meade, and White, Where he told them to build me a palace.

Of course he did.

Where another repeating name, Charles Tiffany, the owner.

And now the contractor is also named Charles.

Where the site was being excavated and the foundation walls collapsed.

No kings, no need for crown jewels.

They held an auction in 1887, and many of the remaining jewels were sold, over a third of them, in fact, to Charles Tiffany, who in turn marketed them to some very rich Americans.

There's great pictures of some of these Americans, like, wearing crowns and s- you know, at their parties and things, you know, wearing, "I'm wearing the crown of Princess blah blah or Queen blah blah," whatever.

So we're talking kind of Great Gatsby socialites with diamonds.

I mean, there was one woman, she put, like, a crown jewel necklace on her dog.

And Charles Tiffany was smart.

He, like, wrapped all of the crown jewels in these beautiful leather boxes with gold writing saying, "The crown jewels of France."

A few years ago, Helaine found out that Tiffany's still had some of these crown jewels hidden away in a warehouse in New Jersey.

Arnold came back to San Francisco with a much larger sample, and Ralston insisted on expert verification.

So in October of 1871, a mining promoter named Asbury Harpending carried a portion of that sample east to Charles Lewis Tiffany in New York, only about a tenth of the bag.

By Harpending's account, Tiffany pronounced the stones genuine and of enormous value, but would not name a figure on the spot.

The number came back at $150,000.

No kings, no need for crown jewels.

They held an auction in 1887, and many of the remaining jewels were sold, over a third of them, in fact, to Charles Tiffany, who in turn marketed them to some very rich Americans.

There's great pictures of some of these Americans, like, wearing crowns and s- you know, at their parties and things, you know, wearing, "I'm wearing the crown of Princess blah blah or Queen blah blah," whatever.

So we're talking kind of Great Gatsby socialites with diamonds.

I mean, there was one woman, she put, like, a crown jewel necklace on her dog.

And Charles Tiffany was smart.

He, like, wrapped all of the crown jewels in these beautiful leather boxes with gold writing saying, "The crown jewels of France."

A few years ago, Elaine found out that Tiffany's still had some of these crown jewels hidden away in a warehouse in New Jersey.

They selected approximately 10% of the stones and they sent them over to New York.

The man that they wanted to examine them was Charles Lewis Tiffany.

Three first names.

But guess who he was the founder of? Tiffany & Company, one of the most recognizable names in American jewelry.