Birth and evolution
The company's story dates back to 1837 when founder Charles Lewis Tiffany opened a store on Broadway in New York that sold stationery, handkerchiefs and other finery.
Over the next decade or so, the company shifted to jewellery, especially in 1848 through acquisitions of top European collections, including diamonds worn by Marie-Antoinette.
In 1850, Tiffany opened a store in Paris at rue de Richelieu, which was followed by a London store in 1868 and a watch factory in Geneva a few years later.
The company flourished further when Charles' son, Louis Comfort Tiffany—a painter, born in 1848—moved into glassmaking as the medium was enjoying a major renaissance in France, English and Italy.
Works by Louis Tiffany included lamps and stained glass that became synonymous with the "Gilded Age" in America at the end of the 19th century.
Some of Tiffany's work was event installed in the White House, but it was removed early in the 20th century.
Tiffany is "an American icon that is becoming a bit French. It has a lot of potential and an amazing history," Arnault said.