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n Schlumberger (1907-1987) was a gifted French jewellery designer born in Alsace who gained an international recognition through his association with Tiffany & Co.
He began his career as a costume jewellery and buttons designer for Elsa Schiaparelli in the thirties and then came to New York after World War II where he opened a salon in 1946 before starting designing jewels for Tiffany & Co. ten years later until his retirement in the late 1970s.
Schlumberger's jewels were remarkable for their fanciful and colourful interpretations of Nature. He was especially inspired by sea creatures, exotic birds and other animals, tropical plants and travels around the world saying ''I try to make everything look as if it were growing, uneven, at random, organic, in motion''. He usually used precious and semi-precious stones as well as pailloné enamel in his fascinating jewels.
One of the most famous pieces that Schlumberger created was the mounting for the famed Tiffany Diamond. The brooch, entitled "Bird on a Rock", highlight the impressive 128.54 carats yellow diamond in a fanciful setting typical of Schlumberger's style.
He quickly built an impressive clientele that included the Mellon, John F. Kennedy, Mona Bismarck, the Duchess of Kent and the Duchess of Windsor, Greta Garbo, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn. Jacqueline Kennedy wore so many of Schlumberger's enamel bracelets that the press called them "Jackie bracelets".