Last year a documentary on the allure of the blue box and American jeweller Tiffany & Co. was presented by director Matthew Miele and featuring Katie Couric and Jessica Biel. An authorised documentary of the company, the film examined the history of the company and how it became one of the most coveted labels in the world today. One dead giveaway is perhaps in the trailer which has Biel and Couric squealing at deafening pitches and jumping up and down like little girls when they actually hold it in their hands.
Crazy about Tiffany takes a look at America’s first iconic brand
It begets the question: why is Tiffany’s light medium robin egg blue box such a powerful thing that has the ability to stir up the hearts of women in an instant?
Legacy of the Blue Box
In 1845, and every year since then, Tiffany & Co. has published its product catalogue known as the Blue Book. It used to be how the brand communicated its new designs to the public, and even today, the company continues to create the Blue Book each year. The colour chosen for the cover was a light medium robin egg blue, something that became iconised by the company. Tiffany’s blue box, a custom Pantone colour for the brand, is something that excites.
Check out the 2016 Tiffany & Co. Blue Book in video form
More than anything else, it became a symbol of quality craftsmanship. Although Tiffany & Co. started as a retail shop offering various silverware goods, Charles Tiffany became emphatic on the crafting of his own products and then only allowing goods made by Tiffany to be sold in a Tiffany box.
But perhaps what it really symbolises is the promise of a lifetime guarantee: one of quality, style and elegance and the highest level of craftsmanship, but also the romance of the blue box. After all, who can forget the excitement of the girls in Bride Wars at proposal time, set to the allure of the blue box? Kate Hudson’s excitement on receiving her Tiffany & Co. Novo engagement ring is infectious, complete with fiancé on bended knee.
Kate Hudson in Bride Wars rocking a Tiffany & Co. Novo ring
Over the years, the company has on occasion released incredible stories about tales of spectacular proposals, demonstrating why the blue box has the power to evoke such passion in women. Here are our favourites.
P.S. The analysis of the Tiffany & Co. blue box is by adweek.com.