In 1845, Tiffany & Co., the “stationery and fancy goods emporium”, produced its very first catalogue highlighting their collection of luxury merchandise. Charles Lewis Tiffany, one of the company’s founders, chose a light robin’s-egg blue for the cover of the publication. The colour turquoise was in vogue during the 19th century – made fashionable, in part, by Victorian brides who presented their bridesmaids with gifts of jewellery made with the semiprecious gemstone (example shown below).
The icy-blue colour immediately resonated with the public, probably as a result of the colour’s positive association with blue skies and tropical oceans. The Pantone Colour Matching System (PMS) created a custom blue for Tiffany & Co. – PMS 1837. The number corresponds with the year the company was founded. This unique shade of blue is now synonymous with Tiffany & Co., making it one of the few brands that people are able to identify through colour alone.