The unlikely inspiration behind Tiffany & Co.'s latest icon, the Knot
The chain-link fence was the main inspiration point for the Knot. We explore the story behind the unlikely motif.
There are plenty of symbols associated with New York City. The Statue of Liberty. A skyline peppered with immediately-recognisable buildings. Broadway. Even the city’s ubiquitous yellow cabs have become synonymous with New York. Put together, it’s a heady mixture of bright lights and undeniable character. So when American jeweller Tiffany & Co. looked to its New York roots, searching for something to inspire their latest collection, they had plenty of material to mine from.
It’s surprising then, that they’ve chosen a rather unlikely motif: The chain-link fence.
The fence is often seen as a divisive structure, but in New York and many parts of the world, it has been reclaimed as a space for activism and art. Tiffany & Co. has reinterpreted this into the Knot, a deceptively simple motif that’s both elegant and defiant, subversive, yet – quite literally – pedestrian. It’s a dichotomy not unlike that of New York itself. It’s that ineffable spirit that Tiffany & Co. hopes to channel through the Knot, a sort of secret affinity given to insiders; the Knot is, as the brand itself says, worn as a type of connection “with those who ‘know’.”
The Knot’s uncomplicated design belies the startling amount of work that goes into each piece. Take the Tiffany Knot bracelet for example. This piece – which looks just at home on the red carpet as it would on a mid-afternoon coffee run in the city – disguises an arduous amount of labour: Each of the bracelet’s 400 diamonds has been set at precise, calculated angles to maximise their individual and collective brilliance.
The bracelets also hide a clever locking mechanism, keeping up the illusion that it is a continuous, unbroken loop. Meanwhile, a double-wrap choker – the collection’s hero piece – epitomises the grit-meets-glam aesthetic of New York with its combination of 18k yellow gold and 300 hand-set pavé diamonds.
