Floral Notes

Business is blooming at Tiffany Co, whose Botanica high jewellery shares a kindred spirit with the Japanese art of ikebana.

- Celine Yap

THE JAPANESE ART of ikebana goes back to the Heian period, where Heian means ‘peace’ in the local tongue. Looking at the beauty of nature and taking in all of its varying nuances, ikebana exceeds the basic definition of floral arrangement. It also comprises a duty to elevate the natural beauty of a flower, a branch or a shrub after having supplanted it from its original environment.

Unlike Western floral arrangement which packs florals tightly in a bunch, ikebana seeks out distinct lines and finds beauty even in empty spaces, offering peace, mindfulness and tranquillity. So amid the Zen-like calm of a historical mansion in Tokyo, Japan, Tiffany & Co’s Botanica high jewellery discovered a quiet respite and a kindred spirit with the Japanese classical art.

Unveiled over three chapters timed according to the seasons, Spring, Summer and Fall, Botanica is a veritable garden festooned with glorious blooms as if freshly plucked and then immortalised in jewels and gemstones.