Beyoncé Becomes the First Black Woman in History To Wear Iconic 128.54-Carat Tiffany Diamond

Queen Bey continues to break records and make history. Just weeks after launching her Western-themed Ivy Park fashion collaboration with Adidas and telling Harper’s Bazaar that she has spent the last year and a half in the studio working on new music, the media mogul has also become just the fourth woman ever — and the first Black woman — to wear Tiffany & Co.’s priceless 128.54-carat Tiffany Diamond.

Toyin Owoseje of CNN reported that “the Grammy-winning performer wears the stunning piece of jewelry, which features one of the world’s largest yellow diamonds, as she and her rapper husband Jay-Z become the faces of Tiffany & Co.’s new ‘About Love’ campaign.”

In a press release announcing the collaboration, the couple said, “love is the diamond that the jewelry and art decorate.”

According to Owoseje, “the Tiffany Diamond was originally unearthed in South Africa in 1877. Since then, it has been worn by Mary Whitehouse, wife of American diplomat Edwin Sheldon Whitehouse, Hollywood icon Audrey Hepburn and singer Lady Gaga. Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s shoot is the first time the diamond has been featured in an advertising campaign,” and also features a painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat.

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Speaking of the company’s new partnership with the hit-making couple, Alexandre Arnault, executive vice president of product and communications for Tiffany & Co., said, “Beyoncé and Jay-Z are the epitome of the modern love story. As a brand that has always stood for love, strength and self-expression, we could not think of a more iconic couple that better represents Tiffany’s values. We are honored to have the Carters as a part of the Tiffany family.”

To further celebrate the pairing, Tiffany & Co. is also donating $2 million toward the creation of a scholarship and internship program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s “About Love” campaign will launch globally on Sept. 2 and will include not only a photo spread by photographer Mason Poole but also a promotional video of Beyoncé performing “Moon River,” the iconic song featured (and performed by Hepburn) in the 1961 movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

 

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