I am convinced Tiffany created the Keys Collection in my honour since my name is 'Kee' which is identikit to 'Key' and I always tell everyone Kee holds the key to everyone's heart! This Kee/Key unlocks every defences known to man! No lock is immune to this particular Kee!
For centuries, a young man is given a gold or silver (or bronze key if his family is not loaded), on his 21st birthday to symbolise he has come of age. This tradition continues today as a key is the universal symbol of adulthood, maturity and responsibility. At 21, men are now free from parental control, can vote and decide his own future without interference from blood relatives. Girls too are given keys on their coming of age and they can now wear the most micro of mini skirts without they parents stopping them from leaving the house.
A key locks in good luck so it was a matter of time before Tiffany introduced the Locks Collection after the wild success of the Keys Collection. I was surprised Tiffany took 2 years to come up with the Locks Collection after unveiling the Keys Collection. I thought they should have produced BOTH Locks and Keys collections and released them SIMULTANEOUSLY!
A matching set of lock and key pendants dangling round the neck is uber-cool, don't you think?
Now it is more cumbersome for someone who has already purchased the key to find a matching lock. Some lock and key pendants which look quite matching are in different sizes which is a bit of a bummer. It would have been so much easier if both keys and locks were introduced simultaneously so buyers could buy both immediately and not wait 2 years later.
As it is, not all the new locks, to be released officially in June, will match the original keys. Still, I LOVE the locks and keys and I am amazed no other jeweller like Cartier, Bvlgari or Van Cleef have come up with similar collections before or after Tiffany. A key or lock pendant really cannot go wrong.
It works for lovers as I know many couples buying for each other to symbolise their love! A guy can buy a key pendant and give it to his girlfriend to demonstrate she and only she holds the key to his heart. She then buys him a lock pendant to show she has locked up her love only for him!
Is this scenario sweet or not? I am sniffing right now, consumed with romantic emotions swirling in my heart and I only a key to unlock my passion to let it flow out and across the universe, absorbing all the love and beauty that surround us! There, no one can accuse me of not being poetic and unromantic!
Keys are long considered magical and treated as lucky charms or talismans in most societies. A highly favoured viistor or important personage like neighbouring king, prince or nobleman would be given the most important gift----not jewels or slaves but the key to the city! This key could unlock the fortified gates of the city, thus allowing the favoured recipient to enter and leave the city at free will 24/7! Such keys in theory were given only to someone who had done the city a great service or was trusted absolutely by the king or ruler of the city. Should the key fall into wrong hands, that city would have been at risk. Of course in reality I am sure there were many locks and many different keys were needed to open city gates and anyway, once the gates were barricaded using wooden beams inside, no key was needed as there were no locks!
Even today, city fathers or mayors routinely give 'key to the city' to important visitors, VIPS and celebrities visiting their fair city! To be given the key to the city is considered a big honour despite the fact there are now no longer any protective walls circling any city!
In olden days, as in around two thousand years ago, monarchs would have minions carry the keys 1 to 2 metres long! I doubt such keys were functioning but they were certainly impressive due to their size and some were coated with gold and embedded with semi precious stones. The citizens would clap and clutch their chests in admiration and awe as the procession of key holders paraded past them holding the giant keys on their shoulders, almost like Jesus Christ carrying his crucifix!
Keys like these simply acted as visual aids to impress the citizenry or visitors to prove the King had vast treasure chambers so huge and sprawling they required monstrous keys to open! And surely these keys were required to protect the gold, jewels, caskets and crown jewels!
Some of the locks are actually functioning! So you can actually use them for the function they were originally designed for though I doubt anyone would use them to lock their suitcases as checked-in luggage as they are too precious compared to the usual RM 7 suitcase locks! But it is so nice to know these locks can be used in an emergency! Of course they come with their own, separate tiny keys.
Keys were so important they entered our vocabulary! Think 'key man', 'key word', 'key personnel' and 'he holds the key to the success of our business'! Here the word 'key' no longer refers to the little appendage in your pocket. As it is, we never think of keys until we lose them! Then it is panic stations as you cannot drive your car home, unlock your door, open your safe or cabinet etc! Horrors!
The Tifafny keys were inspired by the dainty, pretty keys from the end of 19th and start of 20th centuries when keys were used to open jewellery boxes, memento boxes as well as open diaries, albums and steamer trunks. Such keys were so important they were usually worn on long chains round the neck and out of sight hidden under shirts or blouses so losing them was near impossible!
Such vintage keys were contemporarised into modern versions to suit the third century but they retain all the charm, beauty and romance of yesteryears. Shaped or topped with floral motifs, hearts and medallions, these keys are made of 18k white, yellow or pink gold as well as platinum or silver so there is a key for every budget. Ditto for the locks.
The locks, like the keys, are both vintage and contemporary, cute yet dignified, feminine yet edgy, not the sort worn by grannies and fuddy-duddies!
The sterling silver locks start around RM 300 all the way to diamond studded versions at RM 17,000! Tiffany is located at Pavilion and KLCC in prominent locations so missing them is impossible.
For info; 03-2161 8118
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