GEHRY IS A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND.

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Author: Palmeri, Christopher

BLING

Frank Gehry once said he was "freaked out by going on the road and being marketed like Yves Saint Laurent," but that didn't stop America's best-known architect from accepting one of the fashion world's most exclusive gigs. Tiffany's unveiled its new Gehry-designed jewelry line on Mar. 26 with a Beverly Hills blowout worthy of any Paris runway show. A-list attendees Owen Wilson, Quincy Jones, and Michael Eisner strolled the red carpet. Behind a wall, models wearing almost nothing but Gehry's jewelry could be glimpsed through strategically placed peepholes.

Gehry worked with nine Tiffany designers for three years on the collection, which ranges from $125 silver rings to a $1 million diamond brooch shaped like the floor plan of his landmark Guggenheim museum in Bilbao. To design the jewelry, Gehry made sketches and manipulated metal models, a process akin to the way he designs buildings.

Tiffany hasn't used an outside designer since it launched its Paloma Picasso line 26 years ago. "We just couldn't find anyone that made sense," explains CEO Michael Kowalski.

The line rolls out over the coming months at Tiffany stores in New York, Tokyo, and London. Expect Gehry to hit the road and help promote it.

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Copyright 2006

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By Christopher Palmeri

Edited by Deborah Stead