NEW YORK—Tiffany & Co. said Wednesday that James Fernandez, its chief operating officer and chief financial officer, plans to retire in July.<br /><br />Fernandez, 58, had served as CFO since Patrick McGuiness resigned in November. He had previously served as CFO from 1989 to 2011. Fernandez has been as COO since 2011.<br /><br />The luxury jewelry company named Ralph Nicoletti as CFO and executive vice president, effective April 2.<br /><br />Nicoletti, 56, will be responsible for Tiffany’s worldwide financial functions and information technology. He most recently served as executive vice president and CFO at health services and insurance company Cigna Corp.<br /><br />Nicoletti will report to chairman and CEO Michael Kowalski. He will be based at the company’s New York headquarters.<br /><br />Tiffany said that the COO post will be eliminated when Fernandez retires.<br /><br />Tiffany shares finished at $92.67 on Tuesday. They are up more than 35 percent since a year ago.