History + Highlights of Boucheron

An amazing 1950s Boucheron Turquoise & Diamond cocktail ring. Click here for more details. Photo ©2018 EraGem Jewelry.   The Maison Boucheron of Paris crafted this outstanding turquoise and diamond cocktail ring in the 1950s. Centering the masterpiece is an oval cut turquoise cabochon weighing 30 carats. A halo of 20 round brilliant cut diamonds surrounds the stone. Around this, a second halo of 20 accent cabochon turquoise stones surrounds the whole. Truly, the ring serves as an extraordinary example of the design prowess of Boucheron.  

History of Boucheron

Frederic Boucheron grew up learning the clothiers trade. Upon reaching the age of maturity, he departed from his family's tradition and opened a jewelry boutique in Paris. Opening first beneath the arcades of the Palais Royale, Frederic eventually made a strategic move to 26 Place Vendome. In the crosshairs of the Opera Garnier district and the Tuileries Gardens, Place Vendome was then and remains now the center of recreation and leisure for wealthy Parisians. Frederic was the first to sell high jewelry in the 1st arrondisement. Today Place Vendome holds court as the premier marketplace for high jewelry, couture, the arts, and antiques. Today, 160 years later, Boucheron continues to serve the most elite clientele in Paris, offering unique contemporary collections featuring spectacular stones from 26 Place Vendome.  

Three Creative Pillars

Early on, Frederic adhered to design principles built upon three creative pillars - Couture, Architecture, Nature. These creative pillars remain solidly in place as a foundation for all of the atelier's collections. Nature provides endless inspiration. Drawing from nature's wild freedom, the Maison creates bold natural designs expressed in an exotic blend of realism and fantasy. Architecture reveals itself most prevalently in Boucheron's Art Deco motifs. From the beginning of the Art Deco period, the atelier capitalized on the contemporary demand for geometric lines and architectural motifs. Couture, to be sure, inspires and informs the design principles behind nearly every Boucheron piece. In part, because jewelry serves to accessorize couture. In part, because couture in and of itself is inspiring. Certainly, as the son of clothiers, Frederic cultivated a lifelong fascination with fabric and materials. Among his most magnificent creations is the gold mesh scarf he fashioned for the Grand-Duc Wladimir. The Duc met his wife during a ball. She dropped her scarf, and he picked it up for her. The sensuousness and infatuation marked by such a simple encounter inspired him to ask Boucheron to recreate the scarf in gold and jewels. Since then, the Maison continues to work gold to create fabric-like creations fashioned from fine strands of gold and tasseled with pearls.  

Designs for Women

Without doubt, the most innovative design Boucheron invented for women and couture is the Question Mark necklace, called Point d'Interrogation in French. Conceptualized first in 1883, by Frederic and his workshop manager, Paul Legrand, the Question Mark necklace established a new design for women. The necklace, beautiful and contemporary in its lines, really solved a difficult problem women endured with their couture. In particular, the stiff, limiting crinoline made it difficult for women to hook the clasp of a necklace on their own. The Question Mark necklace, fashioned like a peacock feather, is made without a clasp. Instead, it harbors a hidden spring system which allows it to curl around the neck like a feather. This represents only one example in a long line of innovations tailored to meet the needs of women. In addition, the Maison invented brand new designs, including the mosaic, mirror, and airy settings. The innovation, boldness, and extraordinary commitment to exceptionality in stone choice, design principle, and craftsmanship, surely sets Boucheron above the rest. To add this beautiful piece by the Parisian Maison to your collection, give us a call today.