Nature has always provided a wellspring of inspiration for the jewelers of Place Vendôme, and Frédéric Boucheron was no exception. Yet he soon set himself apart with his unique vision of a living nature, naturalistic and untamed. It was this aspect of nature that the Maison’s founder loved, and Boucheron’s archives abound with ivy, thistles, ferns, flies and bumblebees.
This year, Claire Choisne offers a fresh perspective on this singular vision of nature, with a homage that transcends it by instilling a whole new dimension. Designed to be worn in innovative ways, her 28 new creations show nature asserting itself and taking over the body, blurring the lines between the human form and its surrounding ecosystem. Boucheron presents ‘Untamed Nature’, a new Histoire deStyle collection as a living encyclopedia of High Jewelry.
nature seen through frédéric boucheron’s eyes
From his earliest days, Frédéric Boucheron felt a strong affinity for nature in its wild and untamed state. He drew inspiration from the ivy that clambered along the arcades of the Palais-Royal, where he established his first store in 1858.While his contemporaries favored noble flowers and majestic animals, the Maison’s founder was captivated by a more unassuming class of flora and fauna; clover, daisies, wild roses and thistles mingled with butterflies, beetles and dragonflies in his repertoire. His meticulous focus on detail led him to buildup a library of over 600 works, including the great scientific treatises of the19th century, so he could study and accurately render the natural world down to its tiniest imperfections. The Maison's archives attest to this pursuit of naturalistic realism, showing wind-swept bent plants, twisted leaves, and even wilted flowers.
THE HISTOIRE DE STYLE COLLECTION, UNTAMED NATURE
plants
Airelles
Lingonberries
A symbol of perseverance and resilience, this low-growing shrub has fleshy, red berries and grows in inhospitable environments at altitudes ranging from 300 to 3000 meters. It’s so hardy, it even grows in the Arctic.
Under Claire Choisne’s nurturing hand, the lingonberries retrieved from the archives continue to thrive. Stems can be detached from the necklace in places to form a separate cascading brooch or smaller brooches. An intricate system of articulations ensures all the stems link together with perfect fluidity, each free to mold itself to the body’s contours. The ateliers have devised a custom brooch system that holds them exactly in place without compromising on comfort.
The back of the leaves reveals exceptionally fine openwork crafted into the shape of a drop. Each stem features a cut-down setting – a technique where pavé diamonds are set on a band of metal of the same width and held in position by tiny claws – underscoring the artisans’ High Jewelry expertise. The 84 leaves that make up this cascading brooch are handcrafted and illuminated with a snow setting.
Necklace paved with diamonds, in white gold. Necklace in the tradition of the multiwear. 3,600 hours of work.
Avoine
OatA cereal grain consumed by humans and animals for thousands of years, oats symbolize wealth, fertility and abundance.
This collection sees wind-blown stems of oat grass picked, and fastened in the hair. Boucheron’s CreativeStudio reinvents hair jewelry with two extremely dainty pieces that also transform into fibula brooches. This feat of technical virtuosity called for highly intricate craftsmanship and minute attention to detail, especially evident in the delicate oat spikelets that sway with the slightest movement thanks to their delicate system of articulations.
Head jewels paved with diamonds, in white gold. Head jewels in the tradition of the multiwear.
Chardon
Thistle
Thistles grow in arid soils, protected by their sharp prickles, and are considered to symbolize austerity.
Boucheron reinterprets an 1878 thistle brooch from the archives in a necklace and brooch depicting this wild plant. Realism is pushed to its extreme on these pieces, both on their front and reverse sides. Using computer-aided design, the artisans successfully reproduced the outlines, the three-dimensional contours, and the details of the thistle, yet managed to ensure that this prickly-looking jewelry is still comfortable to wear. Similarly, on the back of each creation, flame-shaped openwork gives an organic effect while also reducing the weight of the piece and enhancing the brilliance of the stones. Such precision craftsmanship can accommodate the variety of cuts of the diamonds selected for these creations.
Brooch paved with diamonds, in white gold. Brooch in the tradition of the multiwear.
Necklace paved with diamonds, in white gold. 1,110hours of work.
Cyclamen
Cyclamen grows in cool, mountainous regions, and symbolizes lasting feelings and sincere affection in the language of flowers.
Here the cyclamen from the archives is reworked, under the artistic supervision of Boucheron’s Creative Director, in a ring and an asymmetrical pair of earrings that reproduce its delicate outlines. One earring depicts six petals unfurling at the top of an entirely diamond-paved stem. To balance this, the other earring forms a leaf-shaped stud, also pavé-set and with openwork. The greatest challenge for the Boucheron Studio, when crafting these two pieces, lay in setting rose-cut diamonds on the cyclamen petals. This called for painstaking precision, with jewelers and gem-setters working in tandem. A total of 101 rose-cut diamonds are set in the earring. Each was carefully selected to match the volume of an individual petal and follow its curving contour, juxtaposed with the leaves, which are pavé-set with round diamonds.
Ring paved with diamonds, in white gold.
Pendant earrings paved with diamonds, in white gold.
Fleur de carotte
Carrot flower
The carrot flower is a herbaceous plant native to temperate regions. Its clusters of tiny white flowers are often associated with purity and innocence.
The only piece in the collection not to draw inspiration from the archives, this brooch realizes Claire Choisne’s desire to introduce this wildflower into Boucheron’s encyclopedia. Its fluffy appearance called for each tiny white flower to be painstakingly positioned in the cluster. The technical complexity of this piece – which can be worn as a brooch or a hair jewel – lies in the use of three different types of setting and bezel. Showcasing Boucheron’s High Jewelry expertise, handed down by generations of artisans, this technique makes the light dance in a beautiful play of reflections.
Brooch paved with diamonds, in white gold. Brooch in the tradition of the multiwear.
Fuchsia
A perennial plant with semi-evergreen foliage and pendant bell-like flowers, fuchsia symbolizes the ardor of the heart.
This collection sees new shoots spring from the archival fuchsia, in the form of a pair of earrings and a hair jewel that transforms into a brooch. It began as a challenge for Boucheron’s artisans: how could they reproduce the weightlessness of a fuchsia blossom?It could only be done with the greatest finesse and artistry. All the leaves that combine to form these pieces are open worked to pare back their metal structure.On each earring, a fully articulated pistil sways delicately in the slightest breeze, ending with one of a perfectly matched pair of 2-carat D IF type IIa diamonds at its tip. Aiming to mirror nature, the artisans crafted each petal individually to reproduce the flower’s perfect asymmetry. And – since nature is but an eternal cycle of renewal – new buds, wrought in diamond, await the right moment to burst into bloom.
Brooch paved with diamonds, in white gold. Brooch in the tradition of the multiwear. 900 hours of work.
Pendant earrings set with two D IF pear-cut diamonds for a total carat weigth of 4.10 ct, paved with diamonds, in white gold.
Laurier
Laurel
A perennial shrub that retains its green leaves throughout winter, laurel symbolizes immortality and glory. Since Medieval Times, distinguished scholars have been crowned with a laurel wreath at universities. This tradition endures in countries such as Italy, where graduates still wear laurel wreaths when they receive their bachelor’s degree, known as the laurea.
This time Boucheron reinvents the archival laurel in a pair of earrings that in no way compromise the plant’s lightweight nature. It’s a challenge the Maison's artisans met with remarkable finesse, crafting an extremely slender structure so each earring weighs just 19grams. This accomplishment called for perfect coordination between all the jewelry trades, with each stage of work influencing the next. First the artisans fashioned the structure of the laurel leaves in gold to faithfully render their natural, delicately undulating movement. This lifelike realism is heightened by oval and troidia-cut diamonds that mimic the laurel's berries, while openwork in the middle of the leaves helps make the pieces more lightweight. Boucheron’s atelier created a versatile design for the earrings so they can be worn three ways – short, mid-length or full-length – with an additional surprise: two parts of them can be detached to form two brooches, giving even more ways of wearing nature.
Pendant earrings paved with diamonds, in white gold. Pendant earrings in the tradition of the multiwear.
Lierre
Ivy
Frédéric Boucheron's favorite plant, ivy, has nonetheless suffered from negative connotations sinceAntiquity. This climbing vine is regarded as a parasite and a “tree strangler”.Yet it’s an organism that causes no damage to the walls and trees it grows on.Ivy symbolizes passionate love.
This year, ivy encroaches on the body, coiling around the arm as a bracelet or spreading out across the chest in a long cascading brooch. Branches can be detached from this brooch and transformed into a necklace, hair jewels or smaller brooches. And the technical virtuosity doesn't stop there – the leaves of this cascading brooch, with their different outlines and reliefs, are mounted on different sized tremblers to infuse life and movement into the piece. Cleverly concealed on the backs of the leaves, these mechanisms are customized to the exact size and weight of each leaf so that the whole trembles in a natural and uniform manner.
It was a challenge for the Maison’s artisans to position these mobile leaves in a harmonious fashion. Despite the trembling, each leaf has to be perfectly placed so that no matter how this jewelry is worn, neither the wearer’s comfort nor the luxuriance of the ivy is compromised. The piece strikes a perfect balance between sculptural depth and gossamer delicacy, thanks to dainty openwork on the leaves that adds an overall lightness. The bracelet, with no tremblers, boasts a certain suppleness thanks to the ingenious articulation of its links.
Necklace paved with diamonds, in white gold. Necklace in the tradition of the multiwear. 1,060 hours of work.
Bracelet paved with diamonds, in white gold.
Mauve
Mallow
A perennial found along fences and paths, on walls and embankments, mallow is an edible plant with a host of medicinal properties.
Inspired by this delicate, modest flower from Boucheron’s archives, the Creative Studio dreamed up a pair of asymmetrical earrings and a bracelet. Every petal and every leaf was first individually sculpted in wax to reproduce its curves and contours, then open worked in a tracery pattern that mimics its veining. The earrings are made up of several parts with a clip system designed to fasten to any cartilage, making them extremely versatile. As for the bracelet, it’s crafted to be supremely supple and can be laid completely flat. The lightness and mastery of sculptural volume displayed in these pieces is a testament to the expertise of the Maison's artisans.
Pendant earrings paved with diamonds, in white gold. Pendant earrings in the tradition of the multiwear.
Bracelet paved with diamonds, in white gold. 1,210 hours of work.
Roseau
Reed
The reed is a wetland species with a cosmopolitan distribution across every region of the world.Because it bends but doesn't break, the reed symbolizes flexibility and resilience.
This year the Maison captures the reed’s flowering in a set comprising necklace, bracelet, fibula brooch and hair jewel. The atelier faced the challenge of replicating the fleeting moment when the reed’s feathery panicles open and its leaves unfurl – and crystallizing it for all time in diamonds and gold. First the elements were sculpted in wax, with the same attention to detail that extends to the entire set, so the panicles on each piece are unique. Every reed stem is tipped with an oval diamond that conjures up a bead of dew clinging to it in the dawn hours. The brilliance of these pieces is heightened by a diamond snow setting applied across the leaves – an especially complex operation, as the gem-setters had to follow the folds in the leaves.
Necklace, paved with diamonds, in white gold.
Brooch, paved with diamonds, in white gold.
Head jewel paved with diamonds, in white gold.
Bracelet paved with diamonds, in white gold.
Rosier
Rose bush
A perennial plant, the rose bush can survive several decades without any attention from humans. The Rosa genus comprises up to 200 species that hybridize with each another easily.
Like Frédéric Boucheron in his day, Claire Choisne turned her attention not to the “Queen of flowers” but to the prickly rose bush, which inspired four designs: a QuestionMark necklace, a pair of rings, another necklace and a pair of earrings. No roses in full bloom feature here, only leaves, stems, and new buds. In crafting these creations, the challenge was to imitate the luxuriance and natural curl of the slightly twisted leaves. Boucheron’s artisans had to fashion almost 70 different leaves across the entire set.
This quest for lifelike realism carries through to the odd number of leaves on the iconic QuestionMark necklace, evoking the harmonious imperfection of nature. Threads of white gold subtly underscore the veining of the leaves, while the neck band is set with pavé diamonds on its visible side. Hanging like a bead of dew at the tip of the leaves, the drop is set with a 6.01-carat F VVS2 pear-shaped diamond encircled by baguette-cut and round diamonds. It can be detached to be placed on a ring, and substituted with another drop in rock crystal and diamonds.
The other three creations were made using the traditional lost-wax technique, allowing Boucheron’s artisans to handcraft each leaf with the utmost delicacy so as top reserve the lightness of the rose bush. Some leaves may hide others – the ring is actually made up of two parts that can be worn separately. The earrings can be worn in a multitude of configurations, with each earring dividing into three distinct elements.
Necklace set with two8.15 ct and 4.19 ct D FL IIA type pear-cut diamonds and a 2.01 ct D IF IIA type pear-cut diamond, paved with diamonds, in white gold. 2,300 hours of work.
Necklace set with a6.01 ct F VVS2 pear-cut diamond and rock crystal, paved with diamonds, in white gold. Necklace in the tradition of multiwear. 1,000 hours of work.
Ring set with a 6.04ct D IF IIA type pear-cut diamond, paved with diamonds, in white gold. Ring in the tradition of multiwear.
insects
Bourdon
Bumblebee
The bumblebee is regarded as a symbol of regeneration and rebirth, because of its essential role as a pollinator enabling plants to reproduce.
By marrying white gold, diamonds, onyx and mother-of-pearl with rock crystal and black lacquer, theCreative Studio captures the essence of the bumblebee from the archives and brings this insect back to life with striking exactness. Boucheron’s artisans crafted its body in white gold, while the wings – mere millimeters thick – are fashioned from rock crystal and mother-of-pearl to give an effect of iridescent transparency. The rock crystal is engraved to mimic veining, and with their delicate edging of gold and black lacquer, these wings seem ready to lift in flight at the slightest movement. Stripes of onyx heighten the realism of this lifelike creation. The Maison’s technical ingenuity is showcased in a runner mechanism concealed under the Bumblebee’s abdomen, which enables the insect to fly easily between brooch and two-finger ring.
Ring set with onyx, rock crystal and mother-of-pearl, paved with diamonds, with black lacquer, in white gold. Ring in the tradition of the multiwear.
Lucane
Stag beetle
Europe’s largest beetle, the stag beetle gets its name from its large mandibles that resemble the antlers of a male deer. It lives in deciduous forests and feeds on tree sap.The stag beetle is often associated with strength and power.
Here Boucheron reinterprets the stag beetle in a creation that can be worn in two ways, either as a two-finger ring or a brooch. Entirely covered in pavé-set diamonds accentuated with black lacquer and openwork, this piece reproduces the very essence of this fascinating insect. At the heart of it lies an ingenious mechanism that releases a safety catch, allowing it to transform from brooch to ring: simply push the diamond-set button discreetly positioned under the insect's abdomen, and gently pinch together its antennae.
Ring paved with diamonds, with black lacquer, in white gold. Ring in the tradition of the multiwear.
Papillon de nuit
Moth
The moth is active from dusk to dawn and has a wingspan that can reach up to 30 cm. Many species of moth emit sounds that are inaudible to humans, which explains why they have come to symbolize intuition and deeper knowledge.
The Creative Studio pays tribute to the moths that abound in Boucheron’s archives. In this delicate moth, which is both brooch and hair jewel, the Maison’s artisans showcase the full range of their exceptional savoir-faire. Crafting the insect's four wings from white and gray mother-of-pearl was a remarkable feat. Since mother-of-pearl isa natural material, each piece shimmers with unique hues and reflections.Achieving a harmonious result requires matching pieces of mother-of-pearl inexactly the same shade. Hand-engraved veining on each wing brings this piece to life, while the underside of the wings are delicately hollowed out to accommodate the metal structure and the multiwear mechanism. The wingtips are accentuated with black lacquer dots and baguette-cut diamonds.
Brooch set with mother-of-pearl, paved with diamonds, with black lacquer, in white gold. Brooch faithful to Boucheron’s multiwear tradition.
Scarabée rhinoceros
Rhinoceros beetle
One of the world's strongest insects, the rhinoceros beetle can lift up to 850 times its own weight. Generally, it is considered to bring good fortune and has been depicted in lucky charm amulets since time immemorial.
Here Boucheron reinterprets the beetle from the archives. It’s spreading its wings, about to come to rest on the hand, or on the body if it so wishes. The Maison's artisans have hidden an ingenious mechanism within this creation, allowing the brooch to transform in to a two-finger ring with a single gesture. Their meticulous attention to detail is especially evident in the lifelike appearance of the wings, crafted from the same materials as the bumblebee's. Metal partitions and black lacquer mimic their veining, adding depth and contrast. The beetle's dainty wings can even move delicately. Crafted from rock crystal, they give a more detailed view of the insect's body, thanks to their magnifying glass effect.
Ring set with rock crystal and mother-of-pearl, paved with diamonds, with black lacquer, in white gold.
Trio of insects
Like Frédéric Boucheron in his day, Claire Choisne celebrates the beauty of the minute world of insects with three creations – a bee, a ladybug and a fly – like an ecosystem where none can live without the others.
TheCreative Director chose to place the bee on the ear, while the other two flying insects can come to rest in the hair or on clothing, thanks to their flexible spiral stems. Boucheron artisans reproduced the details of these insects with microscopic precision. Their wings are made of one layer of crystal laid over another of mother-of-pearl, to render their natural transparency and iridescence, and the veining was executed with laser engraving. Black lacquer mimics the bee's stripes, the ladybug's spots and the detailing on the fly. The overall effect contrasts beautifully with the white gold and diamonds.
“Abeille” (Bee) Earclip set with rock crystal and mother-of-pearl paved with diamonds, with blacklacquer, in white gold.
“Coccinelle”(Ladybug) and “Mouche” (Fly) Brooches set with rock crystal andmother-of-pearl, paved with diamonds, with black lacquer, in white gold. Piecesin the tradition of the multiwear.
