Editor’s Note
This article explores how Frédéric Boucheron, founder of the famed jewelry house, drew inspiration from nature’s transient and imperfect beauty—a distinct contrast to the opulent styles favored by his contemporaries.
Untamed Nature
The Place Vendôme in Paris, France. For world-renowned jewelry designers, nature has been an eternal muse. Boucheron’s founder, Frédéric Boucheron, was no exception. The nature he loved, with his unique vision, was nature as it changes over time. He drew inspiration from the unadorned, authentic forms of nature—flowers bent by the wind, buds not yet fully bloomed, or those already wilted. While his contemporary jewelry designers favored noble flowers and majestic animals, he showcased plants like four-leaf clovers, daisies, wild roses, and thistles, along with various insects such as butterflies, beetles, and dragonflies. The ivy vines at the Palais Royal in Paris, where he opened his first store, also became a design motif. In 2025, Boucheron’s Creative Director Claire Choisne pays tribute by presenting a unique vision of nature from a fresh perspective. The theme of the high jewelry collection ‘Histoire de Style,’ inspired by the archives, is ‘Untamed Nature.’ The 28-piece collection, reminiscent of a high jewelry herbarium, achieves a delicate balance between human elegance and nature’s boundless creativity. Notably, the innovative ways of wearing the pieces stand out.
Chardon
The Boucheron studio reinterpreted an 1878 archive thistle brooch, presenting it as a new, transformable necklace and brooch. Artisans used CAD programs to realistically recreate the thistle’s contours, form, and details.
Lucane
In this collection, the stag beetle is transformed into a wearable piece—a two-finger ring or a brooch. It is fully pavé-set with diamonds and designed using black lacquer and openwork craftsmanship.
Rosier
Just as Frédéric Boucheron favored the beauty of wild roses, Claire Choisne also focused on the rose vine rather than the rose itself. This collection, presented as a question mark necklace, ring, necklace, and earrings, features only leaves, stems, and buds, characterized by the abundance of slightly twisted leaves and natural curves. Boucheron’s artisans crafted as many as 70 leaves for the entire set.
Bourdon
The bumblebee from the archives was reinterpreted in white gold, diamonds, onyx, mother-of-pearl, rock crystal, and black lacquer. The details in gold and black lacquer, along with the engraved rock crystal wings, create a lifelike, dynamic impression.
Fleur de Carotte
The carrot flower is the only piece in this collection not found in the archives. It was born from Claire Choisne’s passion to newly add wildflowers to Boucheron’s nature. It can be styled as a hairpiece or a brooch.
Q&A with Boucheron CEO Hélène Poulit-Duquesne
“Boucheron is the only maison that unveils a high jewelry collection twice a year. In January, we present a collection inspired by the archives, and in July, we showcase ‘Carte Blanche,’ where Creative Director Claire Choisne freely expresses her creativity. For this collection, Claire once again delved into our archives to conceive the pieces. As the name suggests, it would be good to appreciate it with a focus on Boucheron’s ‘Histoire de Style’ (History of Style). This time, it is particularly inspired by Frédéric Boucheron’s nature, characterized by the use of wildflowers, grasses, and plants and flowers found in forests—elements not typically applied in high jewelry.”
“My favorite piece is the hair ornament. Every time I see this piece moving gracefully, it reminds me of oats swaying in a field. Actually, I am afraid of insects, and stag beetles are a particular object of terror. When Claire first showed me the drawing of the stag beetle piece, I screamed in horror (laughs). But since nature was the theme, insects had to appear. I asked Claire to rebirth it into a beautiful piece that even I could fall in love with, and when this piece was completed, my fear completely disappeared.”
“First of all, Claire decides the theme of the collection to be presented about three years in advance. She sets the theme and concept, discusses it with me, followed by drawings, and we go through the process of confirming every stage together until the actual pieces are produced. We constantly communicate, sharing the common traits of being perfectionists and stubborn. I feel we perfectly complement each other—I am a businesswoman full of creativity, and Claire is a designer with a business mind.”
“I believe the high jewelry market in Korea will grow explosively within the next few years. I believe our July collection, which is very innovative and carries a social message, will resonate greatly in Korea. We are preparing an event in Korea in November, but I think it should remain a secret for now. Our ambassador Han So-hee is very kind, humane, and shows a charming side every time we meet. I particularly watched her work , and felt her overwhelming screen presence.”
“My favorite sound is silence and the sounds of nature. On the lower floor of the Boucheron house, there is the Jardin d’Hiver (Winter Garden), and instead of music, we play bird sounds recorded from a countryside house last June to emphasize the feeling of being in nature. I also enjoy listening to music; my two sons made me a Spotify playlist composed of music I like. They update it regularly, so I enjoy listening to it whenever I drive.”
“We are creating tomorrow’s records at Boucheron. Together with Claire, I want to pay homage to Frédéric Boucheron, who was an innovative figure in his time, and like him, I want to move today’s Boucheron forward. That is, to lead change in the market. When I see competing brands attempting the challenges we have undertaken so far, I sometimes have mixed feelings. On one hand, I see it as proof that this attempt is in the right direction. When we introduced men’s high jewelry in 2020 and decided to consistently adopt it in all collections, people around us asked, ‘Do men need high jewelry?’ but now everyone is adopting this approach. Finally, I really want to convey the message that jewelry suits every woman. After joining Boucheron, at a fashion show I did with Olivier Saillard, we presented four women of different generations, aged 20 to 63, wearing high jewelry. Among them, I felt the 63-year-old woman shone particularly. I think it is deeply meaningful that jewelry can convey beauty and value beyond mere accessories, transcending generations. I am very proud that through Boucheron, we can convey such a message.”
