Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** Boucheron’s latest “Histoire de Style” collection, “The Power of Couture,” draws from the house’s archival roots to reimagine ceremonial ornamentation, blending heritage with a fresh perspective on high jewelry.
Paris—For the past four years, Boucheron has released a new “Histoire de Style” high jewelry collection in January, an offering inspired by the house’s archives. This year’s 24-piece collection, “The Power of Couture,” revisits the couture heritage of brand founder Frédéric Boucheron and highlights his early history through a new approach to ceremonial ornamentation.
Born in 1830, Frédéric was surrounded by precious fabrics in his youth, which later influenced his approach to jewelry creation. His father, Louis Boucheron, worked as a draper in Paris beginning in 1817. By 1822, Louis began specializing in silk and in 1837, another rare, precious material—lace.
In 1858, at 28 years old, Frederic began manufacturing and selling jewelry and trading precious stones. As soon as 1860, he integrated lace patterns into his creations, which are seen throughout the Boucheron archives.
The episode “Boucheron, Couture as Heritage” from the brand’s podcast Boucheron True Stories further details the links between the new collection and Frédéric’s childhood.
In the Power of Couture collection, inspiration for “Le Col,” or “The Collar,” was drawn from a tiara the brand crafted in the 1900s. A ceremonial outfit often features a high, rigid and tight-fitting collar, the brand said, that frames the head and symbolizes reason and instinct. For this diamond version of a collar, the culmination of 1,900 hours of labor, diamonds are set on thin strands of metal, appearing to float in mid-air.
While the initial impression of ceremonial attire is stiff, Choisne observed that when deconstructed, and reappropriated, the uniform transforms into “an array of sophisticated ornaments.”
The jewelry in Power of Couture has Boucheron’s oft-seen traits of multi-wear functionality and versatility, with Choisne describing the latest collection as “a kit” designed with elements that can be arranged to fit individual styles.
Versatile and easily shaped into bows for hairstyles or clothing, ribbons added the kind of movement Frédéric sought to convey in jewelry, Meylan said in the podcast. Along with lace and ribbons, bows remained a design in Boucheron’s jewelry long after Frédéric’s passing in 1902, according to Meylan.
To achieve this appearance, the texture of each material was individually sandblasted and linked on cables crafted in nitinol, a nickel and titanium alloy, to form a five-strand choker.
Fourragères, also known as aiguillettes, were a classic motif of French jewelry, and in the 17th century, were depicted in portraits of queens, according to the Boucheron podcast. Aiguillettes were a classic motif of French jewelry and often showed up in Boucheron’s designs. Throughout history, aiguillettes have been symbolic ornaments for the ceremonial dressings of queens and military leaders.
Finally, “Les Médailles,” or “The Medals,” is Boucheron’s reinvention of the military honor—a high jewelry necklace, also seen in the photo at the top of the article.
Lauren McLemore is the associate editor, gemstones at National Jeweler, covering sourcing, pricing and other developments.
