Editor’s Note
This article explores the origins of Boucheron’s iconic Serpent collection, tracing its lineage from a personal gift in 1878 to its formal launch in the 1960s and its contemporary reinterpretations.
This refers to Boucheron’s serpent-themed jewelry collection, with a history traceable to 1878. At that time, the brand’s founder, Frederic Boucheron, designed a serpent necklace for his wife, Gabrielle.
It wasn’t until the 1960s that the brand launched its first daily-wear jewelry collection inspired by the serpent: the Serpent collection.
In 2013, coinciding with the Chinese Year of the Snake, Boucheron innovatively reinterpreted and relaunched the Serpent Bohème collection. It retained the classic serpent head motif and scale design, creating a vivid, lifelike texture of snake scales on the golden body.
Another jewelry brand enamored with the serpent is Bulgari, which introduced serpent-themed jewelry around the 1940s. Initially, it was primarily applied in wristwatch designs, featuring realistic serpent-shaped bracelets. The serpent watch concealed the case beneath the serpent’s head, with a metal cover on the upper-middle part of the head that could be opened to reveal the dial.
Subsequently, the Bulgari Serpenti collection was gradually refined and became one of the brand’s iconic symbols, interpreting the beauty of the serpent through numerous elegant and diverse jewelry pieces, creating dazzling sparks of fashion in collision with the times.
The panther image first entered the world of Cartier in 1914, when Georges Barbier designed an illustration of a lady and a panther for the brand’s event invitations and display cards.
The popularity of panther jewelry, however, is credited to the famous “Panther Woman,” Jeanne Toussaint. She customized panther jewelry for the renowned Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, and elevated the confident, charming, and wild image of the panther through jewelry, establishing the panther element’s important status in Cartier’s collections.
Since then, Cartier’s panther jewelry has continuously evolved, moving forward with the times, leaving its mark on each era’s spirit, and becoming a true cultural symbol.
The comet design theme originated from Mademoiselle Chanel’s only personally designed collection, Bijoux de Diamants, in 1932. It pioneered the concept of high jewelry in the industry and caused a sensation in the jewelry world at the time.
Consequently, the comet naturally became a signature design for the brand in both fine jewelry and high jewelry, frequently appearing in different collections. In 2022, to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Bijoux de Diamants collection, Chanel launched a new Bijoux de Diamants collection, paying tribute to the eternal stars and moon.
The Cluster setting design originated in the 1940s. It is a unique setting technique created by the brand and one of the earliest jewelry designs inspired by flowers. This design style also shaped the classic Harry Winston aesthetic.
It is said that for many people, their first piece of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry often comes from the Alhambra collection. The seemingly simple four-leaf clover has actually been used as a jewelry element by Van Cleef & Arpels for over 50 years.
In 1968, inspired by the four-leaf clover, Van Cleef & Arpels created the first Alhambra long necklace. It featured 20 ribbed gold four-leaf clover motifs densely encircled by golden beads, forming a perfect and harmonious symbol of luck.
The four-leaf clover element carries the beautiful wish of good fortune, and coupled with its simple and elegant design, it quickly became an iconic work of Van Cleef & Arpels.
This collection is relatively young. It was the first design series after the famous New York designer Thakoon Panichgul joined the brand. Simply put, it arranges and combines pearls to achieve a sense of balanced beauty.
Due to its simplicity and sophistication, related pieces are often worn by female leads in TV dramas, which helped it quickly gain popularity beyond its niche and maintain extremely high popularity.
The passage of time endows classic jewelry collections with unique charm, allowing these classic elements, some over a century old, to still radiate distinctive and unique brilliance in the new era.