Beauty Queen

Boucheron’s latest high jewellery collection is fit for royalty. Creative Director Claire Choisne talks of its historic inspiration

WORDS: JOHN THATCHER

Claire Choisne is all smiles over Zoom, a welcome contrast to the gloomy skies of a rain-soaked Dubai that form my background. “It looks more like Paris right now,” she says of the unusual weather in the emirate, leaning into her screen slightly for a closer look.

And well may she be full of joy. We’re talking the morning after she revealed Boucheron’s latest high jewellery collection, Like a Queen, a colourful suite of eighteen radiant pieces that, for the very first time, owe their creation to one single item plucked from Boucheron’s vast archive — an aquamarine and diamond double clip brooch, gifted to Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her eighteenth birthday, and worn by the late monarch on momentous occasions during her long reign: her Diamond Jubilee in 2012; the 75th anniversary of the speech made by George VI to announce the end of World War II; and on the 70th anniversary of her coronation in 2022.

Boucheron’s Histoire de Style line, one of two high jewellery collections revealed each year by Choisne, the maison’s Creative Director, has its roots in Boucheron’s history, requiring Choisne to pour through past creations for inspiration. Though rich with opportunity, this does present a unique test. “It's a big creative challenge, because you want to create something that looks new but also something where the inspiration for it is instantly recognisable, and to find a contemporary way to wear a piece of jewellery that was designed for a different time. You have to strike the right balance,” says Choisne. Does she usually have a concept in mind before she delves into the archive, or does her muse stem solely from what she finds? “I have no set idea before looking. I saw this brooch and couldn’t get it out of my mind. It's perfect. I love both the story behind it and its design.

“Being able to wear a piece in a number of ways, as well as the use of colour, were central to our work on this collection, so that both men and women may wear these pieces. We wanted these eighteen variations to reflect the ease of wear of the Queen’s model, since the two brooches may be attached in various ways, on their own or together. We also wanted this collection to convey the elegance distinctive of this Art Deco piece.”

A big challenge met and overcome, Choisne has managed to construct pieces that feel instantly modern yet remain resolutely reflective of the original brooch and the grace and sophistication of Queen Elizabeth II.

“Queen Elizabeth II struck this unique balance between her stature as a world figure and her joyful, expressive outfits. In fact, I started my mood board for this collection with pictures of the queen in these colourful outfits. It looked like a rainbow.”

S o too does the finished collection. Colour Block is a trio of diamondstudded ear jewellery pieces – which can be worn alone or grouped on different parts of the ear – resplendent in lemon yellow, fuchsia pink, and turquoise blue, the kind of colours the UK’s longest-serving monarch would wear to the Ascot races.

For Hypnotic Blue, a six-carat Ceylon sapphire (hence the hypnotic) is clasped within a double arc set with round and baguette diamonds. Green Garden is a platinum ring paved with emeralds and diamonds, enhanced by a fine line of green lacquer. It’s a piece that may be worn in two ways, with or without its diamond surround. When apart, the piece becomes a solitaire with a magnificent cushion-cut Zambian emerald of 6.25 carats. A pair of coordinating earrings feature two detachable pear-cut emeralds of 4.04 and 3.99 carats.

R olling Red is a magnificent fusion of 34 Mozambique rubies and close to 1,300 round and baguette diamonds. It’s a set comprising a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a ring. Equally eye popping is Mega Pink, two versatile brooches named for their pink tourmalines. Cut into cabochons and baguettes, the coloured stones are highlighted by channel-set diamonds, while pink lacquer areas heighten their intensity.

T he Moon White and Frosty White sets bring out the brilliance of diamonds. The former features 175 Akoya pearls and diamond-set links that form a three-strand necklace with a detachable Art Deco clasp paved with diamonds, which may be used in

Opening pages: Rolling Red pendant earrings

Previous pages, clockwise from top: Green Garden earring; Hypnotic Blue ring; Mega Pink brooch

These pages, from top to bottom: Frosty White necklace (drappé version); Hypnotic Blue bracelet; Moon White necklace

Opposite page: Lemon Slice choker the hair or as a pair of brooches. The latter is the most transformative of the sets, a dazzling necklace in white gold, diamonds and rock crystal that can be configured six different ways. The piece is set with more than a thousand diamonds, its sides adorned with the two Art Deco designs which may be detached and worn as a single or double brooch. The lower portion of the necklace, composed of four sparkling strands, can also be utilised as a cape clasp.

For Histoire de Style, pieces are typically designed around both stones that already belong to the maison (such as the rubies used for Rolling Red and the captivating emerald that underpins Green Garden) and those purchased to fit Choisne’s designs.

For July’s high jewellery collection, Carte Blanche, all the stones are meticulously sourced and purchased to marry Choisne’s vision, however imaginative it may be. “Lucky me that it’s not my challenge!” laughs Choisne mischievously. “When I have an idea it’s difficult for someone to change my mind. I become quite obsessed. Some people at Boucheron suffer a lot!”

S poken like a true queen, just like the monarch whose historic brooch she has metamorphosised into a stunningly vibrant antidote to the murky winter weather.