Maison Boucheron: Masters of French Jewellery

The House of Boucheron was founded by Frédéric Boucheron (1830-1902) in 1858, with his first shop located in the prestigious Galerie de Valois at the Palais Royal in Paris.  The firm quickly became one of the premier French jewellers and gained deserved international acclaim.  They exhibited at the 1867, 1878, 1889 and 1900 Paris Exhibitions, the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial, the 1893 World’s Colombian Exposition in Chicago, and the 1925 Exposition des Art Décoratifs in Paris, to name just a few.  In 1893 the firm moved to its current headquarters, 26 Place Vendôme, and to advance their intentional presence soon after opened branches in Moscow, London, and New York. 

Ever innovative, under the close direction of Frédéric and subsequent generations of the Boucheron family, the house produced jewels featuring gold-encrusted steel, openwork cloisonné enamelling, unusual coloured gemstone and enamel combinations, and carved and engraved diamonds. Boucheron also worked in collaboration with other top international jewellers, including Massin, Fontenay, and Tiffany.  Frédéric Boucheron in particular was also known for his eye for quality, employing the best craftsmen available, one of the keys to the success of the firm. One contemporary critic aptly described the Maison Boucheron style as ‘restrained extravagance’.

In addition to cutting-edge design and unsurpassed craftsmanship, from its earliest days Boucheron courted and maintained a lengthy list of elite clientele.  The firm has been and continues to be patronised by numerous royals and celebrities, including Tsar Nicholas II, Sarah Bernhardt, Oscar Wilde, the Maharaja of Patiala, Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo, Rita Hayworth, the Shah of Iran, Princess Grace, Queen Elizabeth II, Elizabeth Taylor, Nicole Kidman, and Cameron Diaz.

REFERENCES

Frances Wilson and Caroline Crisford, ed.s, The Belle Époque of French Jewellery: 1850-1910, London:  Thomas Heneage & Co. Ltd., 1991.

A. Kenneth Snowman, ed., The Master Jewelers, London:  Thames & Hudson, 2002.