French jeweller jewellery 160 years

The House of Boucheron is celebrating 160 years of exceptional jewellery design. The company was founded by Frédéric Boucheron in 1858 and quickly became one of the premier French jewellers, gaining international acclaim.

The style and taste of Boucheron’s jewellery evolved over the decades, originally drawing inspiration from ancient jewellery, which reflected the burgeoning taste for Revivalist fashions.

Upon Frédéric’s death in 1902, the firm passed to his son Louis and under his direction Boucheron remained at the cutting edge of fashion, producing exquisite Art Nouveau, Edwardian and Art Deco pieces.

In contrast to the illustrious period of the 1920s and early 1930s, the outbreak of the Second World War resulted in difficult years for Boucheron and most other jewellers. Precious metals were hard to come by and often rationed, whilst gemstone stocks were carefully guarded and conserved during this time.

Louis’s son, Gérard Boucheron was credited for the return to beautiful jewellery after the war years. Gold remained as the metal of choice in these designs, and was innovatively fashioned in a variety of different shapes and textures. The firm passed to Gérard’s son, Alain in the 1960s and they returned to materials that they had used at the beginning of the century, to include rock crystal, coral, turquoise and lapis. The use of these materials continued into the 1970s and 80s, when they were mixed with diamonds and other precious stones to create bold, three-dimensional pieces.

Since its inception in 1858, quality and innovation have been at the forefront of Boucheron’s jewellery. Louis Boucheron felt that in order to build a reputation as a great jeweller one must use only the most beautiful of stones – a sentiment that was upheld by subsequent generations of the family. It is this focus on quality that has placed Boucheron amongst the most prestigious of makers, appealing to royals and celebrities, including Tsar Nicholas II, Sarah Bernhardt, Oscar Wilde, the Maharaja of Patiala, Greta Garbo, Rita Hayworth, the Shah of Iran, Princess Grace, Queen Elizabeth II, Elizabeth Taylor, Nicole Kidman, and Cameron Diaz.

Explore the evolution of Boucheron's designs by browsing through the wonderful examples which we have in stock, all of which are available to buy in store or directly through the website.