Tiaras and crowns and coronets, oh my. The fabulous creations of the House of Boucheron sparkled with royal style. And the host of clients who ordered these precious jewels over the years ranged from the demimonde to dukes and duchesses, kings and queens, American heiresses and stars of the Silver Screen…and many more. The stories behind these headline-making names and the jewelry Boucheron created for them are chronicled by author Vincent Meylan in his book, Boucheron: The Secret Archives (Antique Collectors’ Club, 2011). Given access to company documents that included a “Book of Stones” register of the precious gems bought and sold over the years, as well as almost 200 order books and 150 letters, Meylan relates the growth of this renowned French family jewelry business through the relationships that were forged with a parade of the rich and famous. This who’s who of the wealthy and powerful begins with “Ladies of Sin” courtesan La Païva and dancer La Belle Otero, and continues with crowned heads of state of both the old world and new, including Tsar Nicholas;the Duke of Windsor; Elizabeth, Queen Mother of England; the Maharaja of Patiala and King Farouk of Egypt.
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| Modern version of necklace made for the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, originally designed by Paul Legrand for Boucheron in 1883. Photo ©The Boucheron Archive. |
A Love Affair with Gems
Founder of the company Frédéric Boucheron started his lifelong fascination with precious stones at a young age. Born in 1830, he apprenticed himself at the age of 14 to jeweler Jules Chaise. He then went on to learn the trade at the famous Palais Royal jeweler Tixier-Deschamps, before opening his own boutique in that exclusive jewelry quarter in September 1858.
Although Boucheron had to use money borrowed from his family along with his own savings to start his shop, Meylan adds that he was able to pay back the loans eight years later. Summing up his creative raison d’être, the author says Boucheron “loved to create and invent daring jewels to adorn women.” One such “audacious” piece was a collarette for La Païva, made with 407 diamonds — her own stones — almost 200 carats in weight, which was a copy of a piece he had exhibited at 1878 Universal Exhibition. In fact, his “bold designs” won awards at the Univeral Exhibitions of 1867 and 1889, which established his reputation. Reaching out across the Atlantic, Boucheron exhibited in the Philadelphia Centennial 1876 and The Chicago Colombian Exposition of 1893.
“Boucheron’s Paris Maison soon became extremely successful,” says Audrey Friedman, owner, Primavera Gallery, New York City. “In 1893, Boucheron moved his jewelry shop to the Place Vendome, another very exclusive part of Paris. The first jeweler in this area, he soon gained the attention of prestigious clients, including the Comtesse de Castiglione, who was close with the Emperor Napoleon III. Boucheron later opened many jewelry shops, in places such as Moscow and London. Today, the original Boucheron store still exists at the Place Vendome.”
Like Father, Like Son
The brand that Frédéric Boucheron created was carried on by his son, Louis. Two years before he died in 1902, Boucheron brought his son into the company, paving the way for a smooth succession at the head of the company. Louis, like his father, says Friedman, “continued to produce quality pieces that focused on innovative design and beautiful, fine-quality stones. Louis became well known for experimenting with new techniques, especially those pertaining to stones. He incorporated rare stones, such as solid blocks of onyx, lapis lazuli, malachite, turquoise, amber, coral and jade, into his work to create different and striking combinations. He also experimented with new ways to cut stones. Louis died in 1959, but the Maison Boucheron continued to create jewelry according to the ideals and concepts that it was founded upon.”
“I think that it’s amazing,” adds Jeff Russak, Lawrence Jeffrey Estate Jewelers, Litchfield, Connecticut, “that you have two completely separate eras of a major house that were equally influential; two generations who were that good and in completely different ways. One built on the other. It is a tradition of uncompromising quality and an uncompromising attitude toward aesthetics. They have been trendsetters and trailblazers in an 80-year run from the 1860s through the 1930s. And they remain very important today.”
Artistic Innovations
Boucheron’s early pieces, says Friedman, “were very ornate, and included flowery garlands, quivers, arrows, knots and intertwining ribbons.” While the tiaras and coronets were a “bread-and-butter” staple for Boucheron, says Russak, “they represented what we in the estate industry would call classical goods. It’s the stuff that everyone wants and can wear and it’s always in good taste.”
However, Russak adds, there’s more to Boucheron jewelry than that, citing “amazing enameled neoclassical and Renaissance Revival pieces and Egyptian Revival pieces. Boucheron was the most renowned enamelists of the time. Their plique-à-jour pieces were incredibly colorful. They did things with carved gems and used diamonds in very unusual ways. They took amazing stones and let them dictate the piece’s styling, so the stones are the picture and the jewelry design is the frame to go with them.”
Frédéric moved on to “strongly embrace Art Nouveau,” explains Russak. “In the 1920s and 1930s, the company under Louis embraced Art Deco and also was very important in the transition from Deco to Retro. They were one of the people who did twisted rope styles and tasseled styles. Things that were draped and had a more fabric look to them.”
“Frédéric was very interested in combining new materials and reworking earlier forms to create his new and striking pieces,” continues Friedman. “Inspired by Egyptian and Asian art, Boucheron was among the first to use formerly unheard of stone combinations, such as diamonds and onyx bordered in coral and colored stones, as well as combinations of gold, ivory and bronze.
The utilization of simple materials with rare, precious stones enriched the Art Deco jewelry repertoire.”
What classifies older Boucheron pieces, says Alan Levy, principal, J. & S.S. DeYoung Inc., New York City, was the high-quality stones and workmanship. “The sense was if you bought a ruby from Boucheron, it was the gem-fine pigeon-blood red, really perfect color. They were top, top notch. From the beginning, Frédéric was a wonderful judge of color. Whether it was ruby, sapphire or emerald, Boucheron always had the finest.”
Wealthy Americans went to Paris to get their number-one jewels, points out Levy. “And they went to Boucheron. The firm had European aristocracy as their client base. Napoleon III went to Boucheron. In fact, we have a Boucheron bracelet in our permanent collection that was originally given by Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie to President Buchanan’s niece on Buchanan’s inauguration. It’s comprised of plique-à-jour enameled panels. It was part of a series of jewels made to look as if they were the royal jewels of France.”
Russak points out that there isn’t a single unifying style that’s “Boucheron.” But what they did do consistently was “absolutely cutting edge. They spent almost a full century right at the peak of French fashion and French jewelry style.”
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - December 2011. To subscribe click here.