Boucheron

Boucheron is a French jewelry house.

History

The House of Boucheron is French family dynasty founded by Frederic Boucheron in 1858. Four generations of the Boucheron family helped the brand become a worldwide leader in the High Jewelry market, expanding the brand to the four corners of the globe.

Frederic Boucheron was the first jeweler to move to Place Vendome, which he did in 1893. Legend has it that he chose 26 Place Vendome, where Boucheron remains to this day, because it was the sunniest corner of the square. He believed that the diamonds in the windows would sparkle all the more brilliantly.

Czar Alexander III was a client, as was his son, the doomed Nicholas II. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother was especially fond of her Boucheron tiara which she inherited from Lady Greville, who originally purchased it from the House. Her grandson Prince Charles passed the tiara onto his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall as a wedding gift. Queen Elizabeth of England also has a collection of Boucheron jewels as did Wallis Simpson the Duchess of Windsor.

American royalty are also collectors of Boucheron creations. Household names like the Astors, the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers have returned again and again to the House of Boucheron for exceptional pieces of High Jewelry. One American bride to be, Mary Ethel Burns, in preparation of becoming Lady Harcourt, turned to Boucheron to create the jewelry for her wedding trousseau. After her marriage Lady Harcourt was a faithful Boucheron client commissioning a number of pieces, including tiaras, necklaces and bracelets throughout her lifetime.

Actors royalty and artists have also been fans of Boucheron since it opened its doors 150 years ago. Caroline Otero, the temptresses known as La Belle Otero, when she was a cabaret dancer at the turn of the 19th century was a Boucheron enthusiast as was the famed theater actress Sarah Bernhardt and the writers Oscar Wilde and Marcel Proust. While film stars including Greta Garbo, Rita Hayworth, Marlene Dietrich also bejeweled themselves with Boucheron. More recently celebrities like Eva Longoria, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Kristin Scott Thomas, Rachel Weisz and Diane Kruger have all come under the Boucheron spell of spectacular creations.

With a clientele of movie-stars writers, artists, maharajahs and magnates Boucheron has always appealed famous people. Patrons of the company have included Royalty: Maharajah Sir Bhupindar Singh of Patiala, Riza Shah Pahlavi, Czar Alexander III, Queen Farida of Egypt, Queen Rania of Jordan. Affluent American families: The Astors, the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers. As well as film stars: Greta Garbo, Rita Hayworth, Marlene Dietrich and more recently Nicole Kidman, Penélope Cruz, Michelle Yeoh, Cameron Diaz., Rachel Weisz and Diane Kruger.

Timeline

1858- Frederic Boucheron opens his first store in the Galerie de Valois, at Palais Royal, during the heyday of the Second Empire.

1866- Boucheron creates its atelier.

1867- Paris Universal Exhibition: Frederic Boucheron wins his first Gold Medal only 9 years after opening his first boutique.

1878- Paris Universal Exhibition: The Foliage necklace, a sapphire and diamond set with a central sapphire of 159 carats, created for Mrs. H. Mackay, wins the Grand Prize.

1883- The Russian Prince Felix Youssoupoff purchases a corsage decorated with 6 detachable diamond bows during one of his visits to Paris.

1893- Frederic Boucheron moves to 26 Place Vendome in the residence of the Countess of Castiglione. He opens the largest boutique on the square.

1898- Boucheron opens a store in Moscow, later transferred to St. Petersburg in 1911.

1902- Frederic Boucheron dies, his son Louis succeeds him

1921- Boucheron is commissioned to make a tiara for Lady Greville; it was later given to England’s Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

1928- Louis Boucheron is asked by the Maharajah of Patiala to set the stones of his treasure, which are brought to the Place Vendome boutique by the private guards of the prince.

1930- The Shah of Iran asks Louis Boucheron to assess the Imperial Treasure of Persia and issues a decree naming him Official Curator and Guardian of the Treasure.

1959- Louis Boucheron dies, leaving his sons Fred and Gerard in charge of the business. Edith Piaf, the most popular French singer of her time, purchases a Boucheron watch for the love of her life, Marcel Cerdan.

1962- Fred Boucheron retires, leaving his brother Gerard as head of the establishment.

1970- In the 1970s the best selling snake line was created.

1973- Boucheron’s first boutique opens in Japan.

1980- Gerard Boucheron retires and Alain Boucheron becomes President and General Manager.

1988- Boucheron launches its first women’s fragrance in a ring shaped bottle.

1994- Boucheron takes of a new development in the sector of fashion accessories: the Boucheron Eyewear collection. Boucheron sells to Schweizerhall.

2000 Gucci Group acquires the House of Boucheron

2002-Boucheron launches the « Beauté Dangereuse » collection.

2003-Boucheron launches the “Not Bourgeois” collection

2004-Gucci Group is fully acquired by PPR. Jean-Christophe Bédos is appointed C.E.O. The “Jaipur” High Jewelry line and the “Déchaînée” collection are launched.

2005- Launch of four new jewelry lines: Trouble, Quatre, Diablotine, Vingt-Six. Boucheron opens its first boutique in Shanghai and its first flagship in Dubai. The debut of the “Trouble Désir” High Jewelry collection

2006- Boucheron and Alexander McQueen collaborates together to create a limited edition Novak bag that incorporates the snake motif of Boucheron’s Trouble line. Boucheron opens its first boutique in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. Launch of the “Exquises Confidences” jewelry line.

2007- The beginning of a collaboration between Boucheron and Swiss watchmaker Girard- Perregaux that produces the Haute Horlogerie watch series. The debut of the “Fleurs Fatales” High Jewelry collection. Boucheron launches an online commercial site so that customers can purchase Boucheron creations via the Internet.

2008- Boucheron marks its 150th anniversary with a yearlong celebration.

Boucheron today

Today in its 34 boutiques worldwide and on its e-commerce website, Boucheron continues to do business.

Products

Boucheron makes perfume, watches, and jewelry. The watch and jewelry making segments have existed for over 150 years, while the perfume segment began in 1988 and it has 18 editions of different perfume cologne fragrances.

Boucheron International Rating of Diamonds

In order to explain the key factors you need to know when it comes to appreciating the quality of a diamond, Boucheron has compiled a classification system developed on the basis of the diamond's international currency. The Boucheron method of appreciation has been registered under the name B.I.R.D. (Boucheron International Rating of Diamonds). This original classification system is based on a rigorous evaluation of diamond quality and relies on a combined analysis of two essential criteria: first, the degree of clarity and second, the color of the stone. The point at which these two variables, “clarity” and “color” intersect gives rise to a mark of appreciation of between 90/100 and 99/100 for the quality of the diamond. A mark of 100/100 would indicate that a stone possesses the ultimate degree of perfection, according to Boucheron's criteria. Boucheron claims to only ever select our diamonds from amongst the top 10 percent quality diamonds currently available.

Vertu mobile phone

In a joint venture with the mobile phone brand Vertu, Boucheron created the world’s first High Jewelry limited edition cell phones out of gold and precious stones. This collaboration continued with the 150th anniversary celebration with a new line of 7 one-of-a-kind Vertu mobile phones inspired by Boucheron’s High Jewelry “Enchanting Boucheron” anniversary collection. There are only eight pieces of the Cobra model in rose gold set all round with rubies and a pear-cut diamond and emerald eyes. Entwined around a rose gold case, the Python model, a serpent set with multi-colored sapphires, diamonds and two sapphires, will be brought out in 26 pieces, as a reference to the famous jeweler’s address, 26 place Vendome.

Retail

The distribution network of Boucheron is made of 34 shops located all over the world (Paris, Cannes, Saint-Tropez (France), Monaco, London, San Francisco, Tokyo, Saitama, Yokohama, Fukuoka, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Okayama, Nagoya, Taipei, Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Baku, Moscow, and Almaty) and over 100 certified retailers.