What comes to mind when you think about the British crown jewels? Magnificent, but ostentatious. Ceremonial, but uncomfortable. Priceless, but antiquated – and understandably so, for most of the pieces had been commissioned and crafted between the late 19th century and early 20th century.
Now, what if we told you that one of theBritish royal family’s most trusted jewellers for decades has found a way to put a modern spin on a vintage high jewellery brooch once owned and adored by Queen Elizabeth II? This fascinating idea is the linchpin of one of this year’s most audacious new collections, and the jeweller in question is none other than Boucheron.
Between 1921 and 1968, the French maison had been granted a Royal Warrant of Appointment by Buckingham Palace, allowing it to advertise this privileged status on the windows of its London boutiques on Piccadilly and New Bond Street. While Elizabeth II had never personally ordered a Boucheron creation, many members of the British royal family were regular customers. Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor, was especially fond of Boucheron jewels. His name appears 75 times in the maison’s sales registers – principally for women’s jewellery, including a number of clips and brooches.
But none of them had been that special object, which ignited the spark of creativity in Boucheron’s creative director, Claire Choisne. Rather, it was a different piece – a double clip brooch set with oval diamonds and baguette-cut aquamarines – originally purchased byPrince George, Duke of Kent and uncle of Elizabeth II on July 31, 1937, at the maison’s London store.
“Three years ago, when I started looking for inspirations for this collection in the Boucheron archives, I couldn’t get my mind off that Art Deco double clip brooch,” recalls Choisne. “The severity and geometry of the Art Deco design, tempered by the softness and light blue hue of the aquamarines, always fascinated me. I was touched by the sentimental value of this double clip, which Queen Elizabeth II wore at pivotal moments during her reign.”
Queen Elizabeth II was gifted this brooch on her 18th birthday, and had worn it on a number of occasions, most recently at the 70th anniversary of her coronation in 2022. ThɾօυɢҺout her reign, bold colours and monochromatic outfits were signature looks of the late royal, whose famous motto was: You have to be seen to be believed.
She was also never seen without a proper hat, gloves and jewellery, which often included anelegant brooch– and even had umbrellas colour-coordinated to her outfits. Inspired by the queen’s distinctive style, formidable character and effervescent presence, and the jewel’s sentimental value, Choisne set forth to create the maison’s latest Histoire du Style collection, Like A Queen.
Comprising a total of 18 pieces making up eight jewellery sets, each creation reflects the unique spirit of the two cerulean clips, as well as Choisne’s resolutely contemporary touch. Her goal was to capture the essence of this royal jewellery piece, while updating it for modern high jewellery customers of both gєɴԀers.
Bursting with a riot of bright, saturated colours, the pieces range from necklaces and bracelets to rings and earrings, all of them offering multi-wear options for greater versatility.”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,” explains Choisne. “We wanted these 18 variations to reflect the ease with which the original was worn, since the two clips 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.”
Choisne incorporated lacquer techniques to pump up the chromatic allure, which bring Boucheron’s exceptional savoir faire into the conversation, as the method requires a great Ԁєɑł of finesse to achieve a flawless finish.Gemstonesrange from diamonds, rubies and emeralds to sapphires, tourmalines and pearls, as well as Boucheron signature materials like rock crystal and unconventional ones such as leather.
“On certain jewellery sets, we broke down the original geometry of the design. On others, we took the opposite approach: We compacted the Art Deco design,” says Choisne. “And elsewhere, we bɾօυɢҺt in another dimension by playing on the colours of the gemstones.” With intoxicating hues and delectable names like Lemon Slice, Mega Pink, Green Garden, Hypnotic Blue and more,BoucheronHistoire de Style – Like A Queen adds a regal touch to everyday ensembles.
