July 08, 2021:  To capture the beauty of the ephemeral, transcribing its fleeting emotion without words, this is the challenge that Claire Choisne, Creative Director at Maison Boucheron, once again set herself. After evoking the moving beauty of the sky, Claire was drawn to take her quest further, deeper into the theme of light and its power to change one’s surroundings. More specifically, that suspended, unexpected moment, when a rainbow appears, evoking a sweet euphoria teeming with emotions and memories of innocence. While her search to define the significance of color for Boucheron has lasted many years, it is in the magic of this accidental crossing, when sunbeam diffracts into myriad, electric atoms, that she has found the solution. Claire Choisne was inspired by the work on light and color by artist Olafur Eliasson and architect Luis Barragan. It is not now a question of choosing a shade, for they are all represented on each piece of jewelry across this High Jewelry collection that places the holographic as it central theme.

The collection encompasses nine sets, which include twenty-five unique pieces that delve into the very roots of this photosensitive phenomenon and its Greek etymology, which means ‘to represent everything’. While the iridescent reliefs of opal initially outline the contours of this natural hyper-pigmentation, the workshops of the 26 Vendôme Maison have had to surpass their own limits to explore the full richness of this mirage. By spraying precious metals at high temperature onto ceramics or rock crystal, they have succeeded in recreating a natural magic through a process that is able to cement what is traditionally a fleeting moment in time. This is truly a tour de force of creative audacity taken to its climax; even to the point of having to forego complete mastery over the end result – ever-changing structures which are destined to vary depending on brightness, the viewing angle and contrast with the skin, the effects and influence of which all evolve over time. A radical and euphoric release, which goes against the particular discipline which defines French High Jewelry, except of course, it matches the very spirit advocated by Frédéric Boucheron. The freedom to create above all else.

Opalescence

OPALESCENCE
A wave of light that runs through translucent material with iridescent reflections

At the center of this set composed of a necklace and a single earring, a betta fish with couture fins emerges from the heart of a sea of powdered opal. Crafted using the plique-à-jour technique, its couture fins let light appear through their transparency. The striking material is placed around a central opal, which can be transformed into a brooch or placed delicately in the hollow of the ear to create an asymmetrical, ultra-modern jewel, in line with Maison Boucheron’s DNA.

Necklace set with a 71.69 ct oval cabochon white opal from Ethiopia, a 46.91 ct pear cabochon white opal from Ethiopia and opals beads for a total carat weight of 1518.78 ct, with lacquer, in pink gold. Necklace in the tradition of the multiwear.

 

Pendant earring set with opals and diamonds with lacquer, in pink gold.

Brooch from the opalescence necklace, set with a 71.69 ct oval cabochon white opal from Ethiopia.

 

Ondes

ONDE 
Movement of light which spreads in undulating waves

A stand-out piece in this collection, the opal’s brilliance is enhanced on both the necklace and a pair of earrings. A river of opals with a fine stream of diamonds, elegantly caressing the skin and capturing the radiance of light that ricochets across the surface of sensual waves.

 

Necklace set with opals and diamonds, in white gold.

Hoops set with opals for a total carat weight of 16.14 ct, mother-of-pearl and diamonds, in white gold.

 

Illusion

ILLUSION 
Interpretation of the senses to make things see differently than they really are

These three central opals from Australia and Ethiopia attract everyone’s attention due their size (one pearly, one pear-cut and rose colored, and the third with blue-green shades revealed in a cabochon). The spectacular trio of rings creates visual effects that multiply their size due to the trompe-l’oeil frames. A second skin adorned with a gradation of multicolored stones, skillfully set in invisible white gold, which varies and evolves according to the daylight.

Ring set with a 50.95 ct pear cabochon white opal from Ethiopia, blue, yellow and pink sapphires, tsavorites, orange and green garnets, emeralds, blue tourmalines and diamonds, in white gold.

 

Ring set with a 10.38 ct pear cabochon dark opal from Australia, rubies, pink, orange, yellow and blue sapphires, red garnets, tsavorites and diamonds, in white gold.

Ring set with a 30.98 ct oval cabochon black opal from Australia, sapphires, paraiba tourmalines, tsavorites and emeralds, in white gold.

 

Chromatique

CHROMATIQUE 
From the Greek khroma: the natural color of things

Continuing the epic of Fleurs Éternelles, this chapter celebrates nature, a theme dear to the Maison. Here too, Claire Choisne chose to celebrate its imperfect beauty with disturbing realism by scanning each petal of peony and pansy to recreate its curves and volumes as precisely as possible. A multitude of details even more realistic than Mother Nature, molded from white ceramic, both more resistant and difficult to craft. Surrounded by a mixture of precious metal microparticles sprayed at high temperature and affixed within a layer, these petals are imagined from a dream-like fantasy. Changing colors, almost surreal, add fuel to the fire. The first set adorned with this holographic coating, consists of a pair of rings and a brooch, which taken together offer a new unique playing field.

 

Brooch set with a 25.01 ct cushion-cut green tourmaline from Mozambique, holographic ceramic and diamonds, in titanium and white gold.

Ring set with a 12.73 ct cushion-cut pink tourmaline, holographic ceramic and diamonds, in titanium and white gold.

Ring set with a 2.83 ct cushion-cut blue aquamarine, holographic ceramic and diamonds, in titanium and white gold.

 

Faisceaux

FAISCEAUX 
An ensemble of luminous rays shining from the same source, but in different trajectories

If ceramic is the new sensation, Claire Choisne had to include Boucheron’s signature rock crystal to this new graphic game. A new approach to the material gives depth and character to this rock crystal set of cuff and brooch: first, a Jack is forged from diamonds, before receiving its very own see-through dress in the form of a transparent rock-crystal covering. While the coating is easily applied to a flat surface, it is more difficult to apply it evenly to all facets of the Jack. The double effect of a material that sets the sharp ridges of this brooch ablaze – a result radically different from the opacity offered by ceramic alone.

Bracelet set with holographic rock crystal and diamonds, in pink gold.

Brooch set with holographic rock crystal and diamonds, in pink gold.

 

Halo

HALO 
Rainbow sphere surrounding a source of light

An airy yet intimate set featuring voluminous designs dear to Claire Choisne, from the allure of the torque to the calibrated ring to slip through your fingers with disconcerting ease. Perfectly transparent, the rock crystal is subtly covered with a layer of holographic coating to achieve the soft and comforting vibrations of a weightless soap bubble. A sparkle accentuated by diamonds, which can be found both on the double-sided cuff and on the architectural torque necklace, cuff, and ring set.

 

Necklace set with holographic rock crystal and diamonds, in white gold.

Bracelets set with holographic rock crystal and diamonds, in white gold.

Ring set with holographic rock crystal and diamonds, in white gold.

 

Laser

LASER
A system which amplifies light to create a glowing beam.

Celebrating the iconic pear-cut motif of the Serpent Bohème collection, the Laser set is also enhanced with pigmented ceramic. While the mechanics of High Jewelry always revolve around a chosen stone, here the process is reversed. How to find a stone whose tones would best match this holographic effect? The answer comes in the form of an abundance of pear-cut aquamarine with lagoon nuances, which adorns the contours of a necklace, a pair of earrings and a ring made even more transparent and luminous by this subtle blend of ceramic and diamonds.

Necklace set with 23 pear aquamarines for a total carat weight of 130.01 ct and holographic ceramic, in white gold.

Pendant earrings set with 4 pear aquamarines for a total carat weight of 56.26 ct and holographic ceramic, in white gold. Pendant earrings in the tradition of the multiwear.

Ring set with a 11.88 ct pear aquamarine and holographic ceramic, paved with diamonds, in white gold.

 

Prisme

PRISME 
Diffracts and breaks light, revealing true, clear colors.

While the bracelet displays multiple rows of crystal and aligned diamonds that play with the light, the ring, and pair of pendant earrings in this chapter revert to a stretched pear cut. A deceptively knowing appearance that conceals a subtle twist: slight notches drawn on the culasse that nestle behind the jewel to duplicate its radiance.

Bracelet set with holographic rock crystal and diamonds, in white gold.

Pendant earrings set with holographic rock crystal and diamonds, in white gold.

Ring set with holographic rock crystal and diamonds, in white gold.

 

Holographique

HOLOGRAPHIQUE
From the Greek holos and graphein. Holography therefore means “to represent everything”

A true stroke of brilliance that celebrates the magic of the material, this necklace of fine crystal blades was created whilst the sun light streamed into the workshops reproducing the design of the projected shadows and studying its structure. The result was a graphic line guided by this light, which is not only at the heart of the piece’s inspiration but also of its creation. From the cuff to the ring including the plastron, the brilliance of the diamonds that adorn each edge of this lacquered necklace with the holographic coating make it a genuinely avant-garde set.

 

Necklace set with a 20.21 ct octogonal yellow sapphire from Ceylon and holographic rock crystal, paved with diamonds, in white gold.

Bracelet set with a 14.93 ct cushion-cut pink tourmaline and holographic rock crystal, paved with diamonds, in white gold.

Ring set with a 4.61 ct oval blue tourmaline and holographic rock crystal, paved with diamonds, in white gold.