Boucheron History and Facts

Now that we’ve covered the main jewelry eras and precious gemstones, it’s time for us to dive into famous, world-recognized jewelry designers. Signed jewelry has always been desirable due to its credibility, top quality materials, and exquisite craftsmanship. The industry's famous jewelry names include Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany & Co, Bvlgari, David Webb, Graff and many others. This week we will be discussing the oldest jewelry Maison in Place Vendôme - Boucheron. 

In this blog post you will learn: 

• Boucheron History
• Interesting Facts 
• Vintage Boucheron Jewelry 

Boucheron History

Frédéric Boucheron, founded the Maison Boucheron in 1858. To this day, the Boucheron jewelry house is known for its intricate, free spirited style. Boucheron’s designs are always creative and display outstanding French craftsmanship and characterful stones. Frédéric Boucheron opened his first boutique in the Galerie de Valois, under the arcades of the Palais Royal which was the epitome of Parisian luxury trade at the time. 

In 1866, The Maison Boucheron created a workshop to educate and teach other goldsmiths the signature Boucheron style of craftsmanship.

Interesting Facts

Mrs Mackay - this name appeared 102 times in Boucheron’s Special Orders book between 1876-1902. Marie-Louise Mackay was a wealthy American woman. To impress the love of his life, her husband asked Frédéric Boucheron to secretly seek out the most exceptional sapphire to match the intense color of her deep blue eyes. Boucheron finally found a 159 carat blue sapphire from Kashmir that he had set onto a necklace. Kashmir sapphires are extremely rare and display a vivid cornflower blue color.

The Russian Imperial Family - From 1860, and lasting for almost 40 years, Russia’s Imperial Family became one of Boucheron's major clients. The Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, the Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna, Alexander III and the grand Duke Alexei all visited Boucheron’s Paris flagship store every time they found themselves in France. His name became synonymous with luxury within the Russian court. In 1897, Frédéric Boucheron opened his first international shop in Moscow. In 1921 Boucheron created an outstanding diadem for Queen Mother Elizabeth and it became one of her favorites.

Frédéric Boucheron was raised in a family of generational clothiers. Although he did not pursue the family business, he remembered the intricate fabrics from his childhood. The Grand-Duc Wladimir became entranced by a young woman when he picked up a scarf she had dropped during a ball they were both attending. To remember the extraordinary moment forever, he asked Frédéric Boucheron to create a gold necklace that could mimic the finest scarf, as a symbol of his eternal love for his wife. Since then the Maison works on gold as if it were a fabric, a supple and flowing cloth, transforming it into jewels that seem to be woven from gold threads.