Boucheron
Boucheron
Boucheron (pronounced: [bu.ʃə.ʁɔ̃]) is a French jewellery house.
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History
The House of Boucheron is a French family dynasty founded by Frederic Boucheron in 1858.
In 1893, Frédéric Boucheron became the first jeweller to move to Place Vendôme. Legend has it that he chose 26 Place Vendôme, 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 on to his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall as a wedding gift. Queen Elizabeth also has a collection of Boucheron jewels as did Wallis Simpson the Duchess of Windsor.
Americans are also collectors of Boucheron creations. Household names like the Astors, the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers have returned time and again to the House of Boucheron for exceptional pieces of high jewellery. One American bride to be, Mary Ethel Burns, in preparation of becoming Lady Harcourt, turned to Boucheron to create the jewellery 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.
Carolina Otero was a Boucheron enthusiast as was the 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, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Michelle Yeoh, Kristin Scott Thomas, Rachel Weisz and Diane Kruger have purchased from Boucheron.
In addition to Czar Alexander III, royal patrons of Boucheron have included Maharajah Sir Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, Riza Shah Pahlevi, Queen Farida of Egypt and Queen Rania of Jordan.
Timeline
1858- Frédéric 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 (32 g), created for Mrs. H. Mackay, wins the Grand Prize. references to same book different pages 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 Vendôme 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- Frédéric Boucheron dies, his son Louis succeeds him.
1921- Boucheron is commissioned to make a tiara for Lady Greville; it was later given to 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 Vendôme 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. Édith Piaf 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 jewellery 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 jewellery collection
2006- Boucheron and Alexander McQueen collaborate 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" jewellery 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 jewellery collection. Boucheron launches an E-commerce site so that customers can purchase Boucheron creations online.
2008- Boucheron marks its 150th anniversary with a yearlong celebration.
Boucheron today
It has 34 boutiques worldwide and an on e-commerce website.
Products
Boucheron makes perfumes, watches, and jewellery. 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 fragrances.
Boucheron International Rating of Diamonds
Boucheron has compiled a classification system by which to determine the value of a diamond, 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 an evaluation of diamond quality and relies on a combined analysis of two criteria: first, the degree of clarity and second, the colour of the stone. The point at which these two variables, "clarity" and "colour" 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.
Vertu mobile phone
In a joint venture with the mobile phone brand Vertu, Boucheron created the world's first High Jewellery limited edition cell phones out of gold and precious stones. This collaboration continued with the 150th anniversary celebration with a new line of 7 Vertu mobile phones inspired by Boucheron's High Jewellery "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-coloured sapphires, diamonds and two sapphires, will be brought out in 26 pieces, as a reference to the famous jeweller's address, 26 place Vendôme.
Retail
The distribution network of Boucheron is made of 34 shops located all over the world (Paris, Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Monaco, Beirut , 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.
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