Boucheron is one of the oldest Parisian jewelry houses, known for its unique style and distinctive jewels.

Frédéric Boucheron was born in 1831 into a family of clothiers, but at a young age he broke with family tradition and opened his own jewelry shop.

Having grown up learning a great deal about the delicacy of materials, Boucheron applied the same suppleness he found in fabrics to gold and precious stones.

In 1858, Boucheron opened its first Paris boutique, the Galerie de Valois, under the arcades of the Palais Royal, then the heart of Parisian luxury.

The boutique marked the beginning of a new legacy that continues to this day, nearly two centuries later.

A 1980s Boucheron advertisement featuring the house's cat, Vladimir. Image courtesy of Boucheron

The gallery was an immediate success, and people from all over Paris visited the Boucheron boutique.

In 1893, he opened his first jewellery boutique on Place Vendôme.

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And it showcased French elegance.

Thanks to Boucheron's ability to grasp the trends of his time, he invented new ways to wear jewellery.

Boucheron's success spread abroad, and its order books quickly included royal families and Hollywood A-listers.

Boucheron has long been known as a master engraver of gold, prioritizing treatments that highlight their beauty in the hands of its artisans.

For example, in the “Serpent Bohème” collection, the animal is represented symbolically rather than figuratively, making the goldsmith’s work even more important.

To breathe life into the material, the metal is pressed into a compact using hammers and special tools.

This allows the jewellery to come to life.

Boucheron Fuzzy Leopard Cat Earrings Emerald, Champagne White Diamonds, Pink Gold

Whether it be the perfection of geometric designs or the pure lines of Art Deco, Boucheron has always demonstrated a passion for abstraction.

A penchant for correct proportions, noble structures and majestic forms has influenced Boucheron's artistic design and creations.

The jewels that emerge from the Boucheron workshops are always creative and daring.

When Frédéric Boucheron left the arcades of the Palais Royal to set up shop in Place Vendôme in 1893, he chose 26 Place Vendôme, between the new Opéra Garnier district and the Jardin des Tuileries.

On the corner of the Rue de la Paix and the picturesque square, designed by Jules Harduin-Mansart, the name Boucheron was inscribed in delicate gold letters in capital letters.

This paved the way for Place Vendôme to become known today as the mecca of French jewelry.

It first exhibited at the Universal Exhibition in 1867, where it won a gold medal.

This important award marked the beginning of a long career for Boucheron.

At the Universal Exhibition in 1878, the jury was impressed by the ingenuity of the pieces, and the Maison Boucheron was awarded the Grand Prix for creations, including a sapphire necklace made for the wealthy American client, Marie Louise MacKay.

The necklace features a 159 carat sapphire at the center.

In 1879, Frédéric Boucheron and his workshop director Paul Legrand invented a revolutionary new necklace.

The necklace was praised by the jury at the Universal Exhibition in 1889, and Boucheron was awarded the Grand Prix for the most outstanding jewelry collection.

In 1900, Boucheron won a gold medal for its jewels and was awarded the Grand Prix for outstanding innovation in jewellery.

The Maison Boucheron won its last Grand Prix at the Colonial Exhibition in 1931.

Boucheron Collier Necklace

Meanwhile, the Maison's shops continued to thrive and its Chinese salons expressed Boucheron's passion for distant and beautiful worlds.

The room's elegant size and custom moldings on the wall paneling make the salon a masterpiece of exceptional craftsmanship.

Located at the heart of the boutique at 26 Place Vendôme, this mythical room, with its deep red "Martin varnish", exudes an air of intimacy and secrecy that is highly sought after.

The salon featured two window displays, one of which had a hidden door leading to a secret space for customers wanting some privacy.

In the basement of 26 Place Vendôme lived Countess Castiglione, who shared a townhouse at the Hôtel de Nocé with Frédéric Boucheron.

She was a great admirer of his work and soon became one of the Maison's most important ambassadors.

She was also admired by Napoleon III.

To preserve her beauty from the harsh light of day, she only left her apartment in the evenings and was bedecked in jewels that shone brightly under the lights of Place Vendôme.

Legend has it that once she returned home and was alone, she would gaze at the gemstone for hours, mesmerized by its magical sparkle.

Another ambassador, albeit unofficial, was the House's mascot, Gérard Boucheron's cat, Vladimir, who was beloved at the Place Vendôme boutique.

The cat looked perfectly at home weaving its way through displays of jewels and precious stones.

Having Vladimir in his private townhouse at 26 Place Vendôme made me feel right at home.

Vladimir was considered a lucky cat and was very affectionate, wanting to be fondled and stroked by customers.

Boucheron Illusion Ring

Since its founding in 1858, Boucheron has experimented with different materials. Interested in fine gemstones and exotic materials, the brand incorporated lapis lazuli, coral, hematite, onyx, linen and snakewood into its collections. In the 1980s, rock crystal became one of the jeweller's favourite materials, chosen for its transparency with inclusions.

Nature has always provided the Maison with an endless source of inspiration.

Over the years and throughout the collection, their diversity, aesthetic perfection and rich symbolism have inspired creations as diverse as they are extraordinary.

The Maison's unique vision of nature - the triumph of nature - has always influenced its jewellery.

And every year, Maison Boucheron adds to its collection of animals to the delight of lovers.

A pioneer in its field, Boucheron strives to harness the positive forces of nature.

The animal jewelry pieces are more than just jewelry; they are talismans with protective powers.

Whether real or mythical, the animals have meaning and are therefore carefully named.

The peacock feather motif first appeared at Boucheron in 1866.

Jewelers were enthralled by the seductive power of its graphic structure and ethereal grace.

More importantly, in 1883, while playing with peacock feathers, Frédéric Boucheron and his workshop director Paul Legrand came up with the idea for the famous "Point d'Arogation" necklace.

Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich Romanov promptly purchased the necklace.

Since then, new interpretations of this beautiful feather have appeared regularly in High Jewellery collections.

This asymmetrical piece was a radically modern design and was part of a collection that won a gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in 1889.

Boucheron emerald earrings

For nearly four decades, from 1860 onwards, the Russian Imperial family was one of Boucheron's most important clients.

Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, Crown Princess Maria Alexandrovna, Tsar Alexander III and Grand Duke Alexei all visited Boucheron during their visits to Paris, and the name Boucheron became widely known at the Russian court.

This was why Frédéric Boucheron opened his first shop abroad in Moscow in 1897.

Boucheron's reputation also extends to the creation of the Emblem of Love.

One of the world's most famous jewelry auctions was held at the Louvre in 1887.

The auction of French royal jewels was called the "sale of the century" at the time.

Boucheron, the only Frenchman among the world's leading jewellers in attendance, won 31 diamonds, including the 18-carat and 16-carat Mazarin diamonds, as well as Empress Eugénie's most beautiful jewels.

When news spread that Boucheron had purchased the stone, all of Paris wondered who had bought it.

It turns out that Frederick bought the ring for himself, to give to his wife, Gabrielle, as a token of their eternal love.

Since then, Massion Boucheron has been the jeweller of love, the place where the most passionate men traditionally come to choose their engagement ring.

Upon Frédéric Boucheron's death in 1902, his son Louis took over the management of the Maison.

In 1948, after composing "Hymne a l'amour", Edith Piaf bought a Reflet watch from Maison Boucheron to bring her good luck at her first audition for the song.

Following the huge success of the song, she began to consider the Reflet watch a talisman.

Between 1949 and 1963, she was nicknamed "La Môme" (the Child), and acquired no less than 21 Reflet watches, one of which she gave to the love of her life, the boxer Marcel Cerdan.

In August 1928, the Maharaja of Patiala arrived at 26 Place Vendôme, accompanied by servants, carrying six chests loaded with precious stones, including 7,571 diamonds and 1,432 emeralds.

Impressed by Boucheron's prestige and the Maison's special connection to India, he commissioned an exceptional jewellery of thousands of diamonds, rubies and emeralds from the treasure, fashioned into 149 pieces.

To this day, it remains Place Vendôme's most important and exclusive commission.

Jack de Boucheron Bracelet

In 1930, Louis Boucheron was commissioned by the Shah of Iran to appraise the treasures of the Iranian Empire.

The treasures of the world consisted of the most magnificent precious stones and extraordinary objects he had ever seen, namely a throne of solid gold set all over with precious stones, and a globe set with 51 stones, each of which was set with 336 stones.

It took the new Boucheron several months to complete the appraisal, and the final estimate was then kept secret forever.

Louis Boucheron and his descendants became the official curators and guardians of Tehran's Iranian treasures.

Another notable client, who appears 102 times in the House's Special Orders Book between 1876 and 1902, was Marie-Louise MacKay, a wealthy American who placed some of the most impressive orders the House had ever known.

Marie-Louise McKay was a wealthy American who placed one of the House's most impressive orders.

To express her love, her husband, Frédéric Boucheron, commissioned a secret search for the finest sapphire to match the intense color of her deep blue eyes.

He ultimately chose a 159-carat blue sapphire from Kashmir and had it set into a necklace.

Frédéric Boucheron already understood that the beauty of gems and jewellery is, above all, a means to highlight and enhance a woman's radiance.

Its most famous collection is the mystical "Serpent Bohème."

Since its launch in the Atelier in 1968, the Serpent Bohème collection has become a Boucheron classic over the years with its enchanting design.

This collection embodies the Maison's free spirit and creativity.

Now, 50 years after its launch, the Serpent Bohème is reimagined with coloured gemstones to complement the diamond-paved creation.

Incredibly, Boucheron craftsmen have been working on the top floor of Place Vendôme since 1893.

To bring out the brilliance of each stone, the Maison has mastered all existing setting techniques and has also developed its own unique techniques, such as mosaic setting, mirror setting and airy setting.

Mosaic, mirror and airy settings magnify the stone, making it appear as if it is magically suspended in mid-air.

As an ambassador for the French jewellery industry, Maison Boucheron is committed to preserving and promoting its know-how, skills and techniques.

Known as a daring and visionary Maison, Boucheron embraces innovation at every level, from raw materials to boutiques, in order to take responsibility for its environmental impact.

Boucheron "Thurillan" bracelet in diamonds, mother-of-pearl, pearl and white gold

The RJC is a standard setting organization established to promote ethical, responsible, human rights, social and environmental practices throughout the diamond, gold and platinum metal jewellery supply chain.

Since 2000, Boucheron has been part of the Kering Group, which has developed the Gold Code, establishing a common framework for ethical gold sourcing for all its Houses.

The Gold Code also defines a system for responsible gold purchasing: the Kering Ethical Gold Framework (KEGF).

KEGF advocates a responsible gold purchasing process based on a system of traceability, at a cost that is affordable for each brand.

In 2014, Boucheron began sourcing its gold through the Kering Responsible Gold Framework, ensuring a fully ethical, responsible and traceable gold source.

This includes gold from Fairmined certified small-scale mines that respect working conditions, human rights and environmental standards, while also contributing to the social and economic development of the mining communities.

The diamonds purchased by Boucheron comply with the Kimberly Process.

The process sets out strict rules for trade between signatory countries and bans areas where diamond trade is a source of funding for guerrilla groups.