Boucheron unveils its Histoire de Style 2026 High Jewellery collection, Nom : Boucheron Prénom : Frédéric, reimagining how high jewellery is worn today while celebrating the vision of its founder
When Frédéric Boucheron first opened his boutique in Paris 168 years ago, he didn’t merely start a jewellery house—he reimagined what jewellery could be. At a time when corsets and rigid jewels constrained the body, Boucheron saw an opportunity to liberate both form and spirit. Rooted in a profound understanding of couture and an unorthodox appreciation for nature’s imperfect beauty, he became the first jeweller to open on Place Vendôme, transforming the once-quiet square into the beating heart of Parisian haute joaillerie.
That daring ethos still guides the maison today. For the Histoire de Style 2026 High Jewellery collection, Nom : Boucheron Prénom : Frédéric, creative director Claire Choisne turns to this singular attitude as her muse, crafting four high jewellery pieces that do more than embellish.
Inspired by his belief that jewellery should serve the individual and reflect the aspirations of its age, Choisne draws on archive pieces while pushing technical boundaries with innovative multi-way wearability, fluid constructions, and an expressive language that bridges past and present.
The Address
The first piece showcased during the presentation at 26 Place Vendôme, The Address pays tribute to a defining moment from Frédéric Boucheron’s late-19th-century career, when he noticed that Place Vendôme lay directly along the route of fashionable women strolling to the Tuileries Gardens. Where others saw only architecture, Boucheron recognised a stage for his jewellery—an insight that would lead him to become the first jeweller to establish a boutique on the square.
That observation is distilled into a graphic pendant whose octagonal form recalls Place Vendôme itself. Rendered in monochrome white gold and diamonds offset by deep black lacquer, the design is sharpened to its essence. A layered composition of emerald-cut motifs draws the eye to a 10.01-carat central diamond, with each stone precisely set to maximise shine.
Despite its architectural rigour, the piece is engineered for fluidity. The lacquer-edged collar appears to wrap seamlessly around the neck, while recut baguette diamonds follow its natural curve. In a final nod to Boucheron’s enduring focus on versatility, the central motif detaches to become a ring.
The Spark
The world’s first claspless necklace was born of Monsieur Boucheron’s belief that jewellery should mould to the body—adapting instinctively to its wearer and allowing it to be worn effortlessly, without assistance. Named the Question Mark, it featured a hidden spring blade developed in the Boucheron workshops, which gave the piece its signature fluidity.
Drawing on an archive photograph of the 1884 original, Choisne reimagines it in The Spark, pairing historical reference with modernity through a series of diamonds in bold, geometric cuts.
Eight stones take centre stage: a 0.81-carat marquise, a 1.71-carat Asscher, a 1.76-carat oval, a 2.09-carat hexagonal, a 2.02-carat pear, a 3.07-carat emerald, and a 2.96-carat round brilliant.
The composition culminates in a 5.01-carat kite diamond, haloed by baguette diamonds. A procession of princess-cut stones links each gem in rhythmic succession, while even the collar of this monochrome masterpiece is fully pavé-set with diamonds.
The Silhouette
Being the son of a draper, Monsieur Boucheron applied his knowledge of couture to jewellery, imagining pieces that could be worn in multiple ways. One of his most visionary creations was a floral and pearl shoulder ornament, reinventing how the body could be adorned.
In this collection, The Silhouette translates that philosophy into a sculptural, transformable piece where white gold and diamonds flow around the body. This technically complex piece metamorphoses so it can be worn in six different ways: as a combined necklace and shoulder adornment; two shoulder brooches; a double-drop sautoir; two necklaces; a graphic choker; or a pair of bracelets.
Artisans achieved this versatility with invisible clasps and precise articulations. The chains span over seven meters, composed of more than 2,500 bezel-set round diamonds. The choker itself is fully paved with over 100 baguette diamonds, each cut after mounting and arranged in a stepped pattern, creating depth and a sculptural, three-dimensional effect.
The Untamed
A nod to Monsieur Boucheron’s love of nature—particularly the “untamed beauty” of ivy—The Untamed reinterprets the very first Question Mark necklace with a flowing ivy motif, realised in an extra-long design. Staying true to the original sketch while updating it for today, Choisne envisioned an ivy branch set with round diamonds, cascading naturally along the body’s contours.
To address the dual challenges of length and balance, each stem and leaf was mounted individually, positioned to the nearest millimetre. Guided by Boucheron’s ethos of versatility, artisans engineered a multiwear system with articulated elements, allowing the piece to transform into a long or short Question Mark necklace, a collar, a brooch, or a hair jewel. Fruits of rock crystal, individually crafted leaves, and trembling elements imbue the creation with lifelike movement, capturing the maison’s signature pursuit of naturalistic realism.
