Question Of The Century

A Pas De Deux of function and form – time stands still for boucheron’s question mark necklace, a visionary design that is as forward-looking today as it was when it first launched nearly 140 years ago

- Farisia Thang

When it comes to jewellery, the French maison of Boucheron is revered as an epochal and fabled pioneer. After all, they’ve crafted royal jewels for the likes of the Russian Imperial Family and the Queen Mother Elizabeth. Their sui generis savoir faire to adapt and innovate has won them both prestigious prizes and millions of admirers through the years. Well over a century later, Boucheron is still regarded in high esteem. As enthusiasts of Bling Empire know, no one is as big an aficionado of Boucheron as the heiress Anna Shay. In one episode, she flew her friend and fellow-castmate Kelly Mi Li to Paris and shut down the Boucheron boutique for the pair to shop. She then bought a friendship ring for the two of them from the maison’s iconic Quatre collection, before engaging in a notorious debate with Christine Chiu over which maison holds the title of the oldest jewellery shop in Paris. We’ll save you the Google search — Boucheron, founded by Frédéric Boucheron in 1858, is indeed the oldest jewellery maison who opened a boutique in Place Vendôme.

EMPATHY BEFORE DESIGN

The legend of Boucheron began in 1858 when Frédéric Boucheron, the namesake founder and designer, opened his first Galerie de Valois boutique in Paris. Hailing from a family of drapers, he took inspiration from the fluidity of fabrics and was successful in recreating its likeness in gold. A distinctive approach, it was a foretelling of the maison’s adaptability and innovation, and he soon earned recognition beyond the fringes of Paris and France.