FAMOUS FANS

From the wives of wealthy American industrialists to Punjabi princelings and many a queen in between, Boucheron’s brilliant designs have a global following

Mary-louise Mackay In 1878, Mary-louise Mackay, the wife of an American industrialist, placed one of the most famous orders in the history of jewellerymaking at Boucheron Paris. A two-tier necklace made of diamonds and sapphires, it boasts a central sapphire from Kashmir that weighs 159 carats. Known today quite simply as the Boucheron Necklace, it is so grand and dramatic, it really should find a home next to the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London. Queen elizabeth, The Queen Mother Which brings us nicely to the late Queen Mother, who wasn’t sent to the Tower but who was left an extraordinary collection of jewellery by Mrs Ronald Greville in 1942. Greville was famous for her incredible stones—and was known to shame society women in London for their inferior gems. Her bequest to the queen included three pieces by Boucheron: a spectacular diamond necklace, a valuable pair of large pearl earrings, and a bandeau tiara with an emerald of 93.7 carats glittering at the centre.