CLAIRE CHOISNE

DIRECTOR OF CREATIONS AT BOUCHERON

BACKGROUND After gaining a degree in jewellery design from the prestigious Ecole du Louvre in Paris, Claire Choisne briefly taught at her alma mater. The French native began her design career in 1998 as a jewellery designer at Creations Loiseau Kebadjian. She joined Lorenz Bäumer in 2001 as its creative

studio manager, and 10 years later moved to Boucheron as director of creations.

HAUTE JOB Choisne oversees all of Boucheron’s watch and jewellery designs. “Fulfilling this task for a historic jewellery house like Boucheron is overwhelming, scary and exciting all at the same time,” she says. “Looking through Boucheron’s archives compels me to live up to those incredible standards, or to be even better. While the goal is to bring freshness to our jewels, it’s equally important to respect the maison’s heritage.”

BOLD FOCUS Boucheron frequently turns to the art deco period for inspiration, as Choisne has done in creating the brand’s 2016 high jewellery collection, 26 Vendôme. The line is named after the maison’s prestigious address on Place Vendôme, and celebrates the fact Boucheron was the first jewellery house to take up residence on the famous square. Choisne’s designs combine bold, geometric lines with elegant curves, and use gold and an array of gems such as rock crystal, onyx, citrine and sapphires. geometric gems A 21.8-carat yellow sapphire sits on a sketch of the Hôtel Particulier necklace it’s destined to adorn, and the matching Hôtel Particulier earrings