Small Talk CLAIRE CHOISNE
Boucheron’s creative director discusses New Maharajahs, a line inspired by the extravagant special order placed by Indian royal Bhupinder Singh on his visit to Paris in 1928
Why did you take inspiration from the Maharajah of Patiala’s special commission?
When I joined Boucheron 10 years ago, it was the first story that everybody told me. It’s really a one‑of‑a‑kind story; a fairy tale, even. On August 2, 1928, the Maharajah of Patiala crossed Place Vendôme with his guards and six iron safes containing thousands of gemstones, including 7,571 diamonds. He entrusted Boucheron with the creation of a jewellery collection, and the maison delivered in spades by creating 149 pieces in only six months. This order remains the largest ever placed in Place Vendôme. I was totally fascinated by the story and the original drawings.
Historically, the pieces are impressive, but from a design point of view, they’re over the top for today. I reworked the designs by bringing in subtlety, purity and a certain delicacy. That’s why only one set of the Histoire de Style, New Maharajahs collection has colour, with the use of Colombian emeralds, while the rest of the collection is in an all‑white palette of diamonds, rock crystal, pearl and mother‑of‑pearl. I’m happy because the designs are different, but the fairy tale effect remains the same.
Which was the most challenging piece to design for this collection and why?
The New Maharani necklace, as I imagined the piece as a lace of diamonds and rock crystal. The challenge was having a necklace that could move and adapt to the body of the client. The craftsmen had to find ways to hide the articulated system, while having no space to do it. In addition, they ingeniously created only one clasp for this versatile necklace so it can be worn either as a full necklace or as a choker.
What does this collection say about Boucheron’s commitment to producing jewellery that can be worn by both men and women? Historically, men have worn sumptuous jewels in various cultures, from medieval kings in Europe to maharajahs in India, tsars in Russia and pharaohs in Egypt. I don’t see why this should change. While the original designs of the maharajah’s order were mainly made to be worn by a man, I wanted to turn the concept around and make jewels for women that could be borrowed by men.
As long as it is natural and not overdone, we will continue to put pieces on men. A piece such as the New Sarpech (pictured) can look great as a hair jewel on a woman and a brooch on a man. What’s important to me is a very natural and strong yet elegant result, whether the piece is worn by a woman or a man.