Or Blue reflects the power it holds from waterfalls to waves.
The elements lend themselves to high jewelry. What is fire but a great chance to use garnets, opals, and rubies or earth as a way to highlight emeralds and jade? For Boucheron’s Creative Director Claire Choisne’s 2024 Carte Blanche collection, water is the preferred medium. She and her team took inspiration from Iceland’s famous unpolluted water resources, seeing diamonds in everything from waterfalls to glaciers to the ocean. The result is 26 pieces that mimic the color, textures, and qualities of liquid and highlight the skill and creativity of the atelier.
The most obvious water reference can be seen in Cascade, which takes its name from Choisne looking directly at a waterfall and transforming it into a necklace. Spanning 148 centimeters and utilizing a staggering 1816 diamonds, it’s the longest piece in the collection and can be converted into a shorter necklace and earrings. Ondes, which means waves, showcases Boucheron’s use of 3-D software to replicate the rippling motion across the necklace and two rings and boasts 4,542 diamonds. And speaking of waves, Eau Forte derives its name from the moment one hits the shores. Utilizing a chemical solution combined with laser and 3-D printing, the piece required 900 hours of craftsmanship.
As liquid moves, it takes on different shapes and Flots directly nods to that with a diamond brooch designed to mimic water rivulets. Givre touches on fluidity as well, replicating a cascade of water as it drips down the body courtesy of a hair jewel, shoulder piece, and ring. And nowhere is that more evident than in Eau Vive, a set of larger than life shoulder pieces that look as if waves of diamonds are crashing down the body.
Up next is Eau D’encre, which is inspired by Iceland’s inky depths and incorporates obsidian. With the stone’s rippled shape nested between two pave diamond borders, the finished bracelet simulates rough seas. Also in this group is a 2.01-carat pear-shaped ring that combines black and white to resemble foamy water drifting onto black sand. The shoreline also provides the jumping-off point for Sable Noir, which uses diamonds as well as crystal black sand (a material the brand has used before in 2015) to create a striking and graphic suite consisting of a necklace, ring, and earrings.
Where there is water, there must also be ice, especially when it comes to Iceland’s Diamond Beach, which is known for bits of glaciers that resemble sparkling gemstones washing ashore. Iceberg takes its name from that locale with a necklace and earrings that give off the impression of light and transparency. The former is designed to float around the neck, requiring an astonishing 2,000 hours of work, while the latter clocked in at 410 hours worth of labor.
Lastly comes Cristaux, which is the only piece in the collection to utilize the color blue. Inspired by glaciers, it’s made with 24 aquamarines set into hexagons of rock crystal and gives off a frosted effect. The centerpiece is a 5.06-carat diamond that converts into a ring, making for a striking exclamation point to the collection.
See all of our favorite pieces below.
