2 October 2026 |
From Iceland’s glacial landscapes to James Turrell’s infinite skies – the French house transforms nature, art, and emotion into the most daring high jewelry creations on Place Vendôme.
On an expedition through Iceland’s otherworldly glacial landscapes in 2022, Claire Choisine became transfixed by nature’s raw power: icebergs sculpted by time, volcanic black sand beaches, waterfalls crashing through frozen terrain. The imagery lingered, like fragments of a dream. Back in her Paris atelier, Boucheron’s creative director transformed those visions into fantastical high jewelry: fluid diamond waterfalls, obsidian waves, and sculptural jewels that blurred the line between fantasy, art, and nature.
“What moves me about glaciers is the quiet poetry of nature,” says Choisne. “Their presence feels both fragile and monumental at once. I’m drawn to anything that invites us to question, that transcends the obvious, and that creates an emotional connection.” That sense of wonder and childlike curiosity has come to define Choisne’s vision. Over the past 15 years, she helped transform the 168-year-old maison into arguably the most daring voice on Place Vendôme.
Quatre Classique Pendant Earrings in 18k yellow gold, white gold, pink gold, and brown PVD with 1.06ct. diamonds by BOUCHERON
Her approach balances technical mastery with a deep emotional resonance, pushing high jewelry into unexpected territory while preserving an unmistakable sense of poetry. In addition to the fine jewelry found at Boucheron boutiques in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris, Choisne also designs exquisite high jewelry collections each year, which can contain anywhere from 4 and 100 pieces and live under the Histoire de Style and Carte Blanche categories. Choisne’s creativity also feels deeply personal. She often speaks of her inspirations, dreams, and ideas with disarming warmth and boundless enthusiasm, drawing others effortlessly into her universe.
In the rarefied world of high jewelry, Choisne is just as excited by an extraordinary multimillion dollar diamond necklace as she is by a cuff crafted from volcanic black sand. “I love pieces which express the freedom to innovate with confidence and a very technical, yet poetic, approach,” she says. “As long as there are limits to high jewelry, we will keep pushing them to bring our creative vision to life.” That spirit of experimentation seems as though it is embedded in the halls of Boucheron’s home at 26 Place Vendôme. In 1893, the founder, Frédéric Boucheron, became the first jeweler to establish a boutique on the square, choosing the corner address, known as the Hôtel de Nocé, for its ample sunlight. The 18th-century residence carries its own mythology.
It was once the home of Countess Virginia de Castiglione, the mistress of Napoleon III, who was celebrated as one of Europe’s great beauties before retreating into seclusion, covering mirrors and painting rooms black until her death. If the Paris townhouse carries ghosts, Choisne seems to communicate most closely with that of Frédéric Boucheron, himself a visionary whose ideas were radically ahead of his time. Long before unconventional materials became fashionable in fine jewelry, he juxtaposed diamonds and gold with wood, rock crystal, and even fabric. In an era when women were constrained by rigid silhouettes and corsetry, Boucheron, the son of a draper, imagined jewelry with movement, fluidity, and freedom.
His most enduring signature remains the 1879 Question Mark necklace. Designed without a clasp, it curved effortlessly around the neck in a graceful, asymmetrical form, winning the Grand Prix at the 1889 Paris Exposition. It remains Choisne’s favorite Boucheron design. “What I find so compelling about it is that it goes far beyond its material beauty,” she says. “It perfectly illustrates Boucheron’s ingenuity, but also his genuine consideration for women. He gave them the freedom to adorn themselves effortlessly, fastening the necklace with a simple gesture, without assistance. It’s both a symbol of innovation and empowerment.”
Under Choisne’s direction, the Question Mark concept continues to evolve in dramatic form. For this year’s Histoire de Style collection, she reimagined the design in The Untamed necklace: an ivy branch set with diamonds that cascades down the length of the body. Like many of her creations, it transforms in multiple ways, with detachable ivy strands becoming a collar, brooch, long necklace, or even a hair jewel. But the ideas are one thing. Choisne’s imagination flourishes not only because of artistic freedom, but because of an unusually close partnership with the company’s CEO Hélène Poulit-Duquesne. In an industry often driven by committees and commercial caution, Boucheron operates differently. “Hélène continually challenges me to go further, explore new ideas, and never settle,” says Choisne.
That philosophy is most obvious in the maison’s annual boundary-breaking Carte Blanche collections, where jewelry becomes a manifesto that questions the very definition of preciousness. Unveiled annually during Paris’s couture week in July, it’s one of the most anticipated high jewelry showings. It’s whimsical, innovative, and theatrical. Past collections were presented at the Place Vendôme townhouse in a makeshift boxing ring and a pitch-black room, where Choisne used a spotlight to introduce each jewel. In More is More, Choisne paid homage to the 1980s Memphis Design movement with 30 one-of-a-kind pieces in exuberant colors, pop art-esque style, and jumbo-sized graphic forms with diamonds.
From left: Quatre Radiant Edition bracelet, Quatre Black Edition bracelet, Quatre Radiant Edition bracelet, 1902 Archives bracelet; Quatre White Edition small ring, Ivy Question Mark necklace from the 1881 Archives; Boucheron boutique circa 1890-1900; Ivy Question Mark necklace from the 1881 Archives, all by Boucheron
Contemplation was sparked by Choisne’s visit to James Turrell’s Open Sky installation on Naoshima, Japan’s famous art island. In this collection of 67 jewels, she encapsulated aerogel, one of the world’s lightest substances (the one NASA uses for thermal insulation), inside a pendant to capture the illusion of infinite sky. “What I admire in Turrell’s work,” she reflects, “is that powerful illusion of infinity, the way he transforms space and light into something almost immaterial and boundless.”
Choisne is also not afraid to play with materials and find new ways to express high jewelry art. In 2018, she miraculously transformed real flowers into lasting sculptural rings, preserving their fragility forever for the Fleurs Éternelles collection. Four years later she incorporated Cofalit, a byproduct of recycled asbestos, into a capsule collection. It is a cement-like, dense, black substance, but after being shaped and polished it appears like onyx or obsidian. Choisne collaborated with a French recycling company to push beyond traditional materials, which speaks to her experimental, daring nature and willingness to shake up traditional jewelry codes. Choisne’s creativity lies in her ability to elevate the ordinary. Rattan paired with diamonds, recycled industrial material alongside gold and gems, each combination challenges the conventional ideas of luxury while reinforcing a more emotional, personal definition of value. “I truly believe that everything can be a source of inspiration,” she says. “The places we travel to, the people we meet, and nature in all its forms.
Each experience feeds and shapes my vision in a subtle but meaningful way.” The Iceland adventure resulted in Or Bleu, a collection defined by bold scale and technical genius, and one of the house’s most visually arresting concepts. A rushing waterfall became a transformable diamond necklace stretching nearly five feet, engineered to convert into a choker, earrings, and additional pieces. Rippling currents took shape in carved layers of rock crystal embedded with waves of diamonds, while Iceland’s inky-black seas emerged in sculpted obsidian paired with snow-set diamonds. Choisne captured the fleeting moment white foamy waves wash on the volcanic sand in rings made of obsidian, rock crystal, and diamonds – ephemeral moments made to last.
Much of that vision is informed by Boucheron’s rich archives, which date to 1859 and include sketches, ledgers, and more than 800 historic creations. Within them are the maison’s enduring signature: couture-inspired draping, bows, ribbons, and tassels, graphic art deco geometry, and jewels designed to move naturally with the body. Not surprisingly, Boucheron’s daring aesthetic has caught the attention of high-profile celebrity clients. Among them is actor Colman Domingo, whose fearless approach to fashion mirrors the house’s own spirit of individuality and freedom of expression.
At this year’s Golden Globes, an array of diamond ivy brooches poured dramatically over his shoulder, and at the Cannes Film Festival, he paraded the red carpet in a cascading diamond brooch and zebra ring. “Colman truly embodies something very important for us at Boucheron: a sense of family spirit, optimism, and warmth,” said Poulit-Duquesne. “He has an incredible presence, but he is also genuinely kind and generous.”
From left: Boucheron’s CEO Hélène Poulit-Duquesne and creative director Claire Choisne; Quatre White Edition small ring, Quatre Radiant Edition small ring, Innovation Capsule Quatre Sand Cuff 2025; Ivy Question Mark necklace from the 1881 Archives
Although Boucheron has long attracted discerning American clients – from the Vanderbilts and Astors to Elizabeth Taylor and Marlene Dietrich – the house has only recently expanded its physical presence in the United States with stores in New York, Beverly Hills, and Las Vegas. The maison’s daring sense of individuality seems to align with Americans, says Poulit-Duquesne. Boucheron was the first heritage house to show high jewelry worn on men and women, championing genderless creations. Its experimental Carte Blanche collections are made not for commercial success but for artistic exploration.
The newest Human Being collection unveiled in Paris on July 6 reflects Choisne’s fascination with emotional connection and human complexity. She collaborated with a master glyptic artist and a micro-painter to infuse storytelling into her designs in new ways. A necklace, featuring 1,532 carats of rose quartz, is adorned with exquisite miniature flowers painted by artist Alexandra Carle and set in rose gold with diamonds. And a series of translucent smoky quartz and diamond designs are etched with nature motifs by glyptics artist Joseph Bongrand, evoking what resembles tattoos against the skin.
The collection will debut in New York at Christie’s in October, where Boucheron will present an exhibition exploring the house’s creative universe from its beginning in 1858 to today. Beyond its conversational jewelry, there is also a sense of practicality. Many high jewelry creations are designed to adapt into multiple pieces, allowing clients to wear them in different ways and across occasions, and again, to express their own sense of freedom and individuality. That sense of originality extends into Boucheron’s boutiques themselves. Rather than replicating a uniform retail concept, each location is tailored to the spirit of its city while staying rooted in the maison’s Parisian identity. “I never want our boutiques to feel generic,” said Poulit-Duquesne. “I want clients to feel welcomed as if they were entering an intimate residence, rather than a traditional store.” To that end, working with her team, she helps to curate each location’s furniture, artworks, and antique objects.
That sense of warmth and family spirit is most fully realized at 26 Place Vendôme. Upon entering, it feels more like a grand family home than a shop: there’s a grand winding staircase, a checkerboard floor of Paris stone, and a gallery wall hung with Boucheron’s portraits. Of course, there is a mascot, the family cat, Wladimir, whose basket has pride of place near the entrance. The famous black cat appeared in the house’s 1978 advertising campaign wearing a diamond necklace and has been brought to life in diamond earrings and rings. Former apartments once occupied by Countess Castiglione became intimate salons to showcase Boucheron’s timepieces. The Jardin d’Hiver room was designed to evoke a greenhouse-like reception space, and the Salon Chinois, originally designed in the spirit of the Orient by Frédéric’s son, Louis Boucheron, in the early 20th century, has been painstakingly restored. On the sunlit top floor is Choisne’s creative studio and below it is the workshop, making it easy to continually experiment with the craftspeople.
The most seductive space of all is the private apartment, an intimate retreat that deepens the mystique of the house. Tucked away on the third floor, the lavish residence is reserved for the fortunate few VIP friends of the house invited to stay overnight. It features a library, bedroom, dining room, and freestanding bathtub overlooking Place Vendôme, with the Eiffel Tower rising in the distance. It feels less like a boutique than a private world shaped by memory, imagination, and a belief that jewelry should instill emotion as much as admiration. And in Choisne, Boucheron has found its storyteller, one unafraid to turn glaciers into diamonds, black sand into sculpture, and fleeting moments into objects that endure.
Taken from 10 Magazine USA Issue 7 – HERITAGE, LEGACY, FUTURE – out September 18! Order your copy here.
Photographer MICHELLE HUYNH
Fashion and Jewelry Editor JOHANNA BOUVIER
Text JILL NEWMAN
Model CAMILLE CHIFFLOT at Supreme Management Paris
Hair BASTIEN ZORZETTO at Walter Schupfer Management using SEBASTIAN PROFESSIONAL
Makeup CAMILLA ROMAGNOLI using M.A.C Cosmetics
