The son of a Parisian fabric merchant, Frédéric Boucheron grew up surrounded by rolls of satin and lace in his family’s atelier. At age 14, drawn by his interest in gems, he began work as an apprentice and salesclerk at Tixier-Deschamps, a jewelry boutique at the Palais-Royal. In 1858, Boucheron, then 28, rented his own shop inside the famous arcade, where he traded precious stones and sold jewelry made of rock crystal and mother-of-pearl. Inspired by his childhood, he integrated intricate lace motifs into diamond bracelets and collars. But his work, featuring wild thistles, decaying petals and all manner of insects, also reflected a growing obsession with the imperfect beauty of the natural world. (He studied over 600 scientific papers and treatises to replicate various flora and fauna.) In 1879, he sketched a necklace that could be put on with one hand: a curved choker with a cascade of emerald ivy vines that fluttered, thanks to a hidden spring technique, across the nape. Two years later, the house introduced a clasp-free necklace, known as the Question Mark, which caught the attention of Russian royals and American tycoons.
Now, Boucheron is reinterpreting that archival design with its new Laurier Question Mark high jewelry necklace. Incorporating a diamond laurel décolleté motif from 1883, the piece, which is made of white gold pavéd in diamonds, also includes nearly 23 carats of clustered Mozambique rubies that mimic hanging fruit, with each leaf requiring at least 30 hours of workmanship. Hidden built-in joints around the main branch allow the necklace to adapt to the wearer’s neck, adding to a sense of movement. It’s a strikingly realistic nod to nature — and all its magic.
Photo assistant: Morgane Pouliquen
The post A Necklace That Looks — and Moves — Like a Hanging Vine appeared first on New York Times.
