Altered perspectives in Boucheron’s Vu du 26

After an 18 month refurbishment, Boucheron’s flagship 26 Place Vendôme home opens its doors to ‘Vu du 26’ a new high jewellery collection that celebrates the founder, Frédéric Boucheron’s boldness and originality. In 1898 as the first jeweller to make the move to Place Vendôme, Frédéric Boucheron chose the corner location over the smaller premises of rue de la Paix, where the light flooding in on both sides through the double height windows illuminated the brilliance and size of his precious stones.

‘Vu du 26’ alludes to the maison’s address at 26 Place Vendôme, just across from the then brand-new brand new Ritz Hotel as well as a panoply of whimsically different viewpoints on Paris. From Place Vendôme and beyond, the jewels reference the architecture, history and even the animals of the city. But this is no pastiche of Paris icons.

A soaring bird’s eye view of the glass roof of the Grand Palais becomes a removable clip that adorns the Verriere emerald tassel necklace. Like many of the jewels, this outsized wonder can be worn in different ways by altering the length and taking off the tassel or the diamond bar of the jewel.

Boucheron Vu de 26 Verriere necklace — The soaring glass domes of the Grand Palais are recreated in the Verriere necklace with an imaginary winter garden of lush emerald bead tassels from Boucheron's impressive Vu du 26 high jewellery collection.

It’s all about perspective or ‘vu’; with feet placed firmly on the ground, the Acanthus necklace encourages us to look up at the carved stone leaf fronds that adorn the capitals of Paris’ elegant Doric columns. The very same fronds now curl around the neck dressed in shimmering diamonds. The question mark shape of the necklace is a Boucheron house classic that now takes on a contemporary look. In another necklace of the same inspiration, the same resolute columns that hold up Paris’s great monuments become an elongated pearl tassel, remarkably lifelike as the drapes of pearls cleverly mimic the fluted marble. Rigid yet fluid, the pearl column, a contradiction in itself, plays games with our eyes.

Question mark-shape necklace from Boucheron — The question mark-shape necklace is a Boucheron tradition now in a version inspired by the carved stone acanthus leaf decorations found on the capitals of Paris’ elegant columns that line its streets.

Carved out of frosted crystal – another Boucheron house speciality - the famous horses of the Opéra Garnier are shrunk down to bracelet and ring proportions. Despite their reduced dimensions, they maintain their sculptural solemnity. Look closely and you will see that their manes are bristles of baguette diamonds.

Or you could be looking out of the windows over Place Vendôme at its rain-slicked cobblestones that reflect back an almost white light as captured in the Pavé de Cristal bib necklace made from frosted crystal and baguette diamonds. A raindrop shaped diamond trickles from its tip that can be detached and worn in a ring.

The emerald cut, which is also the house’s logo, and the shape of Place Vendôme viewed from above, takes on monumental dimensions. The Duo Taille Émeraud rings that span two fingers, are ambitious in their boldness, matched by the beaming brilliance of the 32-carat emerald cut heliodor beryls tightly framed by black onyx border.

Boucheron Vu de 26 Duo rings — Outsized and beaming bright, two emerald cut heliodor beryls of just over 31 carats each reflect the shape of Place Vendôme as seen from the air in the Duo Taille Emeraude rings.

Onyx, so popular during the first decades of Boucheron’s residency in Place Vendôme, makes another appearance in the Perspective cuff bracelet. The dense black backdrop of onyx dramatically offsets the geometric Art Deco pattern of diamonds that surround a 20.45-carat Ceylon sapphire. Here, perfectly matched to the cat’s eyes.

The Perspective black onyx cuff is decorated with an Art Deco style pattern of diamonds with a 20.45-carat central Ceylon sapphire.

The refurbishment of 26 Place Vendôme revealed the full majesty of what was previously a hôtel particulier known as the Hôtel des Nocé. Today clients and friends of the brand can spend the night surrounded by the 160-year old history of the maison. Linking the architecture of the hotel to jewellery, the scrolls of the gilded moldings on the walls and ceilings of the Salón des Fiancés are transformed into the Armoiries necklace. Like many of the jewels in this collection it can be worn as a necklace that reaches from neck to navel or as a choker or brooch. A 32.22 carat Imperial topaz holds court at its centre radiating a golden glow echoed by the many strands of yellow gold chain and diamonds.

If you have ever looked down a stairwell and felt been gripped by stomach-lurching vertigo, then you will immediately understand the 26V necklace and ring. A mind-boggling three-dimensional stone marquetry of rock crystal, onyx and white agate mimics the black and white staircase at the heart of the maison. Peer into it at your own peril.

Boucheron Vu du 26 V26 ring — Boucheron has created a new ‘stone’ in the V26 that is a three-dimensional marquetry composition of rock crystal, onyx and white agate that mimics the dizzying of the Place Vendôme stairwell.

No Boucheron collection would be complete without an animal and Vu du 26 brings us Wladimir 1er and 2, the house cats. The moggy comes in two versions, either with a coat of black sapphires or white diamonds and emerald eyes. Their noses are pink sapphire and they have their own gem-set collars. Out of the newly refurbished winter garden flies a parrot in the form of the Nuri earrings. Nuri perches on the top of the ear with her resplendent plumage of multi-coloured sapphires, aquamarines, diamonds and heliodor beryls draping beyond the lobe. A single pear-cut aquamarine for the other ear complements this exotic asymmetric ear cuff.

Worn as a very long brooch, like many of the pieces in the Vu du 26 collection the Boucheron Armoire necklace is transformable. The scrolls match the gilded moldings of one of the most impressive rooms in Boucheron’s headquarters that surround the 32.22-carat Imperial topaz.
Perhaps the most creative ear cuff seen in this summer's high jewellery collections is the Nuri from Boucheron's Vu du 26 collection. The exotically coloured parrot is made of lightweight titanium and she perches on the ear as her feathers cascade from the lobe.
The cobblestones of Place Vendôme as seen in the rain inspired this rock crystal and baguette diamond necklace. The pear-cut diamond drop can be removed and worn in a ring.
The famous Doric columns that line Paris’ most noble streets have inspired a pearl version complete with acanthus leaf ornamentation on the capital in the Colonne d’Acanthe necklace.
Wladimir, the legendary cat that once freely pawed across the parquet floors of Boucheron is immortalised in this ring of diamonds with green tourmalines and a pink sapphire for his nose.
Boucheron has created a new ‘stone’ in the V26 that is a three-dimensional marquetry composition of rock crystal, onyx and white agate that mimics the dizzying of the Place Vendôme stairwell.
The Perspective black onyx cuff is decorated with an Art Deco style pattern of diamonds with a 20.45-carat central Ceylon sapphire.
The soaring glass domes of the Grand Palais are recreated in the Verriere necklace with an imaginary winter garden of lush emerald bead tassels from Boucheron's impressive Vu du 26 high jewellery collection.
The question mark-shape necklace is a Boucheron tradition now in a version inspired by the carved stone acanthus leaf decorations found on the capitals of Paris’ elegant columns that line its streets.
Outsized and beaming bright, two emerald cut heliodor beryls of just over 31 carats each reflect the shape of Place Vendôme as seen from the air in the Duo Taille Emeraude rings.
Carved out of rock crystal, the famous horses of the Opéra Garnier are transformed by Boucheron into jewel-sized sculptures with baguette diamonds for their manes.