The renowned French jewelers Boucheron, have given the world first glimpse of it’s new Indian inspired collection, in preparation for its big reveal at Paris Haute Couture Week. Paying homage to jewellery house’ historic ties with India, the High Jewellery collection is a mix of Edwardian glamour and Indian luxury.

It was in India in 1909 that Louis Boucheron, son of the house’s founder Frederic, purchased the Kashmir cabochon sapphire that would become a Boucheron hallmark. And it was the Maharaja of Patiala, who in 1928 arrived at Place Vendôme, bringing with him a treasure haul of over 7,000 diamonds and 1,500 emeralds, and placed the largest ever private commission with Boucheron, which set these stones into 149 beautiful designs.

The new collection, titled Bleu de Jodhpur, are steeped in the history and culture of India, comprising 100 exquisite pieces. The Jodhpur Necklace, the collections standout piece, contains a mix of diamonds and, believe it or not, marble! A truly inventive piece of design.

Here is a rundown of the main four components of the collection.

Mehndi

The Mehndi set celebrates the elegance, delicacy and legendary beauty of the Rajput woman. The Mehndi jewelry set has been created in the purest jewelry tradition. The delicate openwork motifs are finely put together for an airy result where the metal seems to disappear.

In 1878, Frédéric Boucheron created a sumptuous diamond bracelet, featuring the distinctive Indian drop motif and embellished with a superb garland of natural pearls.

In 1905, the Maharaja of Kapurthala commissioned an aigrette-feather adornment for his turban; the Paisley design held in its center a 22-carat briolette cut diamond. The brooch-necklace follow the great Boucheron tradition of multiwear jewellery.

To accentuate the poetic charm of the Mehndi, which is by nature ephemeral, BOUCHERON has imagined an eternal tattoo.

The Magician of Stones has chosen the most enduring, strong and precious of all gemstones; the diamond. The brooch-necklace is thus entirely set with diamonds.

How to create a brooch that is both generous in dimension and yet light as a feather? Craft a jewel that transforms into a necklace, delicately deploying its lace-like foliage around the neckline? Once again, here is a challenge fit for the Maison’s Hands of Light.

To obtain the effect of diamond embroidery, the artisans of dreams have surrounded the center stones with open-work motifs.

At once artistic and jewelry work, necklace or brooch, the Mehndi jewelry set looks bold in any occasion.

Nagaur

A talisman necklace, Nagaur is inspired by the fortress city, a miracle set in the middle of the Thar Desert which walls protect delicate palaces, enchanting pavilions and gardens bathed in sunlight, the dazzling brightness expressed in jewelry.

Like a precious memory, the Maison has brought back a bit of Rajasthan in the form of some grains of sand from the Thar desert. They are forever set in Nagaur, in the rock crystal.

The Creative Studio was inspired by the ceremonial necklaces of the Great Mughal emperors’ golden era, illustrating to the opulence and magnificence of the Rajput princes.

The Maison calls upon the traditional motifs and materials used for these creations, particularly gold, a sacred metal in India, diamonds and pearls. The addition of rock crystal gives bold modernity to the stylised contours of the Ahhichatragarh citadel.

The diamonds incrusted in the rock crystal symbolize the flowers that grow in the desert. The Artisan made himself sculptor to endiamond the necklace’s motif with an extreme precision.

The Nagaur necklace uses the traditional silk thread stringing technique. One by one, each pearl is added onto a strand and small gold and diamond cylinders are interspersed, enhancing the suppleness of the multiple-row necklace. A ring of light featuring three diamond–set attachments gathers the necklace to its central motif. The motif is adorned with stylized diamond arabesque patterns that represent the flowers of the desert. The symmetrical composition is structured around a water feature, symbolized by a 2 carat cushion cut diamond.

There are seven rows of pearls, the number being a sacred one in India. Seven or “saptan” in Sanskrit is a powerful symbol with many significations, in particular that of infinite plurality. It is a foundation of the Hindu universe: 7 spheres of the earth, 7 seas, 7 states of consciousness, 7 subtle energies etc.
A wedding is blessed if the spouses circle a fire 7 times ; they will be united for 7 lives.

Fleur de Lotus

The richness set lies in the talent of the stone seeker who obtained a tourmaline, rubellites and spessartite garnets. Associated in a gradation of colors, they perfectly imitate the lotus petals.

The Maison was inspired by the artistic movement “Garden & Cosmos” and celebrates the richness of two distinct painting styles that originated in Jodhpur and were commissioned by three generations of Maharajas from the 17th to the 19th century.

Among the colors selected for the Fleur de Lotus set, the stone seeker has sourced an intensely pink tourmaline that seems to have escaped from one of the royal paintings of Jodhpur.

The Hands of Light have meticulously worked each detail of the central motif for the flower to come to life.

The savoir-faire of the artisans is expressed in the volume of the flower, which is not frozen but expresses liveliness. As always, Nature is triumphant at Boucheron.

The Fleur de Lotus set is the only one of the collection to be mounted on pink gold. Indeed, it perfectly matches the sand, peach –orange and pink shades of the stones, bringing them light and energy.

Jodhpur

The Jodhpur necklace is directly inspired by a necklace that was part of the most fabulous order ever made on the Place Vendôme – the Maharaja of Patiala’s commission in 1928 .
BOUCHERON created this necklace inspired by traditional Mughal jewelry: the structure is symmetrical.
The jewel is as precious on the back as it is on the front. Its “secret” side is exclusively destined for the pleasure of its owner.

To create the Jodhpur necklace, the Magician of Stones selected the most precious and sought-after Makrana marble, extracted from the Jodhpur quarry…the same milky white stone that was used in 1631 to build the fabulous Taj Mahal.
The diamond that is set on the central motif of the necklace has been chosen for its kite shape and its ideal proportions

The Jodhpur necklace is crafted following the great tradition of Indian prince’s jewelry, with a richly adorned underside.

The Maison included this feature to make the jewel perfectly reversible, paying homage to its tradition of multiple-wear pieces. Familiar with the excellence of creating jewels that are as beautiful on the back as they are on the front, the Hands of Light rose to the challenge of making a piece that was both imposing and supple, light and comfortable to wear.

For this Jodhpur-inspired theme, the Maison celebrates the spirit of the city rather than its figurative representation.

On the reverse side of the necklace, an enchanting light twinkles and plays on the impressionist composition of blue and white houses – the exquisite work of jewelry inlay expresses the enduring memory and wonder of Jodhpur. Its front is an ode to the pure lines and radiance of its immaculate marble palaces.

Also among the 60 pieces being showcased in Paris are the Aigle de Jodhpur brooch, crafted from white gold, marble and diamonds; the Tiger ring containing a 12-carat Burmese ruby; the Jodhpur Eagle ring made with a stonking 21-carat tanzanite, and a brooch featuring an emerald which once sat in a maharaja’s belt buckle. For now though Boucheron is keeping these and its other creations safely under heavily-guarded wraps.

Image Credit: Boucheron