CHAPTER 1 — Ladies of Sin 16
The Henckel von Donnersmarck pendant was sold at Sotheby’s in 2007 and again in 2017. The 100-carat cushion-cut yellow diamond was acquired by La Païva from Boucheron in 1882.
Having stagnated for years thanks to a meagre allowance provided by his mother, the most famous cuckold in Europe ended up shooting himself in the head – clumsily, no less. After being taken to the Hôpital Beaujon, it took him twelve hours to die. By the time Frédéric Boucheron came to know her, La Païva was still a woman who drew attention. Onlookers would still stop as she passed, but for different reasons, her triumphant beauty now but a distant memory. She did not lament this. In fact, she had never particularly liked her face. Her nose was too wide, a little exotic, and slightly flat. It was for this reason that she had always refused to be painted or photographed. Her weapon had always been her body: her legs, her thighs, her chest, the soft and slightly peppered skin of a redhead, and of course her privates, about which the literary critic Paul de Saint-Victor wrote: “Her lips are like a red couch, flattened by a lord’s behind.” That is where her power came from – that almost animalistic desire which she provoked in men and which she used like a weapon. But that power had also faded with age. The woman sitting opposite Frédéric Boucheron was a little conspicuous, wearing excessive make-up and a wig that was too red. According to the Goncourt brothers, her face had become “that of a courtesan who will not be too old for her profession when she is a hundred years old; but underneath, another face is visible from time to time, the terrible face of a painted corpse.” Indeed, she was a little frightening. Too many men had bankrupted themselves or committed suicide for her. She had survived a miserable childhood, years of sordid prostitution, wars, revolutions. Rumour had it that she had
even been something of a Prussian spy, and incidentally, she had ended up marrying one. However, when her eyes lit up, as they were doing so now, a glimmer of her formidable powers of seduction still remained... Of the passions of her youth, there was one desire that had never quite been satisfied: a desire for precious stones. Frédéric Boucheron was well placed to remedy this. For ten years, he had been creating fabulous jewellery for her, set with the rarest of stones. Unlike the women of high society, who often opted for a highly conventional style, courtesans were never short of ideas when it came to expanding their jewellery collections. La Païva more so than any other. For this exceptional collector, Boucheron had become an artist, dreaming up daring pieces and exploring every facet of his talent in the process. A diamond dagger worn as a bodice ornament or a hair accessory. A brooch in the shape of a tulip, a pansy or a clover, set with rubies, sapphires or turquoises. A belt of diamonds and emeralds. Or even a collarette that had been displayed at the Exposition Universelle of 1878: 407 diamonds, with a total weight of almost 200 carats, had been used for this monument of precious stones. La Païva had asked him to create an exact replica, for which she provided the stones herself. Beginning in early 1882, her cumulative purchase amount exceeded 175,000 francs (875,000 euros). On 1 February, it was a pendant of rubies and diamonds that had belonged to Marie Blanc, the wife of the founder of the Monte Carlo Casino, costing 20,000 francs (100,000 euros). On the 28th of the same month, she purchased a 28-carat sapphire and a 30-carat sapphire for a total of
CHAPTER 1 — Ladies of Sin 16
The Henckel von Donnersmarck pendant was sold at Sotheby’s in 2007 and again in 2017. The 100-carat cushion-cut yellow diamond was acquired by La Païva from Boucheron in 1882.
Having stagnated for years thanks to a meagre allowance provided by his mother, the most famous cuckold in Europe ended up shooting himself in the head – clumsily, no less. After being taken to the Hôpital Beaujon, it took him twelve hours to die. By the time Frédéric Boucheron came to know her, La Païva was still a woman who drew attention. Onlookers would still stop as she passed, but for different reasons, her triumphant beauty now but a distant memory. She did not lament this. In fact, she had never particularly liked her face. Her nose was too wide, a little exotic, and slightly flat. It was for this reason that she had always refused to be painted or photographed. Her weapon had always been her body: her legs, her thighs, her chest, the soft and slightly peppered skin of a redhead, and of course her privates, about which the literary critic Paul de Saint-Victor wrote: “Her lips are like a red couch, flattened by a lord’s behind.” That is where her power came from – that almost animalistic desire which she provoked in men and which she used like a weapon. But that power had also faded with age. The woman sitting opposite Frédéric Boucheron was a little conspicuous, wearing excessive make-up and a wig that was too red. According to the Goncourt brothers, her face had become “that of a courtesan who will not be too old for her profession when she is a hundred years old; but underneath, another face is visible from time to time, the terrible face of a painted corpse.” Indeed, she was a little frightening. Too many men had bankrupted themselves or committed suicide for her. She had survived a miserable childhood, years of sordid prostitution, wars, revolutions. Rumour had it that she had
even been something of a Prussian spy, and incidentally, she had ended up marrying one. However, when her eyes lit up, as they were doing so now, a glimmer of her formidable powers of seduction still remained... Of the passions of her youth, there was one desire that had never quite been satisfied: a desire for precious stones. Frédéric Boucheron was well placed to remedy this. For ten years, he had been creating fabulous jewellery for her, set with the rarest of stones. Unlike the women of high society, who often opted for a highly conventional style, courtesans were never short of ideas when it came to expanding their jewellery collections. La Païva more so than any other. For this exceptional collector, Boucheron had become an artist, dreaming up daring pieces and exploring every facet of his talent in the process. A diamond dagger worn as a bodice ornament or a hair accessory. A brooch in the shape of a tulip, a pansy or a clover, set with rubies, sapphires or turquoises. A belt of diamonds and emeralds. Or even a collarette that had been displayed at the Exposition Universelle of 1878: 407 diamonds, with a total weight of almost 200 carats, had been used for this monument of precious stones. La Païva had asked him to create an exact replica, for which she provided the stones herself. Beginning in early 1882, her cumulative purchase amount exceeded 175,000 francs (875,000 euros). On 1 February, it was a pendant of rubies and diamonds that had belonged to Marie Blanc, the wife of the founder of the Monte Carlo Casino, costing 20,000 francs (100,000 euros). On the 28th of the same month, she purchased a 28-carat sapphire and a 30-carat sapphire for a total of
CHAPTER 1 — Ladies of Sin
CHAPTER 1 — Ladies of Sin
24
25
All the commissions from La Païva at Boucheron were made under her married name: Countess Henckel von Donnersmarck.
The Païva emerald and diamond necklace, which is mentioned in the first paragraph of the inventory seen opposite, was sold at Christie’s in 2007.
CHAPTER 1 — Ladies of Sin
CHAPTER 1 — Ladies of Sin
24
25
All the commissions from La Païva at Boucheron were made under her married name: Countess Henckel von Donnersmarck.
The Païva emerald and diamond necklace, which is mentioned in the first paragraph of the inventory seen opposite, was sold at Christie’s in 2007.
CHAPTER 1 — Ladies of Sin 51
La Belle Otero liked to collect precious jewels! The strange jewel suspended from her diamond rivière may well be the corsage piece created by Boucheron.
THE SIREN CALL OF GAMBLING
LA BELLE OTERO
Paris, 26 place Vendôme, 3 May 1894
It was a spectacular order, in the number of stones used, the originality of the design and the name of the customer. Slowly, Frédéric Boucheron detailed the contents of the jewellery cases that lay open before him. A few hours earlier, they had been dropped off at the place Vendôme by Mademoiselle Otero. Or rather, Countess Otero, as she demanded to be called, undoubtedly to enrage her colleagues and rivals in her social circle, Liane de Pougy and Émilienne d’Alençon, whose aristocratic airs caused her profound irritation. Under the master’s dictation, a clerk noted in the order book the details of the jewels to be dismantled. The list was dazzling: One diamond snake bracelet, 60 diamonds, 9 carats, 1/8 One bracelet set with a large, 19-carat yellow diamond, One diamond rivière, 36 stones, 50 carats, 1/8... For good measure, ‘Countess’ Otero had even brought with her thirteen loose diamonds and one loose ruby, which she kept in a jewel safe. In total, 584 diamonds, with a weight of 189 carats, twenty-three rubies at 11 carats, nineteen sapphires at 18 carats and 128 small rose-cut diamonds were to be set in this ‘bodice piece’ in the colours of France: “blue, white, red”. A quarter of a century after the defeat at Sedan and Prussia’s annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, the France of the Belle Époque remained fiercely patriotic – even vengeful. That being said, it was not for this reason that ‘La Belle Otero’, who was of Spanish nationality, wished
to commission this tricolour piece. It was simply a matter of conforming to fashion. At the turn of the century, the fashionable elites had rediscovered the habits of the court of Louis XIV. Matching sets, with a necklace, a tiara, a brooch, earrings and sometimes even bracelets, such as those worn by women under the two Empires, had gone out of style. Instead, a woman of taste would now mix her precious stones – diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds – even adding pearls to tie the look together. Geometric shapes had also fallen out of favour: a central pendant flanked by two others, arranged in strict, even tedious, order. Art Nouveau was beginning to emerge across Europe. This new form of artistic expression took inspiration from the sinuous curves of Japanese art and nature, using forgotten materials and techniques such as enamel. Applied to jewellery, enamel could enhance the artistic appearance of a stone, now considered a work of art rather than a simple accessory. And the master of this style was René Lalique. Frédéric Boucheron was no stranger to his creations. For several years, Lalique had been one of his independent designers, and the two men shared the same taste for innovation and originality. Though he had had occasion to work for the courts of Europe, Frédéric had never been a court jeweller. And neither had René Lalique. In any case, these new shapes had won the heart of Mademoiselle Otero. In the world of jewellery, as in many others, the Spanish dancer liked to push originality to its limits, without much concern for the limits of good taste. With her sombre eyes, black hair, and extraordinarily small
CHAPTER 1 — Ladies of Sin 51
La Belle Otero liked to collect precious jewels! The strange jewel suspended from her diamond rivière may well be the corsage piece created by Boucheron.
THE SIREN CALL OF GAMBLING
LA BELLE OTERO
Paris, 26 place Vendôme, 3 May 1894
It was a spectacular order, in the number of stones used, the originality of the design and the name of the customer. Slowly, Frédéric Boucheron detailed the contents of the jewellery cases that lay open before him. A few hours earlier, they had been dropped off at the place Vendôme by Mademoiselle Otero. Or rather, Countess Otero, as she demanded to be called, undoubtedly to enrage her colleagues and rivals in her social circle, Liane de Pougy and Émilienne d’Alençon, whose aristocratic airs caused her profound irritation. Under the master’s dictation, a clerk noted in the order book the details of the jewels to be dismantled. The list was dazzling: One diamond snake bracelet, 60 diamonds, 9 carats, 1/8 One bracelet set with a large, 19-carat yellow diamond, One diamond rivière, 36 stones, 50 carats, 1/8... For good measure, ‘Countess’ Otero had even brought with her thirteen loose diamonds and one loose ruby, which she kept in a jewel safe. In total, 584 diamonds, with a weight of 189 carats, twenty-three rubies at 11 carats, nineteen sapphires at 18 carats and 128 small rose-cut diamonds were to be set in this ‘bodice piece’ in the colours of France: “blue, white, red”. A quarter of a century after the defeat at Sedan and Prussia’s annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, the France of the Belle Époque remained fiercely patriotic – even vengeful. That being said, it was not for this reason that ‘La Belle Otero’, who was of Spanish nationality, wished
to commission this tricolour piece. It was simply a matter of conforming to fashion. At the turn of the century, the fashionable elites had rediscovered the habits of the court of Louis XIV. Matching sets, with a necklace, a tiara, a brooch, earrings and sometimes even bracelets, such as those worn by women under the two Empires, had gone out of style. Instead, a woman of taste would now mix her precious stones – diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds – even adding pearls to tie the look together. Geometric shapes had also fallen out of favour: a central pendant flanked by two others, arranged in strict, even tedious, order. Art Nouveau was beginning to emerge across Europe. This new form of artistic expression took inspiration from the sinuous curves of Japanese art and nature, using forgotten materials and techniques such as enamel. Applied to jewellery, enamel could enhance the artistic appearance of a stone, now considered a work of art rather than a simple accessory. And the master of this style was René Lalique. Frédéric Boucheron was no stranger to his creations. For several years, Lalique had been one of his independent designers, and the two men shared the same taste for innovation and originality. Though he had had occasion to work for the courts of Europe, Frédéric had never been a court jeweller. And neither had René Lalique. In any case, these new shapes had won the heart of Mademoiselle Otero. In the world of jewellery, as in many others, the Spanish dancer liked to push originality to its limits, without much concern for the limits of good taste. With her sombre eyes, black hair, and extraordinarily small
CHAPTER 2 — Kings and Queens of the World 66
DIAMONDS FROM THE CROWN JEWELS OF FRANCE PURCHASED OR SET BY FRÉDÉRIC BOUCHERON ~ The Grand Mazarin (18 carats according to the old carat system in 1887, 19.07 carats in modern carats in 2017): 101,000 francs (505,000 euros) ~ Oblong diamond weighing 16 carats, inaccurately presented as a Mazarin diamond at auction: 92,000 francs (460,000 euros) From the large tasselled comb: On the left side of the band: ~ One 14-carat diamond: 18,100 francs (90,500 euros) ~ One 18-carat diamond: 56,500 francs (282,500 euros) Central tassel: ~ One 6.28-carat diamond: 25,200 francs (126,000 euros) ~ Tassels 4 and 6 flanking the large central tassel: 141,000 francs (705,000 euros) ~ A cross of ten diamonds, from the Imperial crown: 11,300 francs (56,500 euros) Total: 445,100 francs (2,225,500 euros) Tassels 3 and 7: sold at auction to Tiffany for 63,000 francs (315,000 euros) and resold to Mr Junius Morgan. In 1899, the 28 diamonds were set by Boucheron into a rivière for Miss Mary Ethel Burns (granddaughter of Mr Morgan) on the occasion of her wedding to Lord Harcourt.
The Grand Mazarin, bought by Frédéric Boucheron at the 1887 auction of the French Crown Jewels, came back on the market at Christie’s in 2017. It was sold for 12 million euros. Opposite: At the 1887 auction of the French Crown Jewels, Tiffany’s bought two diamond aiguillettes from Empress Eugénie’s large comb. They sold them to Junius Spencer Morgan (1813–90). Mr Morgan left them to his granddaughter, Mary Ethel Burns. In January 1899, Mrs Burns commissioned Boucheron to remount the diamonds from the two aiguillettes onto a necklace for her daughter Mary Ethel’s wedding to Viscount Harcourt in July 1899. Boucheron added 187 brilliant-cut diamonds and 55 rosecut diamonds to create this necklace.
CHAPTER 2 — Kings and Queens of the World 66
DIAMONDS FROM THE CROWN JEWELS OF FRANCE PURCHASED OR SET BY FRÉDÉRIC BOUCHERON ~ The Grand Mazarin (18 carats according to the old carat system in 1887, 19.07 carats in modern carats in 2017): 101,000 francs (505,000 euros) ~ Oblong diamond weighing 16 carats, inaccurately presented as a Mazarin diamond at auction: 92,000 francs (460,000 euros) From the large tasselled comb: On the left side of the band: ~ One 14-carat diamond: 18,100 francs (90,500 euros) ~ One 18-carat diamond: 56,500 francs (282,500 euros) Central tassel: ~ One 6.28-carat diamond: 25,200 francs (126,000 euros) ~ Tassels 4 and 6 flanking the large central tassel: 141,000 francs (705,000 euros) ~ A cross of ten diamonds, from the Imperial crown: 11,300 francs (56,500 euros) Total: 445,100 francs (2,225,500 euros) Tassels 3 and 7: sold at auction to Tiffany for 63,000 francs (315,000 euros) and resold to Mr Junius Morgan. In 1899, the 28 diamonds were set by Boucheron into a rivière for Miss Mary Ethel Burns (granddaughter of Mr Morgan) on the occasion of her wedding to Lord Harcourt.
The Grand Mazarin, bought by Frédéric Boucheron at the 1887 auction of the French Crown Jewels, came back on the market at Christie’s in 2017. It was sold for 12 million euros. Opposite: At the 1887 auction of the French Crown Jewels, Tiffany’s bought two diamond aiguillettes from Empress Eugénie’s large comb. They sold them to Junius Spencer Morgan (1813–90). Mr Morgan left them to his granddaughter, Mary Ethel Burns. In January 1899, Mrs Burns commissioned Boucheron to remount the diamonds from the two aiguillettes onto a necklace for her daughter Mary Ethel’s wedding to Viscount Harcourt in July 1899. Boucheron added 187 brilliant-cut diamonds and 55 rosecut diamonds to create this necklace.
CHAPTER 2 — Kings and Queens of the World 80
Portrait of Queen Isabella II of Spain by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1852.
QUEEN IN EXILE
ISABELLA II OF SPAIN
Of the ‘Queen of Spain’s diamonds’, only two gold and silver pear-shaped settings remain. These are stored in a safe alongside the House of Boucheron’s antique jewel collection. To which Queen of Spain did these pendants belong? It is difficult to answer this question accurately. Indeed, in the early 1870s, when Frédéric Boucheron purchased them, Paris had two: Maria Christina (1806–78) and Isabella (1830–1904), mother and daughter. Two strong characters whose excesses, debaucheries and lack of political discernment forced the Spanish monarchy into exile not once but twice. Born in 1806, Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies was the daughter of a Neapolitan king and an Infanta of Spain. Her grandfathers, Ferdinand of Naples and Charles IV of Spain, were brothers, and one of her grandmothers, Maria Luisa, born Princess of Parma, was the daughter of an Infante of Spain, uncle to the same Ferdinand and Charles. Needless to say, her family tree had all the hallmarks of advanced consanguinity. This was further compounded when, in 1829, at the age of twenty-three, Maria Christina married her maternal uncle, King Ferdinand VII of Spain. Given these multiple instances of inbreeding, the degree of relatedness between the married couple was not far from that of father and daughter. Their union gave rise to two daughters: Isabella and Luisa Fernanda. The former became Queen of Spain on her father’s death in 1833. She was just three years old. Maria Christina acted as regent. From 1833 until 1868, the lives of the
two women would be marked by nothing but a long series of coups d’état, diplomatic battles, revolutions, and the toppling of dictators. The two queens were blessed with what was, at the time, discreetly referred to as a ‘strong temperament’. Widowed by King Ferdinand VII, Maria Christina was quick to console herself with a handsome sergeant of the royal guard, Agustín Muñoz. She married him in secret in 1833, and bore him seven children. As for Isabella, she married her first cousin, Francisco de Asís in 1846. However, it is uncertain whether this union served to significantly increase the degree of inbreeding in the Spanish royal family. Nicknamed ‘Paquita’ by the public, Francisco had something in common with his wife and mother-in-law: a distinct taste for handsome guards. Nevertheless, the couple went on to have four children – three daughters and the future King of Spain, Alfonso XII. In 1868, a further coup d’état forced the family to take refuge in France. The queen mother lived in the Château de Malmaison, Empress Josephine’s former residence in Rueil. Queen Isabella settled in Paris, in the Palais de Castille on avenue Kléber. King consort Francisco de Asís took up residence in Épinay. An extravagant spender, Isabella was forced to unburden herself of a large number of her jewels through a series of auctions, which took place at the Hôtel Drouot in July and August 1878. The Queen Mother Maria Christina’s jewellery collection was also sold off at the Hôtel Drouot after her death a year later. The fact that the
CHAPTER 2 — Kings and Queens of the World 80
Portrait of Queen Isabella II of Spain by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1852.
QUEEN IN EXILE
ISABELLA II OF SPAIN
Of the ‘Queen of Spain’s diamonds’, only two gold and silver pear-shaped settings remain. These are stored in a safe alongside the House of Boucheron’s antique jewel collection. To which Queen of Spain did these pendants belong? It is difficult to answer this question accurately. Indeed, in the early 1870s, when Frédéric Boucheron purchased them, Paris had two: Maria Christina (1806–78) and Isabella (1830–1904), mother and daughter. Two strong characters whose excesses, debaucheries and lack of political discernment forced the Spanish monarchy into exile not once but twice. Born in 1806, Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies was the daughter of a Neapolitan king and an Infanta of Spain. Her grandfathers, Ferdinand of Naples and Charles IV of Spain, were brothers, and one of her grandmothers, Maria Luisa, born Princess of Parma, was the daughter of an Infante of Spain, uncle to the same Ferdinand and Charles. Needless to say, her family tree had all the hallmarks of advanced consanguinity. This was further compounded when, in 1829, at the age of twenty-three, Maria Christina married her maternal uncle, King Ferdinand VII of Spain. Given these multiple instances of inbreeding, the degree of relatedness between the married couple was not far from that of father and daughter. Their union gave rise to two daughters: Isabella and Luisa Fernanda. The former became Queen of Spain on her father’s death in 1833. She was just three years old. Maria Christina acted as regent. From 1833 until 1868, the lives of the
two women would be marked by nothing but a long series of coups d’état, diplomatic battles, revolutions, and the toppling of dictators. The two queens were blessed with what was, at the time, discreetly referred to as a ‘strong temperament’. Widowed by King Ferdinand VII, Maria Christina was quick to console herself with a handsome sergeant of the royal guard, Agustín Muñoz. She married him in secret in 1833, and bore him seven children. As for Isabella, she married her first cousin, Francisco de Asís in 1846. However, it is uncertain whether this union served to significantly increase the degree of inbreeding in the Spanish royal family. Nicknamed ‘Paquita’ by the public, Francisco had something in common with his wife and mother-in-law: a distinct taste for handsome guards. Nevertheless, the couple went on to have four children – three daughters and the future King of Spain, Alfonso XII. In 1868, a further coup d’état forced the family to take refuge in France. The queen mother lived in the Château de Malmaison, Empress Josephine’s former residence in Rueil. Queen Isabella settled in Paris, in the Palais de Castille on avenue Kléber. King consort Francisco de Asís took up residence in Épinay. An extravagant spender, Isabella was forced to unburden herself of a large number of her jewels through a series of auctions, which took place at the Hôtel Drouot in July and August 1878. The Queen Mother Maria Christina’s jewellery collection was also sold off at the Hôtel Drouot after her death a year later. The fact that the
CHAPTER 2 — Kings and Queens of the World 96
Left: Countess Mona von Bismarck was one of the most elegant women of her time. Around 1930, she acquired the ruby and diamond necklace that Boucheron had created in 1888 by Boucheron for Mrs Mackay. Below: Marie Louise Mackay’s ruby and diamond necklace in the Boucheron archives, 1888. Opposite: In December 2025, the Boucheron ruby and diamond necklace created in 1888 for Mrs Mackay returned to auction at Sotheby’s New York. It had spent 39 years in a private collection since the auction of the Mona Bismarck jewels at Sotheby’s Geneva in 1986.
CHAPTER 2 — Kings and Queens of the World 96
Left: Countess Mona von Bismarck was one of the most elegant women of her time. Around 1930, she acquired the ruby and diamond necklace that Boucheron had created in 1888 by Boucheron for Mrs Mackay. Below: Marie Louise Mackay’s ruby and diamond necklace in the Boucheron archives, 1888. Opposite: In December 2025, the Boucheron ruby and diamond necklace created in 1888 for Mrs Mackay returned to auction at Sotheby’s New York. It had spent 39 years in a private collection since the auction of the Mona Bismarck jewels at Sotheby’s Geneva in 1986.
CHAPTER 3 — The ‘Dollar Princesses’ 116
Camilla Thorp wearing the Vanderbilt tiara on her wedding to George Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford in 2018.
Every evening, alone in the privacy of her bedroom or her boudoir, Consuelo would prepare for the same gala routine: dinner for sixty guests, a ball, or an evening in Covent Garden. Loaded with pearls and diamonds, her stiff and straight bust held up by a corset, her tiara balanced in her hair, she would pick up her fan and take a final look in the mirror before stepping ‘onto the stage’. The next day, society’s press would be sure to comment on her ‘distinguished’ demeanour, her thin frame and, sometimes, her sadness. It would be more than ten years before she regained her freedom, in October 1906. Significantly, for a woman whose daily life was intimately linked to elegance, style and jewels: her jewellery collection underwent a radical transformation at this time. In 1913, she dropped off the pearl coronet gifted to her by her mother in 1895, along with around twenty diamond jewels, with Boucheron for repairs. The jeweller transformed them into two flexible bands to be worn on the forehead, as was the new style. In 1918, she sold the ruby and diamond jewels that had been gifted to her by her husband to Boucheron for £10,000 (750,000 euros). She gifted this sum to a charity created to support war orphans. Incidentally, she ended up finding love with a Frenchman, a hero of the First World War, Colonel Jacques Balsan. After the two settled in France, she went on to become one of the leading figures of Parisian high society during the Roaring Twenties. After staying in the couple’s residence on the French Riviera, Winston Churchill’s wife, Clementine, later wrote: “There is nothing more beautiful than a loved woman.”
His Grace the 9th Duke also remarried, and his second wife was Gladys Deacon, another American, who was less wealthy and much less gentle than Consuelo. Their union was a disaster that ended in 1934, with the death of the Duke. In the final weeks of their life together, Gladys, who had become paranoid, developed the habit of placing next to her pillow a loaded revolver, so that she might defend against any attempts to assassinate her husband. Disfigured by a failed aesthetic surgery, she died in 1977, forgotten by everyone, in a psychiatric hospital in England. As for Alva, her fate is most surprising of all. She devoted her final years of her life to fighting for women’s rights. Before this, she agreed to testify in her daughter’s marriage annulment, stating: “Yes, I forced her to marry the Duke of Marlborough.” In 1964, a true legend, Consuelo Balsan died in her lavish house in Southampton, New York, a few years after Jacques. The final photographs of her were taken for American Vogue, where she had become an icon. They depict a very slender, extraordinarily elegant old lady, her neck adorned with three rows of sumptuous pearls. In 1921, she gifted one of her fabulous, historic strings of pearls and the pearl and diamond coronet inherited from her mother to the future wife of her eldest son the 10th Duke of Marlborough, Lady Alexandra Cadogan. These jewels are still owned by her descendants today. The current Marchioness of Blandford wore the coronet on the day of her wedding to the future 13th Duke of Marlborough in 2018.
CHAPTER 3 — The ‘Dollar Princesses’ 116
Camilla Thorp wearing the Vanderbilt tiara on her wedding to George Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford in 2018.
Every evening, alone in the privacy of her bedroom or her boudoir, Consuelo would prepare for the same gala routine: dinner for sixty guests, a ball, or an evening in Covent Garden. Loaded with pearls and diamonds, her stiff and straight bust held up by a corset, her tiara balanced in her hair, she would pick up her fan and take a final look in the mirror before stepping ‘onto the stage’. The next day, society’s press would be sure to comment on her ‘distinguished’ demeanour, her thin frame and, sometimes, her sadness. It would be more than ten years before she regained her freedom, in October 1906. Significantly, for a woman whose daily life was intimately linked to elegance, style and jewels: her jewellery collection underwent a radical transformation at this time. In 1913, she dropped off the pearl coronet gifted to her by her mother in 1895, along with around twenty diamond jewels, with Boucheron for repairs. The jeweller transformed them into two flexible bands to be worn on the forehead, as was the new style. In 1918, she sold the ruby and diamond jewels that had been gifted to her by her husband to Boucheron for £10,000 (750,000 euros). She gifted this sum to a charity created to support war orphans. Incidentally, she ended up finding love with a Frenchman, a hero of the First World War, Colonel Jacques Balsan. After the two settled in France, she went on to become one of the leading figures of Parisian high society during the Roaring Twenties. After staying in the couple’s residence on the French Riviera, Winston Churchill’s wife, Clementine, later wrote: “There is nothing more beautiful than a loved woman.”
His Grace the 9th Duke also remarried, and his second wife was Gladys Deacon, another American, who was less wealthy and much less gentle than Consuelo. Their union was a disaster that ended in 1934, with the death of the Duke. In the final weeks of their life together, Gladys, who had become paranoid, developed the habit of placing next to her pillow a loaded revolver, so that she might defend against any attempts to assassinate her husband. Disfigured by a failed aesthetic surgery, she died in 1977, forgotten by everyone, in a psychiatric hospital in England. As for Alva, her fate is most surprising of all. She devoted her final years of her life to fighting for women’s rights. Before this, she agreed to testify in her daughter’s marriage annulment, stating: “Yes, I forced her to marry the Duke of Marlborough.” In 1964, a true legend, Consuelo Balsan died in her lavish house in Southampton, New York, a few years after Jacques. The final photographs of her were taken for American Vogue, where she had become an icon. They depict a very slender, extraordinarily elegant old lady, her neck adorned with three rows of sumptuous pearls. In 1921, she gifted one of her fabulous, historic strings of pearls and the pearl and diamond coronet inherited from her mother to the future wife of her eldest son the 10th Duke of Marlborough, Lady Alexandra Cadogan. These jewels are still owned by her descendants today. The current Marchioness of Blandford wore the coronet on the day of her wedding to the future 13th Duke of Marlborough in 2018.
CHAPTER 5 — Weddings of the Belle Époque 180
Opposite: The second version of the emerald and diamond tiara remodelled by Boucheron in 1920 for Lady Harcourt, Mrs Burns’ daughter, which sold at Christie’s London in 2005. Below: The first version of the emerald and diamond tiara created by Boucheron for Mrs Burns, Mary’s mother, in 1904.
CHAPTER 5 — Weddings of the Belle Époque 180
Opposite: The second version of the emerald and diamond tiara remodelled by Boucheron in 1920 for Lady Harcourt, Mrs Burns’ daughter, which sold at Christie’s London in 2005. Below: The first version of the emerald and diamond tiara created by Boucheron for Mrs Burns, Mary’s mother, in 1904.
CHAPTER 5 — Weddings of the Belle Époque
CHAPTER 5 — Weddings of the Belle Époque
187
186
These four jewels were sold at Christie’s in Geneva on 16 November 1989. Opposite left: The diamond and pearl brooch created by Boucheron in 1913 for Dorothy Pinto. Opposite right: The diamond bow brooch bought at Boucheron by a member of the Rothschild family in 1910 and given to Dorothy Pinto as a wedding present in 1913. Opposite bottom: The emerald and diamond stylised bow brooch created by Boucheron in 1913 for Dorothy Pinto’s ‘wedding basket’. Below: The emerald and diamond tiara created by Boucheron for Dorothy Pinto.
CHAPTER 5 — Weddings of the Belle Époque
CHAPTER 5 — Weddings of the Belle Époque
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These four jewels were sold at Christie’s in Geneva on 16 November 1989. Opposite left: The diamond and pearl brooch created by Boucheron in 1913 for Dorothy Pinto. Opposite right: The diamond bow brooch bought at Boucheron by a member of the Rothschild family in 1910 and given to Dorothy Pinto as a wedding present in 1913. Opposite bottom: The emerald and diamond stylised bow brooch created by Boucheron in 1913 for Dorothy Pinto’s ‘wedding basket’. Below: The emerald and diamond tiara created by Boucheron for Dorothy Pinto.
CHAPTER 6 — God Save the Kings 217
Elizabeth, The Queen Mother (1900–2002) photographed by Cecil Beaton. She is wearing the Boucheron tiara and earrings.
“WITH MY LOVING THOUGHTS”
MRS GREVILLE AND THE QUEEN MOTHER
For more than a century, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother enchanted Britain and much of the world. Her fans admired her old-fashioned charm, her smile, and her sense of formality – qualities considered essential to a queen and which she demonstrated with ease, whether in her choice of always rather frilly outfits or her bold and colourful jewellery. Others, though far fewer in number, were more reticent. “She looked everything that she was not: gentle, gullible, tenderness mingled with dispassionate serenity, cool, well-bred, remote,” said Stephen Tennant, who had known her in their youth, long before she became queen. British writer Harold Nicolson described her in a single sentence: “She is in truth one of the most amazing Queens since Cleopatra.” And it seems that this sentiment was shared by the hundreds of thousands of people who gathered on London’s Mall on the afternoon of 9 April 2002. For one last time, during a military parade worthy of The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, they came to pay homage to the final Empress of the British Empire. Ten days earlier, in her home of Royal Lodge, Windsor, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Queen Mother of the United Kingdom, the last Empress of India, died at the age of 101 years and 238 days. Born during Victoria’s reign, she had lived through the entire twentieth century and took with her the final memories of an era filled with lace, pearls, somewhat insincere smiles, and refined manners. She undoubtedly embodied all of these things. She was also certainly not the delicate, absent-minded creature she had always tried to appear to be.
The Queen Mother had more than character; she had an iron will. And for more than a century, nobody knew it. Except, perhaps, her two greatest enemies: her sister-in-law the Duchess of Windsor, and Adolf Hitler. Upon the former, who was guilty of disrupting the British monarchy in 1936 by driving King Edward VIII to abdicate in order to marry her, she had imposed a lifelong exile. This came with the bonus of one official snub: the removal of her title of Royal Highness, which Wallis had apparently so loved to use. As for Hitler, he had been one of the few people to understand the influence the Queen Mother possessed. At the outbreak of the Second World War, he stated: “She is the most dangerous woman in Europe.” And dangerous she was; to him, at least. She had successfully transformed her husband, George VI, from a shy king who stuttered when speaking in public into a strong and courageous sovereign. And by refusing to leave England during the Second World War despite the bombing and the ever-present danger, she helped to galvanise the people, turning the British nation into an army of resistance fighters determined never to surrender. By 1952, now a widow and The Queen Mother, she had become the slightly plump, dignified and feminine figure, laden with pearls and precious stones, we were used to. Across her four residences of Clarence House, Birkhall, Royal Lodge and Mey, she maintained a court of over 120 people. The most aged among them were nearing a hundred years old and yet she never considered parting with any of them.
CHAPTER 6 — God Save the Kings 217
Elizabeth, The Queen Mother (1900–2002) photographed by Cecil Beaton. She is wearing the Boucheron tiara and earrings.
“WITH MY LOVING THOUGHTS”
MRS GREVILLE AND THE QUEEN MOTHER
For more than a century, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother enchanted Britain and much of the world. Her fans admired her old-fashioned charm, her smile, and her sense of formality – qualities considered essential to a queen and which she demonstrated with ease, whether in her choice of always rather frilly outfits or her bold and colourful jewellery. Others, though far fewer in number, were more reticent. “She looked everything that she was not: gentle, gullible, tenderness mingled with dispassionate serenity, cool, well-bred, remote,” said Stephen Tennant, who had known her in their youth, long before she became queen. British writer Harold Nicolson described her in a single sentence: “She is in truth one of the most amazing Queens since Cleopatra.” And it seems that this sentiment was shared by the hundreds of thousands of people who gathered on London’s Mall on the afternoon of 9 April 2002. For one last time, during a military parade worthy of The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, they came to pay homage to the final Empress of the British Empire. Ten days earlier, in her home of Royal Lodge, Windsor, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Queen Mother of the United Kingdom, the last Empress of India, died at the age of 101 years and 238 days. Born during Victoria’s reign, she had lived through the entire twentieth century and took with her the final memories of an era filled with lace, pearls, somewhat insincere smiles, and refined manners. She undoubtedly embodied all of these things. She was also certainly not the delicate, absent-minded creature she had always tried to appear to be.
The Queen Mother had more than character; she had an iron will. And for more than a century, nobody knew it. Except, perhaps, her two greatest enemies: her sister-in-law the Duchess of Windsor, and Adolf Hitler. Upon the former, who was guilty of disrupting the British monarchy in 1936 by driving King Edward VIII to abdicate in order to marry her, she had imposed a lifelong exile. This came with the bonus of one official snub: the removal of her title of Royal Highness, which Wallis had apparently so loved to use. As for Hitler, he had been one of the few people to understand the influence the Queen Mother possessed. At the outbreak of the Second World War, he stated: “She is the most dangerous woman in Europe.” And dangerous she was; to him, at least. She had successfully transformed her husband, George VI, from a shy king who stuttered when speaking in public into a strong and courageous sovereign. And by refusing to leave England during the Second World War despite the bombing and the ever-present danger, she helped to galvanise the people, turning the British nation into an army of resistance fighters determined never to surrender. By 1952, now a widow and The Queen Mother, she had become the slightly plump, dignified and feminine figure, laden with pearls and precious stones, we were used to. Across her four residences of Clarence House, Birkhall, Royal Lodge and Mey, she maintained a court of over 120 people. The most aged among them were nearing a hundred years old and yet she never considered parting with any of them.
CHAPTER 8 — The Whims of the Maharajahs 272
Previous page: One of the six magnificent emerald and diamond necklaces ordered from Boucheron by the Maharajah of Patiala in 1928. Opposite: The diamond aigrette bought from Boucheron by the Maharaja of Kapurthala in 1905. Below: The Maharajah of Kapurthala wearing the diamond aigrette he purchased from Boucheron in 1905.
In 1905, the Maharajah of Kapurthala ordered a diamond aigrette set with a 22-carat briolette. His son purchased diamond bracelets in sets of four or five. Each time she was in Paris, the Maharani of Indore would send her pearl necklace to Boucheron to have it re-strung. The Princess of Berar, daughter-in-law of the Nizam of Hyderabad, would drop off her three pearl necklaces with Boucheron every year. The first featured six strands of 116 pearls; the second had eleven strands; and the third had seven strands of 76, 73, 71, 68, 61, 51 and 53 pearls. The generosity and whims of the Indian princes were legendary, and Boucheron cultivated their enthusiasm. In the winter of 1926/1927, Louis Boucheron arranged a trip to India to present his ateliers’ latest creations. It was a resounding success. The list of buyers includes the Maharajahs of Patiala, Baroda and Mysore. A few months later, an impressive delegation stopped at the place Vendôme to visit Boucheron and place the ‘order of the century’...
CHAPTER 8 — The Whims of the Maharajahs 272
Previous page: One of the six magnificent emerald and diamond necklaces ordered from Boucheron by the Maharajah of Patiala in 1928. Opposite: The diamond aigrette bought from Boucheron by the Maharaja of Kapurthala in 1905. Below: The Maharajah of Kapurthala wearing the diamond aigrette he purchased from Boucheron in 1905.
In 1905, the Maharajah of Kapurthala ordered a diamond aigrette set with a 22-carat briolette. His son purchased diamond bracelets in sets of four or five. Each time she was in Paris, the Maharani of Indore would send her pearl necklace to Boucheron to have it re-strung. The Princess of Berar, daughter-in-law of the Nizam of Hyderabad, would drop off her three pearl necklaces with Boucheron every year. The first featured six strands of 116 pearls; the second had eleven strands; and the third had seven strands of 76, 73, 71, 68, 61, 51 and 53 pearls. The generosity and whims of the Indian princes were legendary, and Boucheron cultivated their enthusiasm. In the winter of 1926/1927, Louis Boucheron arranged a trip to India to present his ateliers’ latest creations. It was a resounding success. The list of buyers includes the Maharajahs of Patiala, Baroda and Mysore. A few months later, an impressive delegation stopped at the place Vendôme to visit Boucheron and place the ‘order of the century’...
CHAPTER 9 — Hollywood on the Nile 304
Princess Shivekiar’s emerald and diamond necklace, which was sold by Christie’s.
THE CURSE OF
PRINCESS SHIVEKIAR
The one thing King Fuad I, King Farouk’s father, had gained from his three years of marriage to his cousin Shivekiar was his hoarse, sometimes even croaky voice, which he retained until his death. A bullet lodged in his throat had been permanently pressing against his vocal cords since 1898. Despite the precautions taken by the Egyptian police, it had been impossible at the time to suppress the scandal entirely. A farce involving a prince of Egypt, his mistress, his wife and his brother-in-law, who had shot each other with pistols! The story was far too good for the European press not to exploit it. The seventh son of Khedive Isma’il, Fuad was just a poor, thirty-year-old prince when it happened. His father, who had died in exile, had left him no fortune. The construction of the Suez Canal and Isma’il’s extravagant spending having bankrupted the country, Egypt’s priorities did not include supporting the luxury lifestyles of the many princes born of its viceroys’ various marriages. On the advice of Mrs Suarez, who had been his mistress for years, Fuad resigned himself to marrying for money. And his cousin, Princess Shivekiar, was the ideal candidate. Along with her two brothers, Princes Ahmad Saif ud-din and Muhammad Wahid ud-din, she came from the wealthiest branch of the royal family. Obtaining the consent of his nineteen-year-old cousin was not difficult. A few months after their wedding day, his young bride now
pregnant, Fuad calmly shut her away in the Cairo palace. Now a wealthy man, he returned to his lovers with a fortune to spend. After their first child, a boy, died in infancy, he returned to his wife for a few months – enough time to give Shivekiar another child. This time, it was a girl, Fawkia, and she survived. Convinced that his wife would placidly embrace the joys of motherhood, Fuad returned once more to his life as a carefree bachelor. But he underestimated the young woman’s character. Shivekiar soon grew weary of her solitude and of spending her life confined within the four beautiful yet oh-so-boring walls of her Cairo palace. To exact her revenge, she enlisted the help of one of the few men authorised to visit her, her youngest brother, Ahmad Saif ud-din. And he did not flinch when her heard her plan. One evening in 1898, he went to the Mohamed Ali Club, where his brother-in-law would routinely fritter away his wife’s fortune at the gambling tables. In cold blood, he shot him three times. Fuad survived, but one of the bullets remained lodged in his throat. To keep the scandal quiet, Prince Ahmad Saif ud-din was declared legally insane, and was sent to a convalescent home in Tunbridge Wells, England. As for Fuad, he was forced to grant Shivekiar a divorce and to return to his life as a poor and single prince. That is, until the day in October 1917 when, as a result of decisions made in Britain, he became Sultan of
CHAPTER 9 — Hollywood on the Nile 304
Princess Shivekiar’s emerald and diamond necklace, which was sold by Christie’s.
THE CURSE OF
PRINCESS SHIVEKIAR
The one thing King Fuad I, King Farouk’s father, had gained from his three years of marriage to his cousin Shivekiar was his hoarse, sometimes even croaky voice, which he retained until his death. A bullet lodged in his throat had been permanently pressing against his vocal cords since 1898. Despite the precautions taken by the Egyptian police, it had been impossible at the time to suppress the scandal entirely. A farce involving a prince of Egypt, his mistress, his wife and his brother-in-law, who had shot each other with pistols! The story was far too good for the European press not to exploit it. The seventh son of Khedive Isma’il, Fuad was just a poor, thirty-year-old prince when it happened. His father, who had died in exile, had left him no fortune. The construction of the Suez Canal and Isma’il’s extravagant spending having bankrupted the country, Egypt’s priorities did not include supporting the luxury lifestyles of the many princes born of its viceroys’ various marriages. On the advice of Mrs Suarez, who had been his mistress for years, Fuad resigned himself to marrying for money. And his cousin, Princess Shivekiar, was the ideal candidate. Along with her two brothers, Princes Ahmad Saif ud-din and Muhammad Wahid ud-din, she came from the wealthiest branch of the royal family. Obtaining the consent of his nineteen-year-old cousin was not difficult. A few months after their wedding day, his young bride now
pregnant, Fuad calmly shut her away in the Cairo palace. Now a wealthy man, he returned to his lovers with a fortune to spend. After their first child, a boy, died in infancy, he returned to his wife for a few months – enough time to give Shivekiar another child. This time, it was a girl, Fawkia, and she survived. Convinced that his wife would placidly embrace the joys of motherhood, Fuad returned once more to his life as a carefree bachelor. But he underestimated the young woman’s character. Shivekiar soon grew weary of her solitude and of spending her life confined within the four beautiful yet oh-so-boring walls of her Cairo palace. To exact her revenge, she enlisted the help of one of the few men authorised to visit her, her youngest brother, Ahmad Saif ud-din. And he did not flinch when her heard her plan. One evening in 1898, he went to the Mohamed Ali Club, where his brother-in-law would routinely fritter away his wife’s fortune at the gambling tables. In cold blood, he shot him three times. Fuad survived, but one of the bullets remained lodged in his throat. To keep the scandal quiet, Prince Ahmad Saif ud-din was declared legally insane, and was sent to a convalescent home in Tunbridge Wells, England. As for Fuad, he was forced to grant Shivekiar a divorce and to return to his life as a poor and single prince. That is, until the day in October 1917 when, as a result of decisions made in Britain, he became Sultan of
CHAPTER 10 — Born to the Stage
CHAPTER 10 — Born to the Stage
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328
Opposite: The ‘Peter Pan collar’ gold mesh necklace Aly Khan bought for Rita Hayworth in 1948. Left: Rita Hayworth and her future husband Aly Kahn dancing in a Parisian nightclub in 1949. She is wearing the gold mesh and diamond ‘Peter Pan collar’ necklace that Aly Khan bought for her from Boucheron.
CHAPTER 10 — Born to the Stage
CHAPTER 10 — Born to the Stage
329
328
Opposite: The ‘Peter Pan collar’ gold mesh necklace Aly Khan bought for Rita Hayworth in 1948. Left: Rita Hayworth and her future husband Aly Kahn dancing in a Parisian nightclub in 1949. She is wearing the gold mesh and diamond ‘Peter Pan collar’ necklace that Aly Khan bought for her from Boucheron.
CHAPTER 10 — Born to the Stage
CHAPTER 10 — Born to the Stage
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330
Opposite: Princess Salimah, 1969. Below: The diamond and yellow gold suite created by Boucheron for Princess Salimah.
RICH... AS THE AGA KHAN
“Monsieur… His Majesty… the Aga Khan… Sultan Mohamed Shah…” His titles were varied. It appears that the seller at Boucheron tasked with entering Aga Khan III’s initial purchases into the order books in the early twentieth century hesitated somewhat before deciding exactly which title to use to identify this new client. Born in Karachi in 1877, Aga Khan III had succeeded his father, Aga Khan II – imam of the Nizari Ism’aili Muslims – in 1885 when he was just eight years old. Educated in India, where his family had taken refuge after fleeing persecution in Iran, the young Aga Khan set off for Europe at the beginning of the twentieth century. There, he would cause a sensation until his death. For millions of believers across the world, he represented God on earth. During his jubilee celebrations, he was publicly weighed before being gifted his weight in gold and precious stones. His colossal fortune allowed him to lead a life of luxury between the East and the West. He married four times and gifted extravagant jewellery to each of his wives. He also owned a stable of racehorses, a passion passed down through the Aga Khan family and one that still endures today. Between 1900 and 1948, his name appears in the Boucheron archives at least 100 times and, curiously, two times out of three, the entries refer to the purchase of a bracelet. His son, Prince Aly Khan, also became a customer. As did his grandson, Aga Khan IV, who purchased several exceptional parures for his first wife, Princess Salimah. His most significant purchase was a 13.78-carat heart-shaped blue diamond. His
second most significant was a parure comprising a necklace, a pendant and a pair of pendant earrings set with yellow and white diamonds. Princess Salimah later chose to sell a large part of her jewellery collection in 1995, shortly after her divorce from Aga Khan IV. The heart-shaped blue diamond sold at auction for $7.8 million.
CHAPTER 10 — Born to the Stage
CHAPTER 10 — Born to the Stage
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Opposite: Princess Salimah, 1969. Below: The diamond and yellow gold suite created by Boucheron for Princess Salimah.
RICH... AS THE AGA KHAN
“Monsieur… His Majesty… the Aga Khan… Sultan Mohamed Shah…” His titles were varied. It appears that the seller at Boucheron tasked with entering Aga Khan III’s initial purchases into the order books in the early twentieth century hesitated somewhat before deciding exactly which title to use to identify this new client. Born in Karachi in 1877, Aga Khan III had succeeded his father, Aga Khan II – imam of the Nizari Ism’aili Muslims – in 1885 when he was just eight years old. Educated in India, where his family had taken refuge after fleeing persecution in Iran, the young Aga Khan set off for Europe at the beginning of the twentieth century. There, he would cause a sensation until his death. For millions of believers across the world, he represented God on earth. During his jubilee celebrations, he was publicly weighed before being gifted his weight in gold and precious stones. His colossal fortune allowed him to lead a life of luxury between the East and the West. He married four times and gifted extravagant jewellery to each of his wives. He also owned a stable of racehorses, a passion passed down through the Aga Khan family and one that still endures today. Between 1900 and 1948, his name appears in the Boucheron archives at least 100 times and, curiously, two times out of three, the entries refer to the purchase of a bracelet. His son, Prince Aly Khan, also became a customer. As did his grandson, Aga Khan IV, who purchased several exceptional parures for his first wife, Princess Salimah. His most significant purchase was a 13.78-carat heart-shaped blue diamond. His
second most significant was a parure comprising a necklace, a pendant and a pair of pendant earrings set with yellow and white diamonds. Princess Salimah later chose to sell a large part of her jewellery collection in 1995, shortly after her divorce from Aga Khan IV. The heart-shaped blue diamond sold at auction for $7.8 million.
BOUCHERON THROUGH THE AGES
BOUCHERON THROUGH THE AGES
373
372
Below: Gold necklace with eight emerald heart pendants and a central diamond heart pendant, 1997. Opposite: The ‘New Maharajah’ necklace is the most important piece of the high jewellery collection created in 2022 by Claire Choisne for Boucheron. It is set with emeralds, diamonds and rock crystal.
BOUCHERON THROUGH THE AGES
BOUCHERON THROUGH THE AGES
373
372
Below: Gold necklace with eight emerald heart pendants and a central diamond heart pendant, 1997. Opposite: The ‘New Maharajah’ necklace is the most important piece of the high jewellery collection created in 2022 by Claire Choisne for Boucheron. It is set with emeralds, diamonds and rock crystal.
BOUCHERON THROUGH THE AGES
BOUCHERON THROUGH THE AGES
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374
Left: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her daughter Princess Estelle of Sweden in 2013. The Crown Princess is wearing a diamond tiara that was bought from Boucheron by Queen Sofia of Sweden in 1905 as a wedding present for her grandson’s bride, Princess Margaret of Connaught, the future Crown Princess of Sweden. Opposite: Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway with her Boucheron tiara. In 1900, Prince Carl of Sweden and his wife, Princess Ingeborg, attended the opening of the Exposition Universelle in Paris. The prince, who was the younger son of Queen Sofia of Sweden, bought this diamond tiara for his wife at Boucheron. The pearls are a later addition.
BOUCHERON THROUGH THE AGES
BOUCHERON THROUGH THE AGES
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Left: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her daughter Princess Estelle of Sweden in 2013. The Crown Princess is wearing a diamond tiara that was bought from Boucheron by Queen Sofia of Sweden in 1905 as a wedding present for her grandson’s bride, Princess Margaret of Connaught, the future Crown Princess of Sweden. Opposite: Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway with her Boucheron tiara. In 1900, Prince Carl of Sweden and his wife, Princess Ingeborg, attended the opening of the Exposition Universelle in Paris. The prince, who was the younger son of Queen Sofia of Sweden, bought this diamond tiara for his wife at Boucheron. The pearls are a later addition.