Boucheron Soraya Esfandiari’s wedding crown (above) and five drawings of pieces commissioned by the Maharaja Sir Bhupindar Singh of Patiala
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The Boucheron brand views fine jewelry as beyond luxury: pure indulgence, a desire in and of itself. Shrouded in a certain mystery from the company’s very beginnings, Boucheron creations have cast spells on glamorous customers from around the globe for more than 150 years. Frédéric Boucheron’s muse, the Countess of Castiglione, who also was mistress to Napoleon III, is rumored to have lived in near seclusion, never appearing before nightfall; it is her beauty and intrigue that best captures the Boucheron personality. In 1893, the House of Boucheron opened in the mysterious countess’ former Parisian residence at Place Vendôme, where it remains to this day. Legend has it that in the summer of 1928, Maharaja Sir Bhupindar Singh of Patiala, India, arrived at the House of Boucheron with an entourage of 10 Sikh men carrying large metal cases filled with precious jewels. The Maharaja commissioned Boucheron to recreate the princely collection and remount every single gem into a new work of jewelry or other artistic creation—giving rise to 150 separate orders. In 1950, the Shah of Iran commissioned Boucheron to make a wedding crown for his bride, Soraya Esfandiari. This was not the Shah’s first request. Twenty years earlier, he selected Louis Boucheron to appraise the entire national treasure, resplendent with an extravagant collection that included the two largest pink diamonds in the world. Boucheron was sworn to secrecy as to its worth, which he honored unto his death in 1959.