French jewellery brand Boucheron has retraced its long historic link to India through its new high-jewellery collection, Bleu de Jodhpur. The collection plays with the forms and ideas of a contemporary and fascinating India where innovation and audacity go hand in hand with the beauty of tradition. The collection also showcases the boldness of Boucheron as it once again pushes the brand’s creativity to the limit by using daring new materials like marble and sand or playing with the volumes.
Boucheron is recognizable for its unique craftsmanship along with an exceptional ability to seek out full emotion out of the world’s best gemstones. To make this collection traditionally sound His Highness Gaj Singh II, Maharaja of Marwar- Jodhpur worked as “cultural consultant” alongside Boucheron’s director of creations, Claire Choisne.
Divided into 4 stories, with over 105 designs created and 60 pieces presented, Bleu de Jodhpur romanticizes the barren beauty of Jodhpur- The City of the Sun.
Their Chapter 1: Jodhpur, is a romantic interpretation of the Blue City, with Art Deco inspired features. The collection charmingly portrays the hypnotic blue of the façades of the houses and the dazzling light that bathes the city.
The highlight ‘Jodhpur’ necklace plays on subtle use of Makrana marble, rock crystal, diamonds and sapphires, making it an extraordinary jewel as it celebrates the great traditions & legacy of Indian Princess Jewellery. The central motif diamond has been chosen for its kite shape and for its ideal proportions. A reversible high jewellery necklace, the jewel is as precious on the back as it is on the front. One side embracing the architectural spirit of the city with use of Makrana marble, the same marble as used to create the symbol of Love, Taj mahal and the other side sparkling with sapphires and diamonds, a reminder of the Cubist glowing radiance of Jodhpur’s small blue and white houses.
Other pieces from the Jodhpur chapter take inspiration from the Eagle bird, Parakeet bird, bird feathers and Sunlight.
The second chapter: Indian Palace, celebrates the majesty of Nagaur, a miracle town in the middle of the Thar Desert and the splendor on Indian palaces like the Umaid Bhawan.
The standout piece of the collection is a layered pearl Necklace named as Nagpur Necklace. Namesake of the fort city, the Nagpur necklace uses the traditional silk thread stringing technique. Seven magnificent rows of finest pearls interspersed with small gold and diamond cylinders, enhancing the suppleness of the multiple-row necklace and helping in wearing the necklace in three different ways. The romanticism of the piece lies in the rock crystal central motif, which is filled with Thar Desert sand, inlaid with diamond floral pattern with a 2 carat cushion shaped diamond in the center like a oasis in the middle of the desert.
The second chapter also incorporates pieces inspired from bird feathers, Indain palaces, Umaid Bhawan palace and the tiniest but most important Indian ornament- The Bindi, worn in the center of the eyebrows on the forehead.
The third chapter: Garden & Cosmos, takes inspiration from the elaborate scenes depicted in the paintings from the 17th century. One can spot various colourful flowers, birds and even tigers in this chapter.
The Fleur de Lotus necklace creates the visual of an idealized garden of Eden with a graphically treated Lotus flower studded with rubelites, pink tourmalines and fiery orange spessartine garnets along with a 15 carat kite shaped pink tourmaline in the center.
The last Chapter: Maharani, honours the femininity and strength of Indian women, their style of dressing, the festival of lights ‘Diwali’ and in particular the art of applying mehndi (henna) on hands and feet before marriage and on other special occasions.
Light as a feather, the hightlight of the chapter is the Mehndi brooch, which can be alternatively worn as a necklace also. With earrings and rings to match, the designer has taken the most common yet powerful motif of the paisley found in the organized chaos of all mehndi designs.
It takes patience & skilled craftsman to create these rare designs and to transform a sketch into finished jewels. Boucheron often pushes boundaries and surprises us with designs & craftsmanship that optimizes the beauty of their each collection. But this time ‘Bleu de Jodhpur’ collection is rarest, most beautiful & unusual, catching the attention of Boucheron admirers globally.
Tags: aquamrine, birds, Boucheron, diamonds, gardens, India inspired, Indian palaces, Jodhpur, maharanis, morganite, Rock crystal, rubies, sand, sapphires, tiger
