Ailleurs, Boucheron Carte Blanche 2022 Collection

From arid deserts to deep oceans, the tall mountains to the thick rainforests, the geographic diversity of our planet is a marvel that inspires us beyond measure. Claire Choisne, Creative Director of Boucheron, is a talented mastermind who thinks out of the box to create pieces that transcend traditional jewelry designs. Her designs blurred the borders giving jewelry designing a fresh perspective. Under her leadership, Boucheron presents a collection where diamonds meet pebbles and burnt wood, and gold meets rattan and meteorite.

As we moved into the lockdown and travel shut down, the designer decided to travel her imagination for her following collection. Unrestricted with a million possibilities, Claire Choisne imagined five different worlds that makeup Ailleurs – meaning ‘elsewhere’. For this collection, there was only one rule: to reveal the beauty and poetry of nature. In these five worlds, anyone can find a piece that reflects and resonate with themselves.

Femme Sable (sand woman)

The first world is Femma Sable – a woman walking barefoot in a warm environment. A palette of beige, sand, and blonds illuminated by the sunlight as the warm wind sculpts a silhouette on the dunes becomes the central theme. The piece features a magnificent and extraordinary neckpiece made from diamonds, precious materials, and rattan – a rather unusual element showcasing the ability to include a material that has nothing to do with jewelry. Along with the necklace are two beautiful rings reinterpreting the Gazelle and Magpie in an extraterrestrial manner with baguette diamonds and crystals. The diamond shell earrings are a marvel that features two identical natural shells.

Femme Feuille (leaf woman)

The second chapter is colorful with vibrant tropical colors like green, purple, and orange. The jewelry in this world includes a gorgeous natural-looking Feuillage handcuff made from aluminum to create the appearance of a plant weaving. The cuff is adorned with a 37.97-carat green tourmaline that compliments the look. One of the most technical pieces from the collection is the Toucan bracelet. With colored stones found on the actual bird, the beak is the focus of the bracelet. The studio used three-dimensional stone marquetry followed by carving the beak with several shades of black onyx and citrine, resulting in no metal showing through the beak.

Femme Terre (earth woman)

The Femme Terre is a solid, grounded Earth Woman who invites us to celebrate the power of nature through primal geology. Ochre, browns, and clays associated with the organic shape of plants and animals form the core of this world. A notable piece in this collection is the Diamond Wood Brooch and its magnetic shoulder brooch. Each petal of this imaginary flower has been scanned before being recreated in Santo’s rosewood and then set on an openwork gold structure. The detail, however, is the hair-like titanium rods at the center that move with the shoulder giving the most natural effect. Natural cubic crystallizations are used for earrings, making you wonder how can nature create such precise right angles.

Femme Galet (pebble woman)

Quiet, fresh, peaceful, and serene is how the designer imagines the Femme galet to be. The Diamond Pebble Necklace uses authentic white marble pebbles. These Peebles were hollowed to create a light effect, resulting in them becoming glittery. They are adorned with motifs like tattoos made of gold and diamonds, pear-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds. Two rings accompany the necklace – a polar bear ring crafted in marquetry of rose-cut diamonds giving a slightly frosted effect and the Elephant in two versions with their trunks forming the ring’s band.

Homme Volcan (volcano man)

Hostile and arid, this fifth world is the magmatic power of an extreme world, where black meets white. The Shell Necklace is a spiral structure of shells, as viewed through an X-ray, which is airbrushed onto the mother of pearl elements of this white gold necklace. Another extraordinary piece is the Marsh Oak burnt wood necklace. The wood is charred using a technique that gives it a silky, matte, but very dark aspect showcasing the grain of the wood. The Loup ring has a howling wolf whose fur is made of sculpted meteorite using the ‘Neumann Lines’ techniques giving it a fur-like effect with different shades of grey.