The jewels of the maharajas are part of the collective imagination. And not only those that the kings of the various states that made up ancient India personally wore but, of course, also those of their wives, the maharanis. A charm that Boucheron‘s new high jewelery collection has decided to re-propose in Paris, on the occasion of the haute couture fashion shows. Then there is a story that is intertwined with the collection and concerns the Maharajah of Patiala, Bhupinder Singh, who in the 1920s went to Paris from India with a retinue of security guards and staff, took over 35 suites at the Ritz Paris and placed one of the most impressive jewelry orders of all time at Boucheron.
He chose the gems (he had had some boxes brought from India). Those selected by Boucheron: 7,571 diamonds, 1,432 emeralds and many others, to create a collection of 149 jewels, in an original Indian Art Deco style. The designs from that collection have now been used or, rather, reinterpreted by Boucheron’s creative director, Claire Choisne, with the Histoire de Style: New Maharajahs high jewelery collection.
To maintain a style suitable for today, the designer had to reduce the scale of the pieces, since the jewels will be worn by women, not maharajas. One of the most spectacular pieces is a transformable necklace with nine cushion-cut Colombian emeralds weighing nearly 40 carats, along with rock crystal. The central motif of the necklace can be removed and worn as a brooch. The necklace also inspired the hoop earrings, with diamonds and emerald drops at the tip of each spoke. The collection also includes the New Maharani Set, with three necklaces in white gold, diamonds, rock crystal and pearls.
