Translated by Bethszabee Garner

At Boucheron, charms with her cheerfulness and frankness. She takes side steps that she combines with emotion, never hesitating to embrace the motto of founder Frédéric Boucheron: “Our raison d'être is to create emotion.” " Anything seems possible for the designer. Like imagining a gold cape with peacock feather motifs, the label's favorite animal, which, thanks to technical prowess, envelops the wearer, nine Fleurs éternelles rings made of real petals that last a lifetime, or a toucan-shaped bracelet that offers unparalleled play with volume and color, its powerful beak sculpted from three blocks of citrine.

The designer skillfully combines marble and diamonds, rock crystal and sapphires, pebbles and burnt wood, gold and rattan, platinum and meteorite fragments. And she doesn't hesitate to have men wear the sparkling diamonds from her Histoire de Style, Art Déco, and New Maharajahs collections in 2021 and 2022. Each piece of Boucheron jewelry is faceted with the unexpected and daring, craftsmanship, and cutting-edge technology.

Fabrice Léonard: What is your background?

Claire Choisne: As a trained jeweler, I have always been very interested in technique, which has allowed me to push the boundaries in terms of creativity. From 1994 to 1997, I studied at the École de Joaillerie de la Rue du Louvre, where I had the honor of receiving the prestigious Jacques Lenfant prize awarded to the three best students. In 1998, I started my own jewelry business before joining Lorenz Bäumer in 2001 as head of the design studio. Finally, in 2011, I had the pleasure of joining Boucheron as creative director.

Fabrice Léonard: When you arrived, what did you hope to bring to this venerable house?

C.C.: I have always been particularly attracted to the work and world of Frédéric Boucheron, who, in my opinion, was the most visionary jeweler on Place Vendôme. Like him, I like to push the boundaries of fine jewelry and convey a message that goes beyond materiality. His first iconic piece, the Point d'Interrogation necklace created in 1879, liberated women by allowing them to adorn themselves with a simple gesture. Much more than a piece of jewelry, this necklace was a revolution in terms of technicality. When I joined Boucheron, I wanted to remain faithful to its philosophy while exploring my dreams to create jewelry that is ever more emotional.

Fabrice Léonard: Over the past 13 years, what are the most extraordinary pieces you have created?

C.C.: The creations I am most attached to are those that question the concept of preciousness, particularly when it comes to collections linked to nature, whether it be Nature Triumphant with eternal flowers or, this year, Or Bleu. Nature is precious. With Ailleurs in 2022, I wanted to show that wood and shells are as rare as diamonds.

Fabrice Léonard: You have placed creative audacity at the center of your work. Can you explain?

C.C.: I want to push the boundaries of the industry, invent new styles, work with new materials, and use new techniques. Each of my collections always starts with a concept or a dream, with this desire to shake things up. These collections are extremely demanding. Perhaps that's what you call creative daring.

Fabrice Léonard: Does this daring involve the use of technology?

C.C.: At Boucheron, technology and the choice of materials are always at the service of the collection's creativity. For Contemplation in 2020, we used aerogel because my dream was to allow women to wear a piece of the sky around their necks. And for the Or Bleu collection in 2024, we used 3D printing techniques that reproduce as faithfully as possible the wave produced by a falling drop of water. Innovation is not an end in itself but a means of realizing a vision, a dream.

Fabrice Léonard: Tell us about Quatre 5D Memory, the latest innovation from the house...

C.C.: With this unique piece, my goal was to encapsulate, for billions of years, the infinite sound of waves, a memory of my childhood spent by the ocean. We collaborated with Ircam (Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music) at the Centre Pompidou to develop this unique score. Using a digital optical data storage process known as “5D memory,” we were able to integrate this audio work into the ring. This ultra-fast nanostructuring technique makes it possible to encode huge amounts of information for an infinite number of years.

Fabrice Léonard: What are your sources of inspiration?

C.C.: I am drawn to the beauty of nature. I also draw inspiration from travel. I am very interested in the house's archives, which are an inexhaustible source of inspiration that I reinterpret each year in the Histoire de Style fine jewelry collections.

Fabrice Léonard: What is your favorite stone?

C.C.: Like Frédéric Boucheron, rock crystal. This material, which is rarely used by jewelers in Place Vendôme because it was considered less noble in its day, allows for great agility in working with beautiful plays of transparency, textures, and optics.

Fabrice Léonard: What is your vision of jewelry?

C.C.: I often compare jewelry to art. Like a work of art, a piece of jewelry invites contemplation and evokes emotion, transcending its materiality. It is also the result of questioning and always draws inspiration from the social and environmental context in which it is designed. However, what sets it apart from a work of art is its usefulness. At Boucheron, we make it a point of honor that our creations can be worn.

Article written by Fabrice Léonard, featured in issue no. 9 of OniriQ magazine.