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Boucheron

Place Vendôme, Paris

What Boucheron is known for

Boucheron was the first jeweler to open on Place Vendôme, moving to No. 26 in 1893 though the maison had already existed since 1858. Its designs include the Serpent Bohème, the Quatre ring, and the clasp-free question-mark necklace.

Frédéric Boucheron was the first of the great jewelers to move to Place Vendôme, opening at No. 26 in 1893 — legend says he chose the sunniest corner of the square so his diamonds would catch the light. The maison had already existed since 1858; the address made it an institution, and every rival that followed was, in effect, moving into Boucheron's neighborhood.

The house style has always been more daring than its neighbors'. The Serpent Bohème, born of a protective serpent necklace Frédéric made for his wife Gabrielle, coils through the catalogue; the Quatre ring stacks four of the maison's codes — gold grosgrain, clous de Paris — into modern architecture; the question-mark necklace, clasp-free and asymmetric, scandalized and seduced the Belle Époque. Under creative director Claire Choisne the high-jewelry collections have become the square's avant-garde — jewels in titanium, rock crystal, even sand.

Now part of Kering, Boucheron keeps its salons above the original shop — 26 Place Vendôme, still the sunniest corner.

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Best for — Quatre ring, Serpent Bohème

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