innovation capsules

The Maison unveils the ‘Quatre 5D Memory’ ring in 2024, the result of cutting-edge innovation in the service of a creative and artistic vision. How is it possible to encapsulate this audio work inside the Quatre ring? By using an optical storage process for digital data, known as “5D memory”. An ultrafast nanostructuring technique invented by Peter Kazansky, Professor at the University of Southampton and the Chief Science Officer of SPhotonix whose technology is now adopted by a High Jewelry Maison for the first time. This makes it possible to encode, for billions of years, immense quantities of information in a nanostructured glass, one composed of birefringent microscopic structures with features measuring just a few nanometers. Boucheron relied on an equally innovative technology , Glassomer®, to achieve this tour de force. The Quatre ring’s patterns have been sculpted into the material, with the exception of the line of diamonds, set in white gold. The audio work* developed by IRCAM – Centre Pompidou is located in the center of one of Boucheron’s motifs : Clou  de Paris. 

In 2023, the Aluminium innovation capsule offers a joyful reinterpretation of Boucheron's Quatre and Jack icons. But behind their playful appearance, these creations conceal a plethora of technical innovations. The codes are reworked in magnesium or aluminum, which are 10 and 8 times lighter than gold, respectively, and are delicately set with round diamonds. A real feat when you consider that each aluminum prong is extremely delicate and irreplaceable during the setting process.

Claire Choisne once again questions the meaning of preciousness by introducing Cofalit® into Boucheron's Jack icon. Made by applying a unique vitrification process to a certain type of industrial waste, this material reaches the end of the line in terms of recycling and is considered an “unrecyclable” material. The result of a creative and technical challenge, the Cofalit® used in the Maison's creations required several months of research and transformation to be worked according to jewelry codes. The Maison rises to the challenge, adding value to what is, in essence, no longer useful, and making it precious.

Innovating also means teaming with partners who, in theory, have nothing in common with the world of High Jewelry. In 2021, the Maison called on Saint-Gobain, a French company founded in 1665 that specializes in manufacturing technical glass parts. This collaboration led to the creation of a holographic coating which, when sprayed onto ceramic and applied in dozens of layers, reveals a play of colors on Boucheron's Quatre and Jack creations.  

In 2020, the Maison introduces denim in two creations, a Quatre ring and cuff. Claire Choisne brings denim into the realm of the precious, combining it with white gold and diamonds. A pairing made possible thanks to the expertise of the Maison's research and development department.

The entire history of the Maison is imbued with this spirit of freedom, which today is at the heart of Boucheron's creativity.

At Boucheron, it all begins with a dream. Then, traditional skills and cutting-edge technologies come together to shape the Studio's creative vision. Every year, Boucheron collections push the limits of High Jewelry and question the meaning of preciousness.