When beauty is the question, Boucheron is the answer

In January 2020, at the biannual Paris haute couture jewelry show, Boucheron presented its new high jewelry collection: iconic claspless ‘Point d’Interrogation’ (‘question mark’) necklaces—signature pieces of the jewelry house, an everlasting tribute to beauty and science, emotion and innovation going hand in hand.

The genius and exquisite invention of the Maison makes it possible to put the necklace on with one smooth move, without

assistance and without fear of breaking this extremely complex, yet pliable masterpiece.

So what’s the big deal, you will ask.

Actually, the deal was really big back in 1879, when Boucheron designed the first Question Mark necklace. At a time when Western women’s fashion was still fundamentally reigned by corsets, rigidly structured bustles, ultra-restrictive, heavy, long skirts, profuse decoration, extremely tight sleeves, and tall, fitted, boned collars—all ingredients for zero convenience—this innovative mechanism was revolutionary, giving women, apart from the obvious beauty of the necklace, a long-sought feeling of independence, freedom and power.

Today, the creative director of Boucheron, Claire Choisne, along with her ingenious team, reminded the world of this creation with the presentation of eight new Question Mark necklaces: pieces so uniquely engineered that the golden leaves of the Lierre de Paris necklace, each set with dozens of emeralds, move and ripple in the unperceivable wind, activated by a secret switch. Or look at the Nuage de Fleurs necklace: before crafting the pure, delicate mother-of-pearl and diamond flowers, each petal of hydrangea was 3D-scanned to achieve the maximum level of detail.

The astounding and uncanny level of realism that leaves you wondering how is it even possible?!

The patterns borrowed from nature, leaves, flowers, petals, Art deco-style natural pearls, a peacock’s feather have been carefully studied and reproduced in precious metals and stones. The idea, the design, the implementation, the history behind the piece, even the way it laconically captures the natural body shapes and gives a subtle yet sublime focus to the chest. In modern times, when women are free to dress however they like, this asymmetrical, light, graceful Question Mark necklace remains Boucheron’s answer to the timeless question of beauty, femininity and freedom of self-expression.