SimplyAbuDhabi XLIV

BOUCHERON: Carte Blanche – or Bleu W ith a long and illustrious history, Boucheron has long been celebrated for the sheer creative power behind its bold and unforgettable High Jewellery collections. The Maison’s Creative Director, Claire Choisne, continues this distinction, dedicating her new Carte Blanche collection to water, a vital and precious resource. More than simply High Jewellery, “Or Bleu” is an ode to the memory of water. Ms. Choisne was inspired by the waters of Iceland – strong, powerful, raw. At the edge of the Arctic Circle, its landscape shaped over millions of years by glaciers carving out valleys and fjords, and rivers cascading down mountains. A true artist, Ms. Choisne not just the wild beauty on display, but the beginnings of an artistic vision. She saw a diamond necklace in the rush of a waterfall, shoul- der jewellery in the surge of waves, and in the heart of a glacier, a rock crystal bracelet seemingly sculpted by the passage of water. Thus once again, the Maison pushes creative boundaries, with these naturalistic impressions of the colour, texture, flow, reflections and transparency of water. These High Jewellery pieces are like snapshots of nature, frozen in its rawest state. A vital water, whose beauty is encapsulated for eternity. Iceberg On a black sand beach lay blocks of ice, glittering like diamonds under the sun’s reflected rays. Iceland’s ‘Diamond Beach’ is the place that inspired a necklace and a pair of earrings that reproduce the plays of light and transparency of these ephemeral sculptures. Sandblasting the rock crystal gives it the same frosted effect as icebergs stranded on the beach. Boucheron’s craftsmen loaded these pieces with trompe-l’œil illusions. Instead of securing the diamonds with the usual white gold prongs, they sculpted the crystal to hold the gemstones directly embedded within it. Similarly, the multitude of articulations that link the elements together are indiscernible to the naked eye, because this piece seems to levitate around the neck. Some of the droplets hold a precious secret: sparkling pavé diamonds are set under the rock crystal, their brilliance enhanced by its magnifying effect. Necklace set with rock crystal and paved with diamonds, in white gold. 2000 hours of craftsmanship. Pendant earrings set with rock crystal and paved with dia- monds, in white gold. 410 hours of craftmanship. 188 | Simply Abu Dhabi