Or Bleu Collection: A Tribute to Water’s Vital Essence
by Alexandra I.Mas
Each year, Boucheron‘s creative director Claire Choisne is given free rein to bring her visionary ideas to life. She dedicates the new Carte Blanche collection to a vital and precious resource: water. To fully capture its essence, Choisne traveled to Iceland, immersing herself in the island’s stunning natural landscapes. The resulting collection, “Or Bleu,” pushes the boundaries of high jewellery with 26 pieces that are small sculptures and conceptual interpretations of water in all its forms, from glaciers to geysers and cascades. Notably, Iceland is home to Europe’s most powerful waterfall, which inspired a majestic, long diamond cascading sautoir.
There is something mystical lurking within the heart of these precious diamonds, borrowed from Iceland’s nature, with its vast spaces and mineral landscapes imbued with ancient mythology. These deep, meaningful influences are palpable in the jewelry Choisne designed, rendering the “Or Bleu” collection an ode to the memory of water. Among the collection’s highlights is a full waterfall-like set of diamonds cascading from head to finger in five different pieces. Crashing waves inspire a sculptural chrome and diamond shoulder piece, while a rock crystal bracelet is shaped by the flow of water within a glacier’s heart.
Once again, Boucheron pushes the boundaries of creativity, achieving an unparalleled level of artistic expression. The “Or Bleu” collection captures water’s preciousness, colour, texture, rhythm, reflection, and transparency, honouring it as the source of life and eternal beauty. This refined adventure is further enriched by sound waves created by Molécule for the collection. Romain De La Haye, a French electronic musician known as “the pioneer of nomadic electronic music,” followed Claire’s steps in Iceland’s raw and serene landscapes, capturing the invisible essence and quiet majesty.
Cascade
This necklace flowing down the body like a cascading waterfall required 3000 hours of work. This 148 cm white gold and diamond piece is the longest ever created by Boucheron’s ateliers. Cascade can transform into a shorter necklace with detachable pendant earrings. Over 2,000 diamonds are meticulously set to give the necklace its flexibility and striking realism.
Claire Choisne has crafted Givre, to capture the transitional state of water. This parure features a cascading array of stalactites elegantly draped across the body. Comprising a head jewel, earrings, a shoulder piece, and a ring, each piece descends in a seamless motion guided by gravity. Here, the focus shifts away from the metal, allowing Akoya pearls, mother-of-pearl, and diamonds to take center stage. A meticulous selection of 691 pearls was essential to maintain the collection’s uniformity in colour and varied sizes. The ring incorporates a novel rotating ball mechanism that perpetuates the illusion of suspension, echoing the natural flow of melting ice.
The creation of each piece involved 2,610 hours of meticulous craftsmanship.
Ondes
A single drop shatters the delicate balance of water, inspiring the Ondes set. To capture this organic movement, Boucheron’s studio used 3D software to design a necklace and two rings. Claire Choisne chose sculpted and polished rock crystal for its realistic effect. These pieces stand out for their finesse and delicate wave-like motion. The necklace, designed to be worn like a second skin, presented a challenge for artisans who had to sculpt it to follow the body’s curves. With no compromise on transparency, the creation features nearly 5,000 round diamonds set invisibly under the rock crystal, with a diamond at the center of each wave.
The set includes: Necklace with rock crystal and diamond pavé in white gold: 4,400 hours of work. Ring with a 1.02-carat round E VVS2 diamond and rock crystal with diamond pavé in white gold: 305 hours of work. Ring with rock crystal and diamond pavé in white gold: 305 hours of work.
To complete this artistic installation, Claire collaborated with German photographer Jan Erik Waider. Waider’s abstract nature photography, honed over 15 years, delves into the molecular side of water, exploring its matter and rare beauty. Frequently traveling to Iceland, especially during the winter, Waider captures the myriad forms water can take, adding with his fine art photography a profound visual dimension to the “Or Bleu” collection.
On a black sand beach, ice blocks glisten like diamonds inspired a necklace and earrings that capture the light and transparency of these fleeting sculptures. Rock crystal carved to mimic stranded icebergs, with diamonds seamlessly integrated into the crystal, creating a floating effect. Some drops contain a pavé of diamonds that sparkle through the crystal’s lens-like surface.
Iceberg
The necklace features rock crystal and diamonds in white gold, requiring 2,000 hours of work. The parure presents also earrings, rock crystal and diamonds, 410 hours to create.
The Or Bleu Collection by Boucheron offers an exquisite journey through the myriad forms and interpretations of water. Among the standout pieces is Eau Forte, a name derived from the French term for etching, used here as a pun since it literally translates to “strong water.” Inspired by the moment an ocean wave crashes, this piece references the etching technique used to create the bracelet’s relief. Boucheron’s artisans employed traditional etching to sculpt the gold, accentuating it with white lacquer and laser-printed black lacquer.
Eau Vive: The sculptural shoulder brooches on the cover evoke the powerful Icelandic waters. Crafted from a single block of aluminum, these lightweight pieces feature 571 diamonds, capturing the sparkle of sunlight on water.
Ciel de Glace: This bracelet, made of white gold and adorned with diamonds and a gradient of blue sapphires, is paired with a sculpted block of pure rock crystal, encapsulating the beauty of Icelandic ice caves.
Eau d’Encre: Inspired by Iceland’s dark waters, this bracelet and ring set is crafted from obsidian, a volcanic stone known for its deep black hue. Adorned with diamonds using the serti neige technique, it evokes the foam of waves on black sand beaches.
Sable Noir: This series replicates the textures and contrasts of foam on black sands. Using 3D printing, black sand is bonded with a polymer to create a durable, iridescent material for the bracelet, necklace, and earrings.
Écume: Inspired by the fleeting presence of sea foam, this set features two rings contrasting obsidian and rock crystal, both accented by white gold and diamonds.
Vague: Paying homage to the force of water, the Vague brooch, which doubles as a hairpiece, features 851 round diamonds set in white gold. It recalls an ancient Boucheron piece dedicated to Hokusai.
Banquise: Inspired by the contrast of light and shadow on Iceland’s ice fields, this trio of creations uses delicately veined Grand Antique marble and white jade, paired with white gold and diamonds.
Cristaux: This necklace, born from the blue of Icelandic glaciers, features 17 aquamarines set within hexagons of rock crystal. A central 5.06-carat diamond can be detached to become a ring, continuing Boucheron’s tradition of versatile jewelry.
The Or Bleu Collection by Boucheron is a breathtaking tribute to the multifaceted beauty of water, capturing its essence from Iceland’s awe-inspiring landscapes in an array of stunning high jewellery pieces.
