Worldwide Fragrance
By Melinda Aissani
From the very first years of this company’s creation, Frédéric Boucheron broke free from the codes of traditional jewellery. As a visionary jeweller, he set out to create original pieces that fit perfectly around the neck, a supple and elegant way of wearing them in homage to feminine beauty. The Point Interrogation necklace is one of the first incarnations, that was first imagined in 1879 in the workshop of Frédéric Boucheron, this necklace has become a true signature of the House of Boucheron. So when the Place Vendôme jeweller launched his first perfume in 1988, one inspired by his travels all around the world to create different scents, it became a worldwide success.
It was at the age of fourteen that Frédéric Boucheron took his first step into the wonderful world of jewellery by becoming an apprentice jeweller. The son of a drapery merchant, he nevertheless kept in mind the suppleness and lightness of silks and other laces that he would constantly transpose into gold.
In 1893, Frédéric Boucheron was the first of the great contemporary jewellers to open a boutique on Place Vendôme. Frédéric Boucheron won a gold medal at the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris. This was only the beginning of a long series of international awards for this innovative jeweller.
Indeed Frédéric Boucheron, founder of the House, was quickly recognized for the exceptional quality of his precious stones. It was the first time, around 1880, that a modern-day jeweller had the audacity to have diamonds engraved with flowers or arabesques. Thus reviving an engraving technique forgotten since antiquity.
Since the brand became popular, in 1897 Boucheron ventured abroad to set up shop in Moscow. The House counted the Russian imperial family among its loyal customers for a long time. Including Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who received a sumptuous crownlet signed by the jeweller as an engagement gift.
Frédéric Boucheron was known to be a generous man. At the 1867 World’s Fair, he had the names of his artisans engraved in gold letters on a marble plaque at the entrance to his stand. This was the first time that a jeweller wanted to honour its talented craftsmen.
Nowadays the brand keeps its popularity among many public personalities. In 2018, during the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York. The princess decided to wear the famous tiara set with a large cabochon emerald and diamonds. Created by Boucheron in 1919 a magnificent creation, which belonged to the princess’s great-grandmother, who wore it in public for nearly a century.
Also, the House of Boucheron sponsors the BJOP, a school specializing in the jewellery industry. To keep with the commitment of its founder, Frédéric Boucheron, to the preservation of ancestral know-how and excellent craftsmanship. This ethic of preserving craftsmanship and know-how is also illustrated by the House of Boucheron. The workshop is still in the heart of its historic address at 26 Place Vendôme.
The first jewellery house to move to Place Vendôme in 1893, elevated its creations across the world. Renewing and drawing its inspiration from the journeys and discoveries. Crossing seas and deserts in search of mineral perfection. These explorers tirelessly roam the five continents to unearth and select the most precious gemstones.
Today a female duo is at the helm of a major jewellery house Hélène Poulit-Duquesne, CEO of Boucheron, and Claire Choisne, Director of Creations.
It first joined the world of perfumery with its initial foray in 1988, with a women’s fragrance, Boucheron. Over time they have worked with some of the most prestigious perfumers in the world to create their elixirs.
Boucheron La Collection is a group of scents that are inspired by those who travelled the world to find the best gem stones.
Feve de Tonka de Canaima.
The latest scent added to the collection was released in July at Harrods. The ambery woody fragrance is enveloping and alluring. Designed to celebrate the complexities of tonka bean, (a sort of vanilla, chocolate faceted scent with even hints of spicy, nutty, herbaceous, and woody layers) exploring all its facets and nuances to bring to life an elixir that’s at once inviting and remote. At the top, notes of freshly harvested fruit are exalted by the sweetness of bitter almond and powdery violet. Before melting into a lactonic dry down defined by a stream of sweet, creamy vanilla and rich, resinous amber.
The Canaima National Park in Venezuela is the inspirational setting for this scent. Vivid wilderness contrasts against flat-topped mountains with plateaus that are sacred to the indigenous Pemon people Canaima is home to the world’s highest waterfall which plunges into a tropical rainforest.
It is here that the Maison’s gem hunters discovered and returned with tonka bean, a sweet and intense vanilla-scented spice whose dark colour evokes Venezuela’s extremely rare brown diamond. In the native cultures of the Amazon, this mesmerising
Other key fragrances in this collection include
Iris De Syracuse
This starts with a trip to Italy, from the steep shores of Sicily. Iris De Syracuse fragrance includes Iris a delicate and resistant flower with precious Amethyst glints, the blue gold of perfumery; majestic, vertical, noble and unrivalled.
Iris has precious nectar, and the fragrance is mixed with a freshness of tangy Mandarin. Juicy and crunchy Pear is elegantly contrasted with a spicy touch of Black Pepper. Enveloped in a mysterious Patchouli veil, Vanilla is both sensual and carnal. A white Musks is added which brings infinite softness to this base, like the caress of a feather on the skin.
Neroli D’ispahan
Created from the trip in the authentic sunny landscapes of Ispahan, the Persian city. The brilliant combination in the top notes of Green Cardamom and Ginger brings an elegant, bursting depth, which is then accentuated by the fresh and peppery facets of Elemi.
A powerful trio that reveals the ardent character of the spices. Infused with the sunny intensity of Neroli. The fragrance reveals a heart of Cistus whose amber and resiny softness is sculpted by the effervescent vigour of Pink Peppercorn. Lulled by the delicate sensuality of White Musks, this authentic base brings the amber minerality of Ambrox® together with the profoundly woody and warm character of Patchouli Essence.
Tuberose De Madras
Designed thanks to the trip to the legendary Indian city of Madras. Where this flower was first cultivated, as well as the sacred aspect of the Tuberose, which is central to all beliefs. Tuberose unfurls its white star-shaped petals in the trade winds of Eastern India.
Fresh and luminous, captivating and graceful. Tuberose is a gem of sensuality, made with rich and delicate petals of Orange Blossom and Violet Leaf, which reveal lush nature. Succulent and tangy Passion Fruit completes it with its glowing colours.
Added also with the ingredients of the exoticism Ylang Ylang and the almond sweetness of Frangipani Flower. Which gives this floral middle a sunny intensity. But also the voluptuous fragrance of Vanilla brings comforting fluidity to the base.
Vanille De Zanzibar
Where the sky meets the sea, the trip to Zanzibar, Africa’s Wild Pearl, offers both gustatory and olfactory escapism. This island of abundance with its aromas of spices, including Vanilla, brings about an addictive sensual dizziness. With the zesty burst of Mandarin, Jasmine Petals shake elegantly and release a sheer and ethereal floral charm.
The ingredients add a gentle hint of juicy Pear which brings modernity and colour to the top notes. Unsettling and fascinating, the middle notes are surrounded by a Bourbon Vanilla. Combined with creamy floral tones Heliotrope softens this addictive duo. But also with a generous trail of White Musks which.
Oud De Carthage
The next trip to Tunisia brings a new scent. Oud Wood, mingled with a cargo of gemstones, incense and spices, were brought to Tunisian lands from the mysterious Orient. An extremely rich accord which offers an oriental note with a touch of mystery brought by Incense, Honey and Tonka Bean with sensual and comfortable notes. The base offers a touch of imposing distinction with two accords, Oud and Leather.
Ambre D’Alexandrie
The ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria enlightened antiquity with its culture and its arts, but also its mineral riches. This scent is about amber, a stone with multiple virtues, that brought magic, mystery and imperfections to enhance Jewellery.
The Amber of the Collection is built on a unique harmony to combine ingredients with strong character. As precious as the spices and resins exchanged at that time in Alexandria. The most timeless of the perfumer’s Ambers is made with the voluptuous harmony of creamy vanilla and praline facets.
An oriental amber, precious and timeless. Both sweet and voluptuous, notes of Creamy Vanilla and Benzoin have been coated with a Spirit of Narguile accord, in a surprising, mystical and hypnotising blend. That’s not all, cistus resin enhances the Amber accord with its Leathery oriental facets.
Boucheron fragrance
The bottles are topped with a solid white cap which echoes the elegance of marble. And adorned with a metal plaque bearing the name of each fragrance. Heavy, and in a transparent glass it showcases the colourful, radiant juices.
Recognized as bold and visionary with his worldwide fragrances. The House values innovation at all levels, from raw materials to boutiques, taking into consideration its responsibilities towards the environment.
Since 2006, Boucheron has been a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC). A certifying organization created to promote responsible practices in terms of ethics, environment and working conditions within the jewellery supply chain. Since 2011, Boucheron has adhered to the Code of Practice of this international organization and has made a commitment to exemplarity and transparency in its ethical, environmental and social conduct.
In 2020, Boucheron achieved 100% responsible gold in its sourcing. Boucheron sources responsible gold in accordance with the Kering Standards. A document that sets out environmental and social requirements for the sourcing of raw materials.
Boucheron’s gold purchases are made through the Kering Ethical Gold Framework. Which was developed by the Kering Group as an innovative and intelligent way to source responsible and ethical gold.
Since 2016, Boucheron has been producing its own honey and housing beehives on the roof of the boutique at 26 Place Vendôme. By producing its own honey, Boucheron marks its commitment to the protection of an endangered species.
The worldwide fragrances come from Sicily to the sands of Egypt, the oasis of the Persian Plateau to the luxuriant tropical vegetation of the Indian Ocean islands, all marked by the soul of these legendary lands. The Boucheron spirit itself, feeding it more with colours and scents that quiver at the heart.
If you enjoyed Worldwide fragrance, check out Lost and Found here.
.Cent Magazine, London. Be Inspired; Get Involved.
