The Tale of The Maharajah: The Story Behind Boucheron’s Newest Collection

Steeped in mystery and magic, Boucheron’s new collection pays tribute to an intriguing chapter in the house’s history. Creative Director Claire Choisne shares with Harper’s Bazaar Arabia the fascinating story behind New Maharajahs

Fables come in all forms, and are often hiding behind the craftsmanship and heritage of luxury jewellery brands. It’s easy to forget the important role they play in the continuity of a house’s story, inspiring the next generation of creative masterminds, playing muse to new collections. They spontaneously make an appearance when a designer looks to the past for inspiration, their spirits living on in the soon-to-be written chapters in the legacy of a house.

One of the most fascinating tales that combines history, legend and high jewellery has to the that of Bhupindar Sing, the Maharajah of Patiala, and his arrival in Paris in the summer of 1928. On a quest to commission a number of grand high jewellery pieces – possibly the most opulent ones ever to be crafted at the Place Vendôme – he ventured into Boucheron and was greeted by Louis, the son of the jewellery house’s founder, Frédéric Boucheron.

Louis drafted 149 designs, all inspired by the magnificent gems – thousands of them – that the Maharajah had brought to the City of Light, escorted through the streets of Paris by Sikh guards. The plethora of pearls and rubies, emeralds and diamonds were quickly crafted into exquisite collars and necklaces, not to mention belts festooned with more of the precious gemstones.

Now, nearly a century later, this fantastical story comes to life again in the form of New Maharajahs: a collection which draws inspiration from the pieces drafted for Bhupindar Sing himself. One which still impresses the house’s creative director Claire Choisne to this day, 10 years after she started working with Boucheron.

“It’s a fairy tale,” she says, explaining how the extraordinary circumstances of 2020 influenced her to look to the past, towards this mythical tale for inspiration fuelled by a bit of fantasy and magic. “When we started working on this collection, it was the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. I think we needed a bit more… fairy tale [in our lives] at that time,” says Claire.

With dozens of drawings and sketches at her disposal for inspiration, how did she decide which ones to reimagine within the new collection? “I didn’t work like that – in fact, when I started the design process I was thinking of the globality of the collection, not especially about [recreating] one piece or another. I thought… ‘Why did The Maharajah do this special order? What was the purpose of it?’ ” she explains. One thing is certain, he was looking for opulence and grandeur within the pieces he commissioned. “It was quite obvious that the purpose [of the order] was related to status, to show power and wealth.”

Harnessing the majesty of the original designs, Claire set out to create a fresh interpretation of the story, one which put delicacy and purity at the heart of the new collection: rock crystal and diamonds paired with emeralds make up the foundation of the offering, which is unisex in nature and can be worn a multitude of ways. “I imagined that the collection we would do this year would be more about the purpose of individuality and style, more than status,” she says.

“I imagined that the collection we would do this year would be more about the purpose of individuality and style, more than status”

Claire Choisne, Creative Director

While the collection adds a fresh chapter to the story of Boucheron, the mystery of the Maharajah and his bespoke pieces still lives on. For decades, the tale ended when he left Paris, taking his commissioned pieces along with him. What exactly happened with this grand collection of bespoke Boucheron jewellery? “We have no clue,” Claire says. “We know that we delivered the pieces and after that, the only thing that we saw was a painting of the son of the Maharajah wearing one necklace. But for all the other pieces, we have absolutely no idea.”

For more information, visit boucheron.com

From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia March 2022 Issue.