How Boucheron Transformed Rock Crystal Into A Knitted Collar In Paris

French high jewelry house Boucheron pulled off the impossible in Paris last week, by infusing cold, hard rock crystal with all the softness of knitted wool. “It’s one of the most challenging pieces of the collection. I wanted to create the illusion of a knitted piece, using rigid materials,” said Creative Director Claire Choisne, as models glided elegantly around the room, decked in jewels from the Power of Couture collection. Editors gasped at the Tricot necklace, that took 1,070 hours of workshop time to make.

Five rows of rock crystal shaped like hand-knitted stitches encircle the neck on nitinol (a nickel and titanium alloy) cables, and accented with diamond pavé details so regularly spaced that the maker could have been following a knitting pattern. Each individual rock crystal element was separately sand-blasted to create the soft, matte finish that gives the jewel its astonishing textile feel. The choker is topped off with an elaborate diamond button, that recalls the collection’s over-aching inspiration: the ceremonial military dress of the house’s couture roots.

Drawing on historical looks, the collection was all about layering and accumulation, with most of the 24 pieces in the collection boasting removable or transformable elements. An extraordinary frosted bow, conjured up from baguette-cut rock crystal to create a remarkable impression of movement, can be worn six different ways on the body; with detachable elements that allow for creative styling, including a huge 4.05-carat central pear-cut diamond which can also be worn as a diamond ring.