Bridget Foley’s Diary Boucheron: Celebrating the Classics and the U.S. Market

“A jewel in a safe is a dead jewel.” That bon mot is a favorite of Hélène Poulit-Duquesne, chief executive officer of Boucheron and the only woman at the helm of a storied Place Vendôme high jeweler. Poulit-Duquesne assumed that position four years ago after 20 years spent at Cartier. She quickly set about putting her mark on the house founded in 1858 by Frédéric Boucheron, now part of the Kering stable. Case in point: she’s added a whole new high-jewelry collection. High jewelry is a rarefied world, marked by extraordinary, deeply considered and meticulously crafted pieces. At Boucheron, prices start at about 50,000 euros, though internally, the pieces are classified as fine jewelry until about the 200,000 mark, upward of which the “high jewelry” distinction is deemed appropriate. The more accessible jewelry typically found in-store is considered bijoux. Until now, the house had shown high jewelry only once a year, in July. That changes this week, with the debut of the new Signature High Jewelry Collection in client and press appointments through Jan. 23. “July is the creative collection,” said Poulit-Duquesne during a recent visit to New York. “Claire [Choisne, the brand’s creative director] selects a theme that expresses something very personal from

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