The Jewellery Box

Human Being: Checkers necklace, Boucheron

From the 2026 Carte Blanche collection.

A houndstooth weave, reminiscent of a garment.

To inscribe the houndstooth pattern into onyx, Boucheron used an incredibly precise technology, the femtosecond laser. By emitting a series of ultra-fast micro-impulses, it removed material from the 163 stones without compromising their integrity.

The aim was to create the illusion of a genuine houndstooth weave draped across the necklace. Extensive CAD modeling was used to create a flawless optical effect that the eye perceives as a single uninterrupted pattern.

1,990 hours of work for the set.

Human Being: Tattoo necklace by Boucheron.

From the 2026 Carte Blanche collection.

'Victorian tattoos, carved into stone.

To create the illusion of a real tattoo, the ancient art of glyptics was used to carve sculptural forms into the reverse side of smoky quartzes, giving a bas-relief effect.

Since this engraving technique doesn’t allow for the use of color to bring out its finer details, these can only be revealed through subtle variations in depth. To achieve perfect symmetry across the repeated motifs, the artisan invented over 200 of their own tools to craft these pieces.

3,740 hours of work for the set.

Human Being: Light necklace by Boucheron.

From the 2026 Carte Blanche collection.

'A light that springs from the depths of the stones.

To bring forth this light, over 1,500 carats of morganites of the exact same color intensity first had to be assembled. Yet it was the mounting that posed the main challenge for Boucheron’s artisans: to avoid any pressure being exerted on the morganites, they fitted and screwed the prongs around each stone.

Adding to the complexity, the design called for the diamonds to be directly set into the morganites; this entailed hollowing out the morganites to accommodate an invisible metal framework, into which the diamonds were then set.

Human Being: Rain necklace by Boucheron, Carte Blanche collection 2026.

'The illusion of diamonds cascading on the body.

To mimic rain, Boucheron’s artisans first crafted hollow droplets out of rock crystal, into which they then poured successive layers of plant-based resin.

Over 4,800 diamonds were painstakingly placed inside these droplets by hand, layer by layer and in a very specific order, to give a three-dimensional effect. This process was carried out in a vacuum to prevent any microparticles or air bubbles from forming.

1,550 hours of work for the set.'

'Human Being' necklaces by Boucheron: Rain, Flower, Light, Tattoo, and Checkers.

From the 2026 Carte Blanche collection.

Penguin brooches - I Got Fish and Gimme Fish, Rie Taniguchi, 2025

Process photos below the cut:

Andean Flamingo pins, Rie Taniguchi, 2025

Silver, red & yellow gold plating, enamel paint, black diamond, stainless steel.

'Andean flamingos are the only flamingo species which have yellow legs and are the rarest.'

Gannet Diving necklace by Rie Taniguchi

Bird brooch, Jean Vitau for Gemveto, 1992

18k yellow gold set with diamond, onyx, ruby and tsavorite ($7,120, 1stdibs).

Stork brooch, 1950s

Grouse brooch, c. 1880s

Bird brooch by Cartier, Paris, c. 1965

Nesting Kestrel pendant by Brooke Stone

Aesthetic Period silver locket with engraving of kingfisher catching a fly, 1881

Locket on an engraved book chain necklace, hallmarked Birmingham 1881 (£750)

Kingfisher with fish brooch by E. Wolfe, 1986