Boucheron Celebrates 20 Years of the Quatre Icon
Anja Rubik for Boucheron Quatre Anniversary
Boucheron’s icon, the Quatre, remains one of the Maison’s most recognizable designs, and this year, it celebrates its 20th anniversary. A momentous occasion for Boucheron, they are celebrating with a new campaign featuring new creations in honor of the Quatre’s landmark’s birthday. “Quatre became an icon from the very beginning, which may be explained by its unique aesthetic in tune with the times” Boucheron CEO Hélène Poulit-Duquesne exclusively shares with Only Natural Diamonds. “Its bold, urban, and genderless design, which pleases individuals with a strong personality, equally for men and women.”
First, let’s go back to 2004 when the icon was born. “Quatre was initially a ring,” explains Poulit-Duquesne. “It is now a complete collection, that has constantly renewed its aesthetic.” Four bands were brought together to create the instantly recognizable, genderless design. Each of the four motifs used in the larger ring design has its own meaning and inspiration, each one selected for its history and significance to the Maison.
“It was very bold in 2004 to dare propose such a mix of motifs,” she adds. “A sign that Quatre possesses exceptional creative power.”
Quatre Classique
The first motif is the Double Godron—the raised band, reminiscent of fluting—introduced by Boucheron in the 1860s. The double band itself “represents two rings melded into one, symbolizing eternal love,” says Poulit-Duquesne. “The Clou de Paris, a recurring theme in our archives since 1911,” is the second motif found in the Quatre design, its facets a recall to the cobblestones of Paris, specifically of the famous Place Vendôme. The third features a row of natural diamonds, each exceptional stone hand-selected and set into the band, symbolizing “eternity, echoing the everlasting hardness of a diamond,” says the Maison. The fourth and final motif used in the Quatre icon is the Grosgrain motif. Grosgrain, a ribbed silk originally used to make ribbons, has been in Boucheron’s archives since the 1860s, famous for being as “supple and delicate” as the jewelry in Boucheron’s repertoire.
What sets the Quatre apart is the ring’s attention to detail and its composition. Each of the four motifs are made separately using the highest jewelry technology available and then fused together by hand into the final product. “The design of Quatre is iconic because it can be reinterpreted endlessly without diluting its essence,” explains CEO Poulit-Duquesne. Especially when said icons are dotted with natural diamonds, the ultimate symbol of strength and beauty.
“Natural diamonds are incredibly precious as they are gifts from the Earth, having been here for millennia,” says Poulit-Duquesne. “At Boucheron, we craft pieces with natural diamonds since 1858 and we also keep innovating.” That innovation is integral to the Maison and has been in play since its inception. “Our founder, Frédéric Boucheron, was the first jeweler to pair diamonds with rock crystal, a material that was long not considered precious in High Jewelry” she shares. “Our Creative Director, Claire Choisne, envisioned her latest High Jewelry collection – The Power of Couture – as a white monochrome collection, crafted only with natural diamonds, white gold and rock crystal.”
The nature of the Quatre band encourages the stacking of bands and mixing of metals. The ring itself is genderless in form and Boucheron encourages its clients to wear it however it suits their personal style. Although Quatre has remained relatively unchanged since its introduction 20 years ago, plenty of innovations have been made to “challenge our notion of what’s precious” via capsule collections, led by Creative Director Claire Choisne. “Claire likes challenging the codes of Place Vendome and questioning the precious,” says Poulit-Duqesne, singing her praises of the Creative Director.
“[Quatre] has expanded into a wide variety of wearables, starting with stackable bracelets, then sautoir and collar necklaces, earrings and ear clips, and even a piece of hair jewelry introduced in 2023,” says Poulit-Duquesne. “Still, every piece remains faithful to the original identity, composed of codes derived from our archives.”
Quatre Classique in Black
Quatre Classique in Blue
Quatre Classique in Red
Quatre Classique in White
In 2021, Boucheron teamed up with Saint-Gobain, a French company that specializes in engineered glass. Together, Saint-Goban and Boucheron created a holographic coating and sprayed it onto the ceramic of the colorful editions of the Quatre icon, creating shimmering hues that change with the light.
The color editions include a Black, White, Blue, and Red version of the Clou de Paris band within the Quatre design. These colorful editions use a technical process to create a band made of Hyceram®, a hybrid ceramic and elastomer compound that gives the band a mirror polish and high durability.
Other innovations include the introduction of the Cofalit® on the Quatre icon in 2022, an innovative recycled matter used in the process of making the ring. Quatre Aluminum is the latest innovation to the ring, used in the setting of pave diamond band.
Quatre Icon 20th Anniversary Edition
This year, In honor of the 20th anniversary, Boucheron is introducing an ultra-precious edition of the Quatre Classique using yellow sapphires and spessartite garnets alongside the traditional natural diamonds. Alongside the new design is a brand new campaign featuring iconic model Anja Rubik. Rubik wears a cape made of 315 Quatre rings and of course, the rings on her fingers as well.
After 20 years of innovation and icons from Boucheron, we can’t wait to see what’s next for the Maison. “There is no doubt that Quatre will continue to be reinvented and celebrated in years to come while maintaining its unique identity,” Poulit-Duquesne shares with pride.
