Maison Boghossían of Geneva brings with it more than a hundred years of deep-rooted knowledge in the art of precious stones and fine jewellery. A family journey that began in Armenia, via Syria, Lebanon and Antwerp, is now in its 6th generation. The brand they founded has positioned itself at the cutting-edge of design, surpassing the classic principles of jewellery design. With a family philosophy that dictates that they strive to be more than just another jeweller, Boghossian brings revolutionary ideas to the jewellery world.
The maison is now famous for their mastery of the intricate art of ‘inlaying,’ a technique that involves delicately carving and seamlessly setting one stone within another. On example is the “Reveal” which features transparent precious stones such as heliodore, morganite and amethysts fit within solid-coloured stones like black jade, pink opal and chaorite. The maison also invented ‘Les Merveilles’ technique in which tiny square prongs secure stones in a gradation of sizes to create a piece that appears as though it was made of solid diamonds.
The maison recently collaborated with Haute Couture brand Stéphane Rolland for their Spring-Summer 2018 collection which introduced a masterful fusion of Haute Joaillerie and Haute Couture. The collaboration produced a great synergy between the two brands, thanks to a common element in their respective DNAs; their obsession with contrasts.
“We’re really a company that excels in contrast… but in everything we do, there is harmony“, Albert Boghossian, the CEO of the family-owned Haute Joaillerie brand once told Swiss Style magazine. Stéphane Rolland’s mother worked at Pictorial Service, one of the most famous Parisian photographic studios, exposing him to some of the finest black-and-white photographs. He once told Couture Notebook magazine: “Everything was black-and-white; everything was about volume and contrast. My eyes were trained early on with these concepts, and everything I do is about contrast, volume and movement. It’s in my DNA.”
The collection was unveiled at an event held during the Paris Fashion Week at the Opéra-Comique where more than a thousand people from all over the world came together to discover the first collaboration. The operatic ambience of the theatre where art meets culture seemed the perfect setting to embrace Stéphane Rolland’s Haute Couture collaboration with Boghossian’s Haute Joaillerie.
The atmosphere was majestic; the models walked the runway to the rhythm of a cellist with the grace and rhythm that one finds in an opera or theatrical show. The show reached its climax as ‘Le Choeur Parisien’ interpreted ‘Le Coeur des Pèlerins de Tannhäuser’ by Wagner. This powerful finale created an emotional tension and a real connection between the show and its audience.
“To me, fine jewellery and haute couture have the same guideline: make the woman who wears them dream and travel to the limits of what is possible. Starting from a concrete moment such as a wedding or a ball and creating an atmosphere that propels a person to the borders of imagination, that is the will of Haute Couture and Fine Jewellery.” – Albert Boghossian, CEO of Maison Boghossian.
Commenting on the collaboration, Albert Boghossian remarked: “Stéphane perfectly described the essence of our Maison. It’s the reflection of our own story, built on one hand from the Middle East, with its softness, the attention they give to details and to opulence, and on the other hand, from the West with its contemporary audacity and its technology. Our pieces are a natural fusion of this reflection. What I love about Stéphane and his style is the structured side to his cuts, combined with fantasy and creative freedom. You can really tell there is a will to break free from the rules and take his designs to the borders of creativity”.
