NK7398.B6M49

- Chapter One: LAdies Sin - Chapter Two: kings and queens of the world (old ... and new) - Chapter Three: The Dollar Princesses - Chapter Four: The tour of the grand dukes - Chapter Five: from father to son - a new period of opulence for boucheron - Chapter Six: God Save the king - Chapter Seven: Ali Baba's Cave - Chapter Eight: on the whims of maharajas - Chapter Nine: Hollywood on the nile - Chapter Ten: born to the stage

The House of Boucheron represents one of the great Parisian jewellers of the last 150 years. Founder, Frédéric Boucheron opened his first shop in 1858. Many of his clients were not women of society, but femmes fatales of the demi-monde. Nonetheless, his skill with precious stones and his absolute discretion made him a favorite of both courtesans and princes. In turn his business flourished allowing him to move to the famous Place Vendôme in 1892. Having been given unprecedented access to the Boucheron vaults, the book’s author, Vincent Meylan, made some remarkable discoveries. Perhaps the most significant was a register labeled ‘Book of Stones’. It is a record of all the precious stones that have entered Boucheron’s stock; diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies and pearls are all indexed according to weight, price and, most importantly, who bought and sold them. Meylan also uncovered almost 200 order books and 150 letters. It is these ‘Secret Archives’ that have enabled him to reveal the fascinating history of Boucheron and his extraordinary, colorful clientele. From the ‘Ladies of Sin’ to the ‘King and Queens of the World’ Meylan reveals the riveting stories behind the jewels that the Parisian jeweller sold; the desires they aroused, the madness they provoked, the love they formalized, and the deaths they caused. Boucheron’s clients included Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, La Belle Otero, King Farouk of Egypt, and the Shah of Iran. The demands of these wealthy individuals led to the sensational orders that elevated Boucheron to highest level of creativity. This captivating and revealing publication includes original design sketches, black and white archive images and sumptuous color photographs of the exquisite Boucheron creations