In Paris, France, October 2008, the high jewellery maison, Boucheron celebrated 150 years with an iconic necklace; designed by Shaun Leane, who was hand-picked to bring his futuristic vision to Boucheron’s hallowed workrooms.
Queen of the Night draws inspiration from Place Vendômeitself; and the reclusive Countess de Castiglione - Virginia Oldoïni Rapallini, whose dark beauty emerged only at night, to walk the streets of Paris under a cloud of shadows, reeling from a social scandal. Her great extravagance is reflected in Leane’s extraordinary neckpiece of magnificent beauty and technical virtuosity.
The Queen of the Night wraps around the neck, open-ended, asymmetric, alive with flowers silhouetted in blackened gold; pavé-set on the outside with blue sapphires and inside with white diamonds. Scattered leaves of copper coloured diamonds enclose bejewelled flowers; underneath each, a secret push-button to open and close each bud manually.
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Open, the flowers reveal glistening rubies – and the legendary passions of the femme fatale. Closed, the piece takes on the whispered allusion of the countess – beautiful but reclusive. Thorny diamond stems nestle a striking pear-shaped lilac 15.29 carat sapphire; detachable, it can be worn as a pendant.
