When the topic of sustainability in jewellery comes up, there are a few efforts that immediately come to mind. Ethically sourced gold and gemstones, for example, are avenues of progress. Yet there’s one particular facet that often gets overlooked. Jewellery packaging might not appear as significant on the surface, but its impact on the environment certainly adds up. This is where Boucheron’s latest jewellery cases come in.
Two years in the making, the maison’s new cases trade the 11 non-recyclable components of its old packaging for just two natural and recyclable materials: lightweight aluminium and wool felt certified with the Responsible Wool Standard. Gone is the traditional hinged form factor, simplified instead into round boxes where one can simply pull open the top to reveal its contents. The entire production process has been rewritten too, with every step optimised to ensure the smallest possible environmental footprint.
The result: a collection of cases—in seven formats for rings, bracelets, necklaces and more—crafted with a level of artistry and meticulousness normally reserved for designer objects. Inspired by beauty kits of the 1980s, the lid of each case features a textured surface of carefully sculpted emerald forms, a subtle reference to the jewellery house’s logo.
The aluminium and felt designs have quantifiable environmental benefits on top of their aesthetics. The simplified components mean the weight of Boucheron packaging is now reduced to just a quarter of what it used to be, and the two materials chosen can be endlessly recycled. This means a lower carbon footprint when shipping the jewellery out of Place Vendôme in Paris and end-of-life circularity for the cases. The brand’s creative director Claire Choisne is said to repurpose the cases as decorative vases in her home.
The innovation with which the maison is approaching its packaging is not surprising. It was one of the earliest jewellers in the industry to publish a revealing report on its sustainability efforts, welcoming its contemporaries and competitors to share in the house’s learnings. In an industry where a jewel box is as emblematic as it is thanks to proposal culture, Boucheron’s new cases represent a bold step toward the future and a clarion call for change.
The June ‘Impact’ issue of Vogue Singapore is now available for sale online and at newsstands.
