Boucheron’s new jewelry cases combine just two materials: aluminum and wool felt
© Boucheron
“No pack is the new pack,” declared Hélène Poulit-Duquesne, CEO of Boucheron, as she introduced the brand's new packaging design on social networks. Following a two-year development, the French luxury jewelry house revealed redesigned and lightweighted packaging that reduces the number of materials used in its cases from eleven to just two.
With the environmental footprint of its previous jewelry cases making them obsolete in a market geared towards sustainability, French jewelry house Boucheron (Kering) has revealed new packaging that is already shaking up the sector.
The collection, comprised of seven boxes, uses just two materials: aluminum and wool felt. This compares to the brand’s previous boxes, which was a mix of 11 materials and 12 different formats. The former boxes were deemed to be too heavy, too large, and were unable to be recycled when Boucheron CEO Hélène Poulit-Duquesne asked her teams in 2021 to reinvent the house’s jewelry cases. The new versions are four times lighter.
Beauty compacts from the 1980s inspired Boucheron’s packaging redesign ©Boucheron
"This June, we embark on a transformative journey that reimagines jewelry packaging to favor lightness and more responsible materials over opulence. Embracing a future where sustainability and luxury converge, we are very proud to reinvent the jewelry case with a new design made entirely of two [...] materials: aluminum and wool felt. This collection of seven boxes is the result of an ambitious deconstruction of jewelry norms and opens a new chapter in the history of Place Vendôme," Poulit-Duquesne said on LinkedIn.
None of the brand’s previous packaging materials were kept for this new collection; Boucheron is entering new territory with the use of aluminum and wool felt. Aluminum is "an unusual choice for the jewelry sector", highlights the brand, adding that the material is more commonly used for luxury baggage, designer objects and in the aeronautics industry. Chosen for its lightweight, recyclable and aesthetic properties, it combines with "soft and resistant" natural wool felt that cushions the products inside. The emerald-green felt uses neither glue nor stitching and is certified with the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS).
Box design reinvents the clamshell format
Beyond materials, Boucheron has reinvented the traditional jewelry box design, moving away from hinged packs and instead opting for boxes where the lid lifts off from the base. Poulit-Duquesne gave her teams carte blanche for the design, which takes its cues from the brand’s archives and is inspired by beauty kits (or nécéssaire de beauté) from the 1980s. "The conventional clamshell system was reimagined [...] by redesigning the case's opening through its lid to eliminate the use of non-recyclable metal parts, which were deemed too polluting," she explains.
Boucheron’s jewelry packs are a move away from traditional hinged boxes ©Boucheron
The textured surface of each case features "finely-sculpted emerald cut shapes" that are a nod to Boucheron’s logo representing Paris’ Place Vendôme from a birdseye view. Instead of a gift box, the cases come in green pouches made from cotton, of which 65% is recycled. Consumers can choose to keep both the box and pouch, or just the pouch. In-store, they will be advised to separate the aluminum and wool felt parts for respective sorting.
Boucheron is no stranger to new materials; it claims to have been the first maison to design high jewelry combining gold and diamonds with seashells, rattan and aerogel. The redesign of its jewelry boxes is part of the brand’s Precious for the Future strategy implemented in 2022. Poulit-Duquesne says that Boucheron is also working on sustainable boxes for its high-jewelry pieces. Watch this space.
