The Beautiful Legacy of Boucher Jewelry

                                                                 

Marcel Boucher was born in Paris France in 1898.  His father died when Marcel was very young.

His widowed mother worked as a seamstress.  He worked in the French Ambulance Corps from

1914 to 1918 during WWI.  Luckily for his enthusiasts (myself included) he was never sent to the front lines since he was the only son of a widow.  

At the end of the war, Marcel began his jewelry career as an apprentice model-maker for none other than Cartier.  In 1923 he was transferred Cartier's New York workshop. After the US market crash in 1929 like many others he found himself out of work.  He began freelancing and designing for the Mazer Brothers.

In 1936 Boucher designed his first line of costume jewelry and sold a collection of his designs to Saks Fifth Avenue.  His jewelry was notable from the very beginning, exhibiting excellent design and

materials (metal, enamel, and rhinestones). It was often mistaken for precious jewelry.

It was 1937 when Marcel Boucher and his partner, Arthur Halberstadt opened Boucher and Cie.

Boucher handled the design and production of the jewelry while Halberstadt took the reins 

of the showroom and sales side of the firm.  Marcel's designs in the 1930s included exotic birds, unique for their mechanized movement and amazing attention to detail.  His love for giving movement to flat jewelry can be seen in many of his early pieces -- most notably his Punchinello --  its arms raise when a chain is pulled.   Additionally Boucher made the Pelican, which opens its beak to catch a fish, as well as "night and day" flowers with petals that open and close.  Boucher's interest in mechanics was artfully demonstrated in these amazing designs -- the sophistication of which had not been seen before in costume jewelry design.

Collector's Weekly

  Punchinello sold for approximately $10.00

        in the 1940s.  His price sold at recent auctions  $4,500 - $5,500

Collectors Weekly

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Morning Glory

Morning Glory

During WWII the white metal so often used in Boucher designs was scarce, so he temporarily moved the company to Mexico City due to the abundance of sterling silver.  This is when his "Parisina" line of cast sterling silver was produced.  

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Disorderly Girl

At the end of the war Marcel sold his Mexico City facility and permanently moved the company back to New York City.  His designs were both prolific and diverse.  There were more birds of paradise, some cubist designs, and his stunning black-a-moor pieces.  

Decorative Collective

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Vintage Dazzle

It was right after the war when Boucher was compelled to sue Coro to stop the pirating of his designs. He had what could be called an expensive victory with damages awarded of approx. $35,000 but with attorney fees of approx. $50,000. This was partly why he began to have cabochons and rhinestones of unique and non-standard sizes made specifically for his use.

Sandra Samensohn joined the Boucher Company in 1949 as Boucher's assistant, actually replacing

Halberstadt who decided to leave the company.   Samensohn had been a designer at Harry Winston the previous two years.  In the 1950s Boucher began producing more traditional designs, influenced by what he saw in the fine jewelry lines of that period.  His jewelry from the 1950s included animal pins, leaves, buckle designs, and rhinestone parures.  Boucher was a meticulous professional, working to ensure each design was perfect. He was often found in the public library researching his designs for hours on end.  Marcel also seemed to have a keen sense of commerce, producing a Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter collection requiring 300 designs a year. He also began a tradition of designing and producing a different show piece each year that the major department stores could display in their windows.  He called these pieces  "first nighters". One of these pieces was used to make a Miss America crown.  Boucher went on to design the crowns for the Miss America pageant for years.


Initially the jewelry designs were all Marcel's but eventually Sandra began presenting designs to him for his approval; and the design process became a true collaboration.

                                 

                               

                                 One of the designs from this period is the iconic 

                                                   Humming Bird Brooch

Cranberry Manor

Vintage Imagine

                                                                   

Sterling Silver Boucher

By the 1950s the Boucher Company employed 60 - 80 employees.  In 1958 Sandra left the firm and became the chief designer for Tiffany & Co.  But she missed the more creative environment and freedom of design found at Boucher's firm and she returned to the company three years later.  After her return Marcel and Sandra combined their efforts and designed the splendid enamel peacock collection as well as a wonderful series of dog brooches.  Again, these pieces reflected Marcel's commitment to getting the details right!

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Decades Vintage On Etsy

Industrial Blonde

The only "freelance" design during these years was the skunk brooch --  a favorite of both Marcel and Neiman Marcus.

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In the early 1960s Boucher created the Marboux line, a less expensive line of Boucher jewelry that was attainable for the average woman.  Marcel made sure that the Marboux designs continued to be top notch, but the material used was not as high quality as his MB or Boucher lines, which used only top of the line stones, enamel, and glass pearls.

According to Sandra, Boucher always aimed for jewelry that was chic and fluid with simple lines.  He was very demanding first of himself and of those who worked for him.  Most of his pieces were signed, and often they have an inventory number as well as a signature.  

On a sad note Marcel and Sandra were married in October of 1964, but six weeks later Marcel passed away, leaving his company to his wife (and now head designer) Sandra.  Sandra however, was a designer not a business woman.  She sold the business in to Davorn Industries in 1972.  Sandra

continued to design watches for Davorn for the next five years that were marked Marcel Boucher.

In an interview in the year 2000 Sandra said it best when asked what made her husband and his designs special;

"Not only was he a very good designer, but he was a jeweler and mechanic too, who knew model making and tooling. He took pride in his work and was always very demanding and a perfectionist with an eye for detail. He studied his subjects intimately. But above all, he had impeccable taste and knew what was chic."

. . .  and in regards to her collaboration with her very talented husband;

"Marcel and I were always reaching forward and we were always ahead of our time," says Sandra. "We always looked for the next challenge, the next fashion. We never dwelled in the past or lived in our memories. . . ."

                                                 Boucher Jewelry from Teamlove

A Magnificent Mess

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Vintag Obsessions

The Jewel Seeker

Bitz of Glitz 4 U

                                                                                         

Dars Jewelry Box

Tonettes Treasures

Vintage Imagine

Junque Girl

           

Zephyr Vintage

Vintage Imagine

                                                                                           

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Renaissance Fair

           

Trendy Treasures1                             

                     

Dars Jewelry Box

  
             


From Illusionjewels.com:
       Boucher used Sterling from about 1942 until at least 1947 (Pat Seal)
       Boucher worked for Mazer in the early 1930s
       He did a series of flower pins that had his name, plus the name of the flower
       Boucher Inventory Numbers dates are approximate, as designs could have been assigned
       numbers, but not produced until a future time.

                        From A Tribute To America by Carla and Roberto Brunialti

      1945: 2300 - 2350

        1946: 2351 - 2450

        1947: 2451 - 2550

        1948: 2551 - 2750

        1949: 2751 - 3000

        1950: 3001 - 4500

                               After  1955, marks had the copyright © symbol.

1960: 7802

1962: 8291

                                                                                   1965: 9100 - pieces Sandra Boucher made after Marcel's death

                                              Later pieces also may have "P" for pin or "E" for earring, in addition to the number. 

        Boucher died in 1965.

        Sandra Boucher, Marcel's wife, ran the company until 1972.

        Company became a part of Davorn Industries in 1972.

        1977- Davorn sold the name & designs to Stutz Fashion 

                                                                

  Sources:

wikipedia.org

collectorsweekly.com

guyotbrothers.com

vintagenorth.wordpress.com

morninggloryjewelry.com
illusionjewels.com