In 1879, French jeweler Frédéric Boucheron created the Point d’Interrogation, or Question Mark necklace, a pioneering high jewelry design made without a clasp. Meant to slip around the neck in one motion, its curved, asymmetrical form was radical for its time because it moved away from rigid, cumbersome jewelry and instead followed the body’s natural lines. More than a century later, Boucheron creative director Claire Choisne has revisited that breakthrough with Untamed, a diamond-set ivy necklace in white gold that reflects both the original innovation and a modern vision of versatility.
Choisne describes the new piece as part of a larger high jewelry collection that tells the story of Frédéric Boucheron through four major creations. She says the Question Mark necklace was essential to include because it was the house’s first icon. Her reinterpretation retains the original’s structural principles, including the nearly invisible articulation system and clasp-free construction, while sharpening the silhouette to give it a more tensile, contemporary line.
The new design also draws inspiration from an archival sketch from 1879 showing ivy extending far beyond the collarbone, a concept Boucheron could not realize at the time because of technical limitations. Ivy proved a fitting motif for the project. Unlike the polished floral forms favored by many 19th-century jewelers, ivy is wild, persistent, and adaptive. In Untamed, the plant’s movement is translated into round-cut diamonds and rock crystal fruits, with each stem and leaf assembled with extraordinary precision. The piece took 2,600 hours to complete, reflecting the complexity of turning a natural, climbing form into wearable art.
Untamed preserves the bold spirit of the original Question Mark necklace, especially its asymmetry and lack of a clasp, while extending that idea into a new relationship with the body. Its long, cascading shape changes the proportions of the wearer’s silhouette, descending from the neck down the torso rather than sitting neatly at the throat. This elongated design creates a dramatic visual effect while staying faithful to Boucheron’s belief that jewelry should move with the body rather than constrain it.
The necklace also introduces a modern sense of functionality. Several sections can be detached and worn separately as a collar, brooch, or hair ornament, making the piece adaptable to different occasions and styles. For Choisne, this flexibility is central to the future of high jewelry. She sees it not as something fixed and ceremonial, but as something dynamic and responsive to everyday life.
By merging historical innovation with contemporary craftsmanship, Untamed pays tribute to Boucheron’s original design revolution while expanding it into a more versatile, living form. It stands as both a homage to the house’s heritage and a statement about how high jewelry can evolve: not static, but fluid, adaptable, and intimately connected to the wearer.
