René Boivin

Born in 1864 to draper parents and trained in jewelry-making by his brother, a goldsmith and engraver, René Boivin founded his jewelry house in 1890. In 1893, he married Jeanne Poiret, sister of the famous couturier Paul Poiret. Together, they developed an original and modern style, strongly influenced by Haute Couture and contemporary artistic movements like Cubism and Art Deco, creating some of the most daring jewelry of the early 20th century.

The most sought-after pieces from the René Boivin house are those created starting in the 1920s. After the untimely death of her husband, Jeanne Boivin took over the business and hired the young designer Suzanne Belperron, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts and winner of the first prize at the Arts Décoratifs competition. The two women introduced a new direction for Boivin creations, with a taste and sensitivity that was undoubtedly more feminine, featuring less geometric and angular compositions, and celebrating curves and rounded forms. This collaboration allowed Boivin to experience a renewed success, further enhanced by the arrival of Juliette Moutard, who succeeded Suzanne Belperron in 1931 and remained with Jeanne Boivin until 1970, when she passed her brushes to Marie Caroline de Brosses.

The strength and reputation of the René Boivin house are based on the consistency of a recognizable style, which successfully fused the diverse inspirations of its various female collaborators: shells and marine themes for Jeanne Boivin, and animal and floral motifs for Juliette Moutard. The combination of these different talents allowed René Boivin to offer innovative and atypical jewelry, which achieved lasting success.

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