René Boivin

René Boivin, an expert goldsmith and engraver bought his first jewelry workshop in 1890 and established the house of Boivin. His marriage to Jeanne Poiret in 1893 was critical to his success in the jewelry industry as Jeanne was a savvy business partner and had numerous connections with Paris’ fashion elite. Jeanne Poiret’s brother, Paul Poiret was Paris’ most famous couturier and influenced the Boivin’s with his taste for exotic designs of the Orient and Middle East. The Boivin’s set up a number of workshops, establishing a reputation for creative designs that captured the essence of beauty in motion. Together Mr. and Mrs. Boivin created fabulous designs marked by their signature elements: elegant lines, twists, and trembling components. Favorite themes included flowers, fruit and animals.

René Boivin died in 1917 and his wife Jeanne and daughter Germaine assumed control of the business. This was a unique circumstance as women designers were extremely rare in the industry at the time. Jeanne hired Louis Girard to manage the store and sought female designers to design for the company. These female designers included the famous Suzanne Belperron until 1931, Juliette Moutard, who was with the firm until the mid-seventies and daughter Germaine Boivin who had great success and exhibited her innovative designs in many International Exhibitions in the 30’s and 40’s. Jeanne established the jewelry maison on the prestigious avenue de l’Opéra. Similar to her husband, Jeanne was drawn to colored stones, using imaginative color combinations to create magnificent jewelry sought after by Europe’s cultural elite. Under Jeanne Boivin, Maison Boivin produced innovative jewelry with astounding movements and textures that appealed not only to the eye but also to the touch.