These queens are muses for the vision of Boghossian CEO Albert Boghossian and Creative Director Edmond Chin, celebrating the strength, courage and style of real women through jewelry as a timeless, universal language. Queens of Time considers women who ruled over kingdoms often resistant to their power. They transformed the culture, society and mindsets around them, reinforcing their status and sovereignty with beauty and purpose: jewelry.
Mayadevi, Queen of the Sakya, gave birth under a flowering sal tree in Lumbini in 563 BC to Siddhartha Gautama, who would become the Buddha. Boghossian, long inspired by the miracles and mysteries of India, presents a dramatic set in a cacophony of blues. Lapis lazuli evokes a mysterious blue, Paraiba the color of heaven, white diamonds the lotus flower, and spessartite garnet a vibrant contrast. Floral elements echo the sal tree.
Atossa Shahbanu, daughter of Cyrus the Great, wife of Darius the Great and mother of Xerxes, was the first Queen Mother of the Persian Empire. A bracelet, ring and earrings recall the color palette she relished: lapis, aquamarine, imperial morganite, pink tourmaline, carnelian and diamonds set into white and rose gold to evoke sacred geometry. Cleopatra VII, meanwhile, inspired a grand golden yellow mother-of-pearl necklace set with an extraordinary light yellow lozenge diamond. Eighteen yellow Asscher-cut diamonds undulate at its center, while diamond- twisted mother-of-pearl strands form a Hercules Knot, symbol of love, protection and healing.
Theodora became Empress of the Byzantine Empire alongside Justinian and advised him on matters of state with strategic brilliance. Her buttery gold necklace, set with blue sapphires, emeralds, spinels and natural saltwater pearls, features three spectacular pendants suspended from a choker. Rough diamonds bring light to modern granulation, while mismatched chandelier earrings add drama. Queen Seondeok, the first female ruler of modern- day Korea, inspired double cuffs that evolve the symbolism of her tree-shaped crown. Jadeite branches converge around a central Type A pear cabochon on each cuff, accompanied by fancy vivid yellow diamonds and bell-shaped earrings.
Eleanor of Aquitaine was Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen of France and later Queen of England. Formidable and enigmatic, she let her jewelry do the talking. Boghossian draws inspiration from medieval books with raised gemstones set upon sheet gold. A radiant choker, earrings and ring with very light yellow pear-shaped diamonds are accented by orange sapphires and natural saltwater keshi pearls; flexible panels layer color, texture and light.
Indradevi, queen of the Khmer Empire and Cambodia’s earliest known female poet, championed education, healthcare and equality. Two suites capture the duality and beauty of sisterhood, of morning and evening, in luminous soft blues and greens. Mint tourmalines, chrysoprase and aquamarines illuminate the first; Paraibas, tanzanites, hauyne, lapis and turquoise enrich the second. For Elizabeth I, Boghossian creates two sets: a majestic sautoir led by an exceptional natural conch pearl, and a second composition in which carved Tudor roses contrast with green tsavorites and the gray- green shimmer of 87 abalone pearls surrounding orange diamonds.
Mumtaz Mahal, whose name means “Exalted One of the Palace,” inspired a necklace of white jade, jasper, agate, carved Zambian emeralds and tawiz-shaped diamonds. A second suite centers on sculptural bangle, with pear-shaped emeralds set into white mother-of-pearl and edged in pink spinel and tsavorite. Catherine the Great appears in “white on white, the cold glitter of Russian winters,” as Chin describes it. Inspired by her rare bowknot diamond necklace, an abstract asymmetrical creation pairs faceted hexagonal moonstones with sharp kite- shaped diamonds through the Art of Inlay.
Joséphine, the first Empress of France, set a new standard of elegance with diamond tiaras, neoclassical cameo parures and endless rows of pearls. Boghossian presents an ensemble carved entirely from morganite and set with sunset tourmaline and imperial topaz in soft blush tones. Architectural lines drawn from her Empire throne and the romance of Napoleon’s letters infuse the set with strength and femininity.
Geneva-based and family-run, Boghossian has a history spanning more than 150 years. Helmed by fifth- and sixth-generation gem experts, the Maison combines Eastern opulence with innovative Swiss craftsmanship. Queens of Time is an homage to women whose power, purpose and presence transcend centuries.
