Boodles, Jewellers Since 1798
16th May 2020
Born in 1798 in Liverpool, Boodles was initially selling clocks and silver goods. Through the years, the British company expanded and developped its offer covering all types of jewels from accessible lines to high jewellery collections. Today, it is still a family-run business which is managed by four main characters:
Nicholas Wainwright is the Chairman while his brother, Michael Wainwright is the Managing Director. Their nephews, Jody Wainwright is the Director of Precious Stones and James Amos is the Marketing Director of Boodles.
The head of design, Rebecca Hawkins joined the company in 1990. She is the creative mind of the Maison, translating the ideas of the family and designing jewels inspired from nature mainly with floral and water themes.
Front left to right:
James Amos, Jody, Nicholas & Michael Wainwright
Rebecca Hawkins, Head of Design at Boodles
Since 1995, Patek Philippe partners with Boodles to display and sell the prestigious Swiss watches in the British jeweller’s boutiques.
Today, Boodles manages 9 boutiques, all located in United Kingdom, including a corner at Harrods and at The Savoy Hotel in London. They are recognizable with their pinkish interiors and display designs. Indeed pastel pink is the iconic color of te British jeweller which might comes from the love for pink diamonds of the Boodles family.
Boodles is proud to have privileged relationships with its clients and confirms they organized between 150 and 200 events a year, which contribute to build a loyal customers’ portfolio. Thanks to this fruitful clientele, Boodles recorded their top revenues reaching £70 M in 2018, growing steadily every year.
Since 2005, the British jeweller is recognized for its Ashoka-cut diamonds’ jewels. Indeed, it is the only brand to offer this specific type of gemstone cut which was introduced in 1999 by William Goldberg, an American jeweller and diamond dealer. A brilliant-cut and an emerald-cut diamonds should feature 58 facets, however, the Ashoka-cut presents 62 facets which is supposed to emphasize the sparkles and radiance. Another important characteristic is the oblong, elongated and curvy shape given to the stone which appears smoother and with soft edges. As a matter of fact, a 2 carat Ashoka-cut diamond will appear 30% bigger than an emerald-cut diamond of the same carat weight. Due to the size and length criteria to produce an Ashoka diamond, only 10% of the diamonds are appropriate for this cut. Boodles designs a wide range of jewels with Ashoka-cut diamond, from the classic engagement ring, to the tennis bracelet and the abundant high jewellery necklace.
In 2010, the American actress, Reese Witherspoon, received a major 4 carat Ashoka-cut diamond engagement ring which contributed to raise awareness about this uncommon shape.
Ashoka Cut Diamonds, Boodles. Legends on the pictures.
Boodles introduced its first high jewellery collection in 2008, Wonderland. Since then, the British jeweler unveils a new chapter every two years. But in 2014, Boodles unveiled an important suite of jewels: a necklace, pendant, ring and earrings composed of major untreated Colombian emeralds from the Muzo mines. It is the most valuable set ever created by the Liverpool brand with a necklace featuring a £ 2.8 M pricetag. This whopping price is justified by the unique design but above all by the eleven rare matching emeralds that reach a total of 90.35 carats.
The design by Rebecca Hawkins reproduces entwined foliage with curvy platinum lines flourishing into the 11 cushion-cut intense green stones. The Greenfire set required a total of 1’800 hours to produce the four jewels. Later on, Boodles created a matching bracelet with another 5 emeralds.
The Greenfire Set, Boodles, 2014
Cushion Cut Emeralds, Diamonds & Platinum
In 2019, Boodles unveiled Wonderland: Always a Story, a new high jewellery collection. The jewels translate a journey in an unexpected colorful world gathering curious animals and exotic plants. The natural curiosities are represented both in a figurative and abstract way with bright touches of colors. Juicy strawberries, shooting stars and singing birds are shining through a wide selection of precious and fine stones: emeralds, rubies, pink sapphires, green tourmalines, aquamarines, black sapphires and fancy colored diamonds.
The fairy and fancy collection presents 27 unique pieces that seem to come from a mysterious tale: Each jewel tells a story. The British jeweller is proud to highlight its crafts and talented design team on its website with dedicated videos.
Wonderland: Always A Story, Boodles HJ Collection, 2019. Legends on pictures.
As a jeweler, Boodles emphasizes specially its Bristish roots, familial values, friendly contact with customers, and its jewel inspiration of nature.