Think of British jewellery brand Boodles and a few things spring to mind: its Raindance collection (a piece sits in the permanent collection of the V&A); the pretty pink packaging; the annual garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show; and a light-filled store on London’s New Bond Street. But as the Boodles logo reveals, this is not jewellery in its infancy. Under the lettering is the year ‘1798’, the date that the original company was founded in Liverpool. At 228 years old, Boodles has a far larger (and longer) story to tell – and the brand is ready to share it.
Later this year, a new Boodles Townhouse will open at 23 Old Bond Street, with a dedicated space for an archive, filled with objects, documents, sketches, silverware and (of course) jewellery that charts the history of a house that’s impressively and unusually a sixth-generation business still owned and run by the Wainwright family.
The archive will comprise two spaces, in a neat division of the brand’s heritage. A library will chart the early years when the company started in Liverpool as a traditional English jeweller selling antiques, silver, clocks, watches and fine jewellery. A cabinet of curiosities will be filled with all things Boodles, including brochures, invitations, packaging and silverware from across the years. Sketches and designs for past Grand National trophies (Boodles has been involved with the historic race since the 1930s) will be shown, while more personal items, including a family photo album from the 1960s that documents Anthony Wainwright’s travels (and would later inspire a collection named A Family Journey), will be on display.
In another space, the focus will be on Boodles’ design heritage. It was only in 1990 that the company started designing jewellery in-house and the evolution of collections such as Raindance, Wonderland and The Poetry of Landscape – the last riffing on the patterns and shapes of the landscape of the British Isles – will be explained here. Alongside a dedicated archivist looking after around 25 pieces of jewellery and approximately 600 archive objects and documents, the company has also enlisted the help of the National Museums Liverpool to help curate and design the museum-standard display.
Anyone visiting the new townhouse will be welcome to experience the space, as marketing director Honour Wainwright explains: ‘In recent years, we have placed a greater emphasis on documenting, preserving and celebrating our history through this growing archive. Clients will now be able to discover and hear about the unique history behind the brand and the inspiration behind our collections.’ But, perhaps more importantly, it already serves an important purpose for the brand; as Wainwright says, ‘It’s a valuable source of inspiration. Looking back often sparks ideas for future creations and there are already discussions around developing a high-jewellery collection inspired by our heritage.’ Delving into the past to future-proof what lies ahead? Boodles has it covered.
GOOD TO KNOW
Comprising more than 30 diamond-and-platinum pieces, the 2015 high-jewellery collection Pas de Deux celebrated Boodles’ support and long-standing relationship with the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera House. Pieces such as the necklace, bracelet and earrings photographed for these pages capture the shapes and shadows thrown by dancers on stage.
