Marcel Boucher
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Marcel Boucher was born in France in 1898. In the early 1920s, he moved to New York City where he developed a passion for jewellery design, studying under Pierre Cartier as an apprentice. By the 1930s, he was working for Mazer Brothers. However, in 1937 he decided to establish his own company, which he called Marcel Boucher and Cie Company.
[edit] Costume Jewellery by Boucher
Jewelry by Boucher is almost always signed (meaning a marking signifying authenticity was put on the piece) and has an inventory number on it somewhere, which is excellent for collectors. Some of the earliest marks say 'Marboux' or 'MB.' More comprehensive lists, along with how to date a piece according to an inventory number, can easily be found online.
Boucher had always used white metal in his pieces, but the entry of the USA in World War II meant that metal was scarce. At that point, Boucher began using silver in his work, even moving to Mexico for a brief stint to utilize the silver there.
From the start, Boucher was innovative in his jewelry designs. They contained a "depth and a sense of movement that had not been seen in costume jewelry before." [1] His pins were often made to look very 3-D, sometimes with several layers.
[edit] Boucher's Death
In 1965, Boucher passed away, and his wife Sandra (who had worked for Henry Winston took over the company. It was made a subsidiary (sometime between 1970-1972 of Davorn Industries).
