René Boivin was born in February 1864 in Paris. An excellent designer and engraver, he began a career in the jewellery field at a young age. During the 1890s he purchased several workshops and established himself at rue St. Anastase. In 1893 he married Jeanne Poiret, sister of the famous couturier Paul Poiret.

Word of mouth established the firm’s reputation for faultlessly manufactured pieces of artful beauty. They manufactured designs for well-known jewelers such as Mellerio and Boucheron. While naturalism and flowing lines were a hallmark of the Art Nouveau style, the firm of Boivin did not follow the movement. Instead, they came to specialize in more unconventional designs that were appreciated by a discerning clientele some of whom Rene and Jeanne met while attending the lavish parties of Paul Poiret.

After Boivin’s death in 1917, Jeanne decided to assume control of the firm and established herself in the avenue de l’Opéra alongside her daughter Germaine Boivin, and designer Juliette Moutard . The three worked together for forty years, joined between 1921 and 1932 by Suzanne Belperron, creating unique signature pieces.

In the early 1930s, in a marked stylistic change from the geometrical Art Deco aesthetic, Boivin began to produce bold pieces with rounded silhouettes favoring spherical and elliptical forms.

Madame Boivin had no interest in operating a retail concern expressing the thought that her firms reputation for finely made and original jewels would attract sufficient business.

Upon Jeanne Boivin’s death in 1959, the house was taken over by Louis Girard. In April 1991, the company became part of the Asprey Group. The brand was recently purchased by a new company.