A Family Journey | New High Jewellery Collection | Boodles

At my age, I do what I’m told. So when my family co-directors of Boodles said they’d like me to do a Grand Tour of Europe, who was I to argue? And unlike those poets of the nineteenth century, who might take a rickety boat across The Channel to seek out Michelangelo’s David, I would be doing it in style. “Any fool can be uncomfortable,” as dear Dad used to say. His advice was to travel five-star – and I’ve tried hard to follow his example.

There’s a serious purpose, of course. In 1962, my father made a round-the-world trip. Not all that common back then – and especially not in just 16 days, which is how long it took him. (He and my mother couldn’t bear to be apart.) It wasn’t some corporate jolly. Anthony Wainwright ran a tight ship, and wanted to meet people who could provide Boodles with the very best diamonds and gemstones. Not the sort of people he’d meet in his everyday life. And the friendships Dad made still come up trumps all these years later, although today we’re dealing with the children (and sometimes grandchildren) of the people he visited.

Anyway, to commemorate 60 years since his adventure, I would travel to Europe’s most beautiful cities, seeking inspiration for a new high jewellery collection. That’s what this story is all about.