The Journey

In October 2024, Boodles President Nicholas Wainwright and his niece Honour set off on an unforgettable adventure within Africa, a journey that would go on to inspire our latest High Jewellery collection. From boarding the Blue Train in South Africa to soaring over the Maasai Mara in a hot air balloon, they travelled in search of extraordinary gemstones, design inspiration and a little Boodles magic. Along the way, they met craftspeople, visited communities that are supported by our charity partner Just a Drop, and immersed themselves in the colours, culture and wildlife of this remarkable continent. Join us as we retrace their footsteps and discover the stories behind the jewels.

When the sun sets on the Maasai Mara, something magical happens. Crystal blue skies fade to violet and silver. The grasslands glow as if tinged with gold. The whole landscape feels laden with treasure. And of course, as any jeweller can tell you, in a sense it really is.

Africa is precious to Boodles. The cradle of all our humanity, she has given so much we are grateful for. In 1905, the largest ‘rough’ ever discovered, the Cullinan diamond, was found 25 miles east of Pretoria, weighing an astonishing 3,106 carats. The Premier Mine was renamed in celebration of that stone, and we have been fortunate enough to create Boodles collections sharing the same worthy provenance.

But while diamonds from Africa have long featured in our jewellery – with provenance and traceability in mind – it has been some time since African landscapes, flora and fauna have inspired a collection. In 2021, our first ‘Family Journey’, Around the World in 16 Days, featured individual pieces inspired by Marrakesh and South Africa – the collection itself a homage to former Boodles’ Chairman Anthony Wainwright’s 1962 journey around the world in search of fine stones.

In 2022, Anthony’s son, Nicholas Wainwright – then Chairman of Boodles, and now our President – made a ‘grand tour’ of his own, joined by our Head of Design, Rebecca Hawkins. Nicholas visited ten European cities, and Rebecca found inspiration for our Around Europe in 10 Days collection. This year, with a sixth-generation member of the Wainwright family, Honour Wainwright, Boodles’ Director (and the first woman from the Wainwright family ever to join the company), Nicholas thought it would be the ideal time for a new adventure. Having seen such strong connections to Africa throughout the years, Nicholas and Honour decided to join forces for a journey devoted to the continent.

Honour had previously visited the Cullinan mine with her father, Michael. And having also led Boodles’ charitable work with the cleandrinking-water charity, Just a Drop, a return to Africa would also provide an opportunity to see how the charity’s initiatives were progressing.

“I loved the results of Nicholas’s Around Europe journey. It inspired our design team to create some fabulous pieces, and Nicholas also picked up some very smart stones – despite my cousin, Jody, gently advising him not to get too carried away! Nicholas is the most experienced gemmologist in our family – one of the best in the world, in fact – and he is also wonderful fun. I knew a journey together would be the ideal way to learn from his example. I couldn’t wait to gain some inspiration for our design team, and help pick out some remarkable stones.”

Plan hatched, it was a case of setting the itinerary. “I have always wanted to visit Tanzania,” says Honour. “As the country’s famous cave paintings show, it’s a landscape that’s been inspiring people artistically for over 10,000 years.”

With wanderlust deep in the blood, not only was Nicholas thrilled to have his niece joining him on his latest adventure – the third in our A Family Journey series – he also had the idea of inviting along a very special guest. “With Tanzania and Kenya firmly settled on, I thought, ‘Why not go for a trio, and add South Africa too?’ For many years, I’ve been saying to my good friend, Saul Goldberg, that we really should visit Cape Town together, with a view to tracking down some whopper stones.” Saul’s father, William Goldberg, is known for creating the Ashoka cut; a diamond with 62 facets available in Britain only from Boodles.

“Saul has some wonderful contacts in the region,” says Nicholas. “And when we meet, he also has a habit of popping out some first-rate Ashoka diamonds he’s been saving for us; real ‘Foxʼs Glacier Mints’. So I thought a few days with Saul before joining Honour would be a great way for he and I to fulfil a long-held ambition. And sure enough, over breakfast on the Blue Train between Cape Town and Kimberley, what did Saul do but whip out a pair of dazzling Ashokas, as well as a splendid Asscher cut. Needless to say, I took them all. And now they’re proudly in place in three new pieces inspired by the Victoria Falls.”

Exchanging the Blue Train for an aeroplane or two, Nicholas touched down in Nairobi to meet Honour and start to seek inspiration. Boodles’ photographer, Archie, had been at Nicholas’s side from the outset, capturing the whole journey for the design team, and for the Boodles House archive. “Archie took some stunning pictures out on safari,” says Honour. “He also managed to arrange access to some really out-of-the-way places, where we were able to get up-close to all the wildlife we were hoping to see. And as the film shows, Nicholas once again engaged in some boules!”

A light aircraft flight to Tanzania, and now the adventure could really kick off. “I was keen to start seeking inspiration from the landscape and animals as soon as possible,” says Honour. “But Nicholas was seduced by some tanzanites that caught his eye in Kilimanjaro. So although we’d only been in the country for 30 minutes, we were already negotiating over stones!”

Nicholas and Honour made their way by road towards Lake Manyara. And as the sun set, Honour noticed how beautiful it looked when seen through the branches of the baobab trees. This insight led to our new African Sunset rings – and to the designers paying special attention to the side profile of these pieces. White diamonds climb the band of each ring, branching out to form a canopy of green tsavorites and orange sapphires. In the tanzanite version, larger mandarin garnets give an extra spark of sunshine.

After a first night under the stars, the intrepid trio set off at dawn to start their inspiration-seeking safari. Almost as soon as they’d left the encampment, the 4x4 had to stop and make way for a herd of passing elephants. It was the perfect opportunity for Honour and Nicholas to see these creatures up-close. Consequently, in our Elephant pendant, a brush texture in the gold of the animal’s trunk captures the distinctive wrinkles of its skin as, in jewelled form, it hauls a pear shaped morganite of 26 carats. The tusks are made from carved white agate, and continue as a motif throughout the chain. Not much later on, an inquisitive giraffe decided to check out the visitors.

Archie captured some wonderful video of the very long-necked lady peering with curiosity over the treetops; it led Boodles’ designers towards a pattern of mixed coloured diamonds. Hundreds of links between the stones give the pieces in this suite a fluid feel. There’s a gentle curve to the cell-like motif in the Giraffe bracelet, echoing the pattern within a giraffe’s coat. Yellow, cognac and champagne diamonds emulate the warm colours of its body, assisted by a dotting of white brilliants.

The striking, spiralling horns of the male greater kudu, Africa’s second tallest antelope, were among the inspiration for the Gazelle suite. Compare the outer edges of the earrings on page 37 with one another and you’ll see one member of the pair has white diamonds with pearshaped mandarin garnets, while the other features brilliant cut mandarin garnets on the outer edge and pear shaped diamonds within. In both cases, the textural pattern of the horns Honour noticed were engraved under and behind the precious stones in this suite.

The vertical lines of the zebra have been recreated using diamonds and enamel for the new Zebra suite. In the bracelet, there are joints between every line of diamonds, giving the piece yet more fantastic fluidity. True black enamel has been used to create a strong contrast against marquise and brilliant cut white diamonds. “All the jointing meant this was one of the most complicated pieces to create,” says Honour. “But the result is striking.” The collar is slimmer than the bracelet, and like the earrings, sets the stage for our emeralds. The 16.72 carat oval shaped emerald in the ring on page 52 was acquired for the collection by Nicholas. Look at the design sideways on, and there’s just a hint of a zebra’s face.

Through the expertise of local safari guides, Honour and Nicholas came almost within touching distance of lions. It was the lion’s mane that caught Honour’s attention, and is now the main motif of the Lion ring, pendant and earrings. White and yellow diamonds are key, set into yellow and even a little rose gold. Notice how in the negative space of the necklace, a lion’s face emerges.

Nicholas and Honour’s adventure in Africa reached greater heights yet, with a dawn flight the next day by balloon. Astute readers may recall that Nicholas flew by balloon over Florence during his European tour. That was a slightly nerve wracking experience: the balloon’s basket was rather low-walled. This time, however, with Honour beside him, and in a much bigger vessel – both Wainwrights had a whale of a time. What’s more, cameraman Archie managed to shoot some amazing film footage, which was beamed back to England to inspire our design team. All in all, it was a remarkable journey. Trains, planes and automobiles once again – and with the addition of a 4x4 safari. “We’ll be forever grateful to everyone who made us feel so welcome,” says Nicholas. “Africa is a magical continent. We hope our new collection puts you under her spell.”

Discover The Collection