Chaumet (founded 1780)

The French maison of Chaumet was founded in 1780, by jeweler Marie- Étienne Nitot, who had previously worked with the jeweler to Queen Marie-Antoinette. From 1885- 1928, Joseph Chaumet, who gave the company its name, became its Director. In 1907, Chaumet moved to 12, Place Vendôme, which houses both its retail operation and workshop.

In the early 1800’s, Nitot became Napoleon Bonaparte’s official jeweler and was commissioned to make Napoleon’s coronation sword. He was also chosen as Empress Josephine’s personal jeweler. The ties to the royal court did not end there. In 1853 he future Empress Eugenie’s mother placed an order for two gold wedding bands, priced 40 francs, and engraved “Eugenie and Louis-Napoleon”. In fact, the maison has been responsible for the creation of some of the most sumptuous tiaras and head ornaments in history all the way to present day. Following the fall of the Empire, Chaumet devoted itself to creating romantic and decorative jewelry, a design legacy which continued well into the 1900s.

During the twentieth-century, Chaumet responded to the changing tastes and fashions of the times, from creating imaginative Art Deco designs in platinum to hiring some of the leading jewelry talents like Pierre Sterlé (the great French jeweler who designed for the maison beginning in the 1930s and was still its official technical advisor in 1976, 2 years prior to his death) and René Morin (who was Chaumet’s artistic director from 1962 to 1987) who, from the 1940’s into the 1970’s, created large-scale pieces, often with yellow gold and semi-precious gemstones.

The 1970s, in particular, were an exciting decade for Chaumet. They produced some of their most technically advanced lapidary and goldsmithing work. Their boutique L’Arcade was an important destination for avant-garde jewelry and even sparked a new look in textured gold called poli Arcade, inspired by the Brutalist architecture of the day. During this time the maison excelled at gold patinas and finishes, including textured, mirror-polished, braided, brushed and chiseled. Under the leadership of master glyptician Robert Lemoine, whose carved stone knew no limits and could resemble a menagerie of animal heads as well as musical instruments and headdresses.

The house continues to produce finely crafted, heirloom quality jewels from their Parisian workshop. In 2023, Chaumet opened its state-of-the-art archives room, in the jeweler’s recently restored mansion on Place Vendôme, for the first time to the public.