Few jewelers can boast of being in continuous operation for over two centuries. Fewer still can claim to have designed jewelry for European nobles in the pre-democratic era, when that was the main measure of worth. The House of Chaumet is one of these rare breeds.
The craftmaster Marie-Etienne Nitot apprenticed for created pieces for Queen Marie- Antoinette, but when he struck out on his own, many of his clients from the French aristocracy followed him. Once the revolution of 1789 swept the country, Napoleon Bonaparte appointed Nitot as his official jewelry, cementing his success. Nitot’s standout pieces include Napoleon’s wedding jewelry, sword hilt and coronation crown.
When Napoleon was exiled, Nitot’s son and successor, a loyalist, sold the business to the Fossin family, who found favor with France’s new royal family. A second revolution in 1848 precipitated the firm’s founding of a satellite store in London, which was soon producing pieces for the British Queen Victoria.
Joseph Chaumet took control of the business in 1885, naming it after his family, who then ruled it for a century. But in 1987 the firm file for bankruptcy, after which it was sold to the Investcorp bank. In 1999 the firm was purchased by conglomerate LVMH. Today, most of the company’s clientele is in France, Japan and China.
