Chaumet

Chaumet S.A.

Industry	High jewellery and fine watchmaking
Founded	1780
Founder	Marie-Etienne Nitot
Headquarters	12, Place Vendôme, Paris
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Marie-Etienne Nitot, Joseph Chaumet
Website	www.chaumet.com

A shop at Central, Hong Kong

The House of Chaumet (French: [ʃo.me]), founded in 1780, is a high end jeweler based in Paris.

Chaumet is a jewellery and watchmaking House founded in 1780 by Marie-Etienne Nitot.

History

Nitot Period (1780-1815)

Marie-Étienne Nitot (1750-1809) settled in Paris in 1780 after having served his apprenticeship at Auber, then jeweller to Queen Marie-Antoinette. His aristocratic clientele remained loyal to him until the French Revolution in 1789. It was after that that the Nitot jewellery house really took off, becoming the official jeweller of Napoleon I in 1802.

With the help of his son François Regnault (1779-1853), Nitot created the jewellery that would offer the French Empire splendour and power. The jewellery for Napoleon’s wedding to Joséphine de Beauharnais, and later to Marie Louise de Habsbourg-Lorraine, was created by Nitot. He designed and set Napoleon’s coronation crown, the hilt of his sword as well as many other pieces for the court.

François Regnault Nitot took over his father’s jewellery House on his death in 1809 and continued his activity until the fall of the Empire in 1815. Napoleon’s exile caused Nitot, a fervent royalist, to withdraw from the jewellery House, selling the business to his foreman, Jean Baptiste Fossin (1786-1848).

Fossin and Morel Periods (1815-1885)

Assisted by his son Jules (1808-1869), Fossin elegantly interpreted romantic jewellery pieces inspired by the arts of the Italian Renaissance and the French 18th century, but also naturalist-themed pieces. The elite of the period were won over and the family of Louis-Philippe, King of France from 1830 to 1848, as well as the Duchesse de Berry, succeeded Napoleon on the list of famous clients of what was to become Chaumet. They included personalities such as Anatole Demidoff, a Russian prince married to Napoleon’s niece, Princess Mathilde Bonaparte, as well as many painters, sculptors and writers, both French and foreign.

After the French revolution of 1848, the activity of Maison Fossin slowed significantly in France, leading to the establishment of a boutique in London with a workshop entrusted to Jean-Valentin Morel (1794-1860) assisted by his son Prosper, who was born in 1825. They attracted a prestigious clientele which included Queen Victoria, who granted Jean-Valentin Morel a permit as an official supplier. At the London World’s Fair of 1851, Morel resumed the enamelling tradition of the 16th and 17th centuries and produced hardstone goblets with enamelled mounts

Chaumet Art Deco Period (1885-1944)

In 1885, Joseph Chaumet (1852-1928) married Marie, the daughter of Prosper Morel, thus taking control of the House. The Renaissance style was still used, in particular for tiaras, very much in vogue at the time, which Chaumet would make one of its specialities; but Chaumet also drew inspiration from Japanese art, which was gaining popularity in jewellery design at the time.

In 1907, the workshops and boutique were set up at 12 place Vendôme, which they would never leave.

Marcel Chaumet (1886-1964) succeeded his father Joseph en 1928, at the height of the ‘Art Deco’ period. The jewellery House participated in the 1925 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, becoming a leader in this trend. Jewellery was more geometric, following the ‘boyish style’ of the 1920s, becoming more feminine during the 1930s. Colours, materials and fine gems were imperative for jewellery. From the twenties onwards, the renown of the jewellery House spread to the world of the arts and show business. In 1934, Maison Chaumet sponsored the establishment of the young jeweller Pierre Sterlé, who was already designing its jewellery. In the same year the House closed, only to re-open at the end of the Second World War

Chaumet Period: resurgence of the brand (1944-1987)

In the wake of the post-war years, Chaumet stood out as a precursor, embodying the taste and creativity of the Parisian woman. Chaumet adapted the ‘New Look’ of the pioneers Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent, attracting the fashionable women of the time.

In 1958, the sons of Marcel Chaumet, Jacques and Pierre, were appointed executive directors of the House. They took over the Breguet brand in 1970. François Bodet, a Maison Chaumet executive, renewed the brand and positioned Breguet in the high end watchmaking segment.

The 1970s were marked by originality and unconventional combinations, such as pairings of diamonds, coral and peridot mounted on yellow gold. The Lien ring, a circle encompassed by a gold loop in the centre, was created in 1977. In the 1980s, diamonds were added to the base and the ring was produced in white gold with a double circle. In the mid-1990s, the Lien became a cross, before making way in 2002 for a Lien set with diamonds. A ‘Premiers Liens’ collection was launched in 2007, in yellow, white and pink gold versions.

Contemporary period : Bankruptcy, Investcorp 1987–1999)

Managed by the Chaumet brothers Jacques and Pierre, Chaumet filed for bankruptcy in 1987 with an outstanding debt of 1.4 billion Francs (US$200 million at the time), representing 8 years of revenue. Most of the debts resulted from their speculation on the price of diamonds, after the sudden drop of market spot prices. The two brothers are convicted of illegal banking activities, because they opened banking accounts for clients at their company, while promising high return on capital. One of their prominent clients was the French Justice minister at the time, Albin Chalandon. They were found guilty in French penal law of « bankruptcy, fraud, breach of trust and illegal exercise of banking activities », and were respectively condemned to five and four years of prison in a December 1991 verdict. Their sentence was later commuted to six months in prison each, raising concerns in French newspapers about the impartiality of judges in an affair in which high-ranked politicians were involved..

LVMH Period (1999-present day

After their fraudulous bankruptcy, Chaumet was bought in 1987 by Investcorp, a leading Bahrain based Investment Bank. The company lost 10 Million Francs in 1995–1997, but became profitable again in 1998, with a revenue of 280 millions de Francs, and was bought by LVMH in October 1999. After an unsuccessful attempt to penetrate the American market in the end of the 1990s, the company opens stores in Asia to fuel growth. Chaumet was now part of the watch and jewellery brands that included TAG Heuer, Zenith, Fred, Hublot, Montres Christian Dior and De Beers Diamond Jewellers (a joint venture between the LVMH and De Beers groups). In 2006, the brand became established in China, opening 24 boutiques in the country. Chaumet’s clientele is mainly Japanese and French, but China represents 25% of sales.

Jewellery and fine jewellery

Chaumet controls all the design and production processes of the pieces issuing from its workshops. After being supplied with gold and gems, its fourteen artisans mould, melt, polish and set traditionally the pieces created by the House’s designers. The mechanisms of the watches produced by Chaumet are manufactured in Switzerland. In 1969, Jacques Combes joined Chaumet as an apprentice. Appointed foreman in 1989, he was made a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters in July 2005. On 28 January 2011, Pascal Bourdariat succeeded Jacques Combes, becoming the twelfth master of the House.

Muses

In May 2008, Lou Doillon was chosen by the jewellery House as its muse for the reedition of the ‘Liens’ ring. In October of the same year, the actress Sophie Marceau became Chaumet’s muse. Lionel Giraud, Jannis Tsipoulanis and René Habermacher signed the “L’Empire des Sentiments” advertising campaign, featuring the French actress in the private mansion of Le Rochefoucauld-Doudeauville. Since 2005, Chaumet has been the official partner of the César Academy. Every year, for the presentation of the nominees in the ‘best hope’ category, the House hosts an exhibition of photographs. Thus Chaumet has collaborated with the photographers Kate Barry, Emanuele Scorcelletti, Stéphane Sednaoui, Zoe Cassavetes and Jean-Baptiste Mondino.

See also

• Albin Chalandon
• Ljupka Gojić
• Breguet (watch)
• List of papal tiaras in existence
• Napoleon Tiara

External links

• http://www.chaumet.com/