Jewel In The Crown

Chaumet’s 237-year heritage illuminates its “Imperial Splendours” exhibition at the Palace Museum in Beijing, learns candice CHAN.

FEW JEWELLERS CAN claim a history that stretches as far back as the 18th century; and even fewer can say they’ve had the honour of creating the regalia of the ruling monarchy. With a heritage that began in 1780 and an impressive roster of royal patrons (the most famous being Emperor Napoleon and his first wife, the Empress Josephine Bonaparte), Chaumet is one of the surviving jewellers that can lay claim to these privileges.

It was Marie-Étienne Nitot who was chosen by Emperor Napoleon as his official court jeweller. Credited as the maison’s forefather and its first chef d’atelier (workshop director), it was the seventh chef d’atelier Joseph Chaumet, that the company was eventually named after. Since the days of Nitot, Chaumet has had 13 chefs d’atelier who left their distinct design signature on its creations across the span of 237 years.