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The Engraving By Chaumet

Updated: Aug 8, 2022

Paris

 

July 12, 2022



Chaumet, An History


After apprenticing with Ange-Joseph Aubert (1736-1785), at the time jeweler of Queen Marie-Antoinette, Marie-Étienne Nitot (1750-1809) launched her shop in 1780 rue Saint-Honoré in Paris. In 1802, Nitot jewelry became Napoleon I's official jeweler and the most sought-after in Europe. In 1805, he moved to 15 Place Vendôme, in the Hôtel de Gramont (later the Ritz Hotel).

Napoleon's taste for jewelry was above all political. He wants to remake France as the center of luxury and fashion creation.



After executing the order for the sword of the coronation of Napoleon and the tiara of Pope Pius VII, Marie-Étienne Nitot became a jeweler of the imperial court and official supplier to Empress Josephine. He thus became the most sought-after jeweler in all of Europe.


His son François-Regnault succeeded him in 1812 and moved the workshops. The House is thus the first to settle place Vendôme at number 15, currently the Ritz Paris



Nitot went into partnership with his son François-Régnault (1779-1853). The jewels of Napoleon's wedding with Josephine de Beauharnais and then with Marie Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine are created by Nitot. He also drew and set the crown of Napoleon's coronation and the handle of his sword.


Chaumet is part of the LVMH group. The company is integrated into the watch and jewelry brands. Seven jewelers under the direction of a master craftsman handcraft the special orders and high jewelry collections.


See Through The House


THE BELLE ÉPOQUE, SPLENDOR AND AUDACITY

Joseph Chaumet became director of the House from 1885 to 1928 and gave it its name. The visionary and undisputed master of the Belle Époque, he finds his inspiration in the re-enchantment of nature. Thanks to his creativity, egrets and tiaras, social emblems, and fashion accessories, became a specialty of Chaumet.


THE HOUSE'S SIGNATURE COLLECTIONS


In the wake of the iconic Liens collection, born in 1977, which celebrates the attachment between two beings, Chaumet creates two new signature collections.

The Joséphine collection, in 2010, pays tribute to Empress Josephine, the first major customer, and inspiration of the House. Her aesthetic is inspired by the diadem, Chaumet's specificity, and her creations crown the femininity of those who wear them.


CINDY BRUNA IS THE NEW JOSEPHINE

Maison Chaumet has chosen supermodel Cindy Bruna to play the woman Josephine, on the occasion of the launch of new creations. Diadem rings to accumulate, unique jewelry watch, retweeted pearl jewelry ...



The Engraving


Surely you know the crazy herbs of Chaumet. This vegetal wink in the shops has become a true signature of the brand. "The greatest complexity was to find the best way to engrave such a delicate pattern in alabaster without the risk of damaging the plate. We tried several techniques, by hand and then sandblasting but it is finally the technique of digital engraving that proved to be the most effective, "explains Marion Biais-Sauvêtre, designer of the house.



This new challenge was therefore met with all the know-how of Atelier Chaumet both in its implementation and in the technical details of the final rendering. Nothing is left to chance, everything is thought out to highlight the stone and master the light. "Sandblasting erased the rebounds of light where digital engraving made it possible to refine the drawing and highlight all the subtleties of light variation."


Like the crystal that grows inside a stone that looks like a pebble – the gem – the jewels are presented in a showcase nestled in a mineral case, like a slice cut out of the raw stone. Thick plates are assembled taking care of harmony and our sculptors come to give shape to the whole. For the contours, they cut the splinters to reveal the crystal structure of the alabaster. They then refine the plate to allow backlighting.


"The secret contained in the gem is revealed by light. Our expertise in illuminating alabaster was a considerable asset to this project. Chaumet works with lighting designers, but here, the complexity of lighting the carved stone was part of very specific know-how that only we were able to bring. The other difficulty was the recessed hanging system that had to remain invisible. Challenge met! " adds Marion Biais-Sauvêtre.



Today, about twenty Chaumet shops around the world are decorated with these monumental gems and alabaster panels engraved with fine gold.


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