The Maison
Chaumet and its cultural legacy
Since 1780, Chaumet has been passionately creating exceptional jewellery, with each piece recorded in our archives. Enriched by this cultural and artistic heritage, our Maison is committed to cultural responsibility.
Through transmission, exhibition and conservation, we pursue ambitious patronage initiatives, open our doors for special events to share our exceptional craftsmanship, and protect our archives and creations for future generations.
Chaumet exhibitions
Rooted in great history, Chaumet has been sharing its finest creations and the secrets of its artisan jewellers with the public since 1819. That year, Jules Fossin, from the second generation of the Maison’s workshop heads, exhibited a diamond flower bouquet at the Louvre Museum for the first time, a work of art that earned him the compliments of King Louis XVIII. This was followed by enthusiastic participation in World’s Fairs held in London, New York, Buenos Aires, Milan and St. Petersburg. The latest: the Osaka Kansai 2025 World Expo. On this occasion, Chaumet presented the installation Chaumet: An Ode to Living Nature, a tribute to its love of nature, which it shares with Japan.
Showcasing our heritage
From Imperial Splendours in the heart of Beijing’s Forbidden City to Chaumet & Nature in Doha and Botanical: Observing Beauty at the Beaux-Arts in Paris… For several years, our Maison has presented exhibitions around the world that trace our history and highlight the major themes that are important to us.
Chaumet’s heritage
The Maison preserves one of the richest documentary collections in the world for a jeweller. It contains more than 360 pieces of jewellery and timepieces, 800 models, 66,000 archive drawings, 36,000 phototypes, as well as a wealth of treasures that make up our history.
Altogether, these archives placed end to end reach nearly 600 linear metres, or twice the height of the Eiffel Tower.
The restoration of artistic heritage
Passionate about exceptional savoir-faire, we are committed to passing crafts on and preserving them for the future. Chaumet is also proud to support ambitious restoration projects, from furniture to paintings and drawings. Proud of its identity, our Maison chooses to finance the restoration of masterpieces with evocative motifs, which resonate with our favourite themes, such as nature.
Preserving history
In recent years, we have preserved more than 42 registers and 540 drawings from our archives, along with 36 pieces from our jewellery collection and 28 from external collections.
Chaumet also restores unique treasures. Among the most famous are Joséphine’s wedding basket and the painting Napoleon and crown by Jacques-Louis David.
An eternal heritage
Chaumet revives its historical pieces, such as the famous pair of wings created between 1908 and 1910 for Gertrude Payne Whitney, née Vanderbilt. Made of platinum, diamonds and blue enamel, they can be worn as both a tiara and a brooch thanks to ingenious mechanisms. The original structures, which had become rigid over time, were restored by our artisans to regain their modular system.
Reviving emblematic pieces
The emblematic Chaumet pansy tiara has also benefitted from the craftsmanship of our artisans. Originally, this head jewellery could also be worn as a brooch thanks to small detachable elements, which over time had become fixed. Its restoration recovered this modularity, once again offering the possibility of multiple portés.
Similarly, the bayadère necklace, which dates from the 1920s, was completely restored in 2023. Nearly 270 hours of work were needed to re-thread the 50,000 pearls one by one.
Patronage and transmission
Proudly affirming our desire to share our centuries-old savoir-faire, we are actively committed to training young talent. Over nearly 250 years, thirteen workshop heads and generations of artisans have succeeded one another and passed on their rich experience to new jewellers.
Chaumet still trains apprentices every year, thus perpetuating this long tradition.
Central Saint Martins and M7
We are expanding partnerships and competitions with leading schools and institutions that train the creatives of tomorrow. These include Central Saint Martins in London, the Penninghen school and the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and M7 in Qatar, which gives students the opportunity to design a Chaumet tiara.
The Journées Particulières
Events that are a fixture in the French cultural calendar, the LVMH Group invites curious visitors from all backgrounds to step inside the workshops of its greatest Maisons. On these exceptional occasions, we welcome visitors from all over the world to the heart of our iconic address, eager to uncover the secrets of 12 Vendôme.
