Savoir-faire
Coloured gemstones
Chaumet’s coloured gemstones are carefully selected by our expert gemmologists. Every stone is assessed according to strict criteria in terms of colour, intensity and clarity of the crystal.
Each one extraordinary, they enhance our High Jewellery pieces with their unique charm.
Parure of Empress Marie-Louise (1810)
Emerald
Emerald has long illustrated the history of the Maison Chaumet, as evidenced by the sumptuous wedding parure commissioned by Napoléon I in 1810 for Empress Marie-Louise.
Its deep colour, with shades ranging from blue-green to yellow-green, is emblematic.
Bright and vibrant, emeralds feature distinctive inclusions known as “jardin” (garden), which lend this gemstone its unique character.
All of our emeralds with an analytical report come from various countries, including Colombia, Zambia, Brazil and more.
Drawing of the Duchess of Trévise’s sapphire tiara (1904)
Sapphire
A Chaumet signature, the colour palette of sapphires adorns our High Jewellery pieces. Sapphire features in many of the Maison’s historic commissions, such as the tiara for the Duchess of Trévise, delivered in 1904.
Colour, intensity and quality of the crystal are the primary criteria in the selection of our sapphires.
From the shade of a clear sky to the colour of the deep ocean, “Chaumet blues” form the Maison’s most emblematic palette.
Most of our sapphires with an analytical report come from Madagascar, Sri Lanka (known as Ceylon sapphires) or Kashmir.
“Rothschild” ruby and diamond necklace that transforms into a tiara (late 19th century)
Ruby
From Barbara Hutton’s legendary parure to the spectacular tiara of Baroness de Rothschild (1957), rubies glow from Chaumet’s heritage pieces and continue to illuminate the Maison’s creations to this day.
“Rothschild” ruby and diamond necklace that transforms into a tiara (late 19th century)
From pure red to hues tinged with pink and orange, the intensity of these colours captures our experts’ full attention and is key in the selection process.
All of our rubies with an analytical report come from Mozambique.
Design for a shell-shaped corsage brooch featuring a 322-carat aquamarine (1913)
Exceptional gems
As nature’s finest gems become increasingly scarce, our expertise is guided by a deep respect for these materials.
This commitment shines a spotlight on stones of limited availability, now regarded as precious: tourmalines with their rich colour palettes, garnets (spessartine, tsavorite), spinels (pink, mauve) from Tanzania or Vietnam, and cobalt spinel with its unrivalled blue.
Chosen for its glacial hue and crystalline perfection, aquamarine scintillates on both contemporary and historic High Jewellery pieces, such as the Joséphine tiara rings.
Pearl
In the 19th century, Marie-Étienne Nitot presented the parure of Empress Marie-Louise, embellished with the fine “La Régente” pearl, to the Crown Treasury. A legacy of this golden age, the “Salon des Perles” was the exclusive department dedicated to the appraisal, matching and stringing of these gems.
Fine and cultured pearls were incorporated into collections from 1970. Their selection is based on precise criteria: colour, magnified by the play of light on their surface ("orient"), and a unique satin sheen ("lustre").
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Analytical reports
The Maison was a pioneer in the analysis and appraisal of gemstones. In 1900, Joseph Chaumet set up a new kind of in-house laboratory. He drafted the first analytical reports confirming the natural origin of rubies and sapphires.
Today, all our centre stones are analysed by independent external laboratories, who draw up analytical reports certifying that our stones are natural.
