Treasure trove

What makes Chaumet stand out among the world's high jewelry houses is its pursuit of perfection in details. Its collection for this year is inspired by hydrangea illustrations from 1870. Photos Provided to China Daily

Bags of style

Stand out with style

The new collection is christened "bijoux de sentiments" (jewelry of feelings), which is divided into three emotions connected to different colors of hydrangea.

The museum is housed above the flagship boutique on 12 Place Vendome, which Nitot moved into in 1907. It was the founder's salon where he received clients and where Frederic Chopin spent the final months of his life and played his last mazurka. It looks and feels like a mini-Versailles because, as De Plinval chirps, "We have the same architect!"

From Louis XVI to Napoleon to Lou Doillon, the house of Chaumet is intertwined with French history and culture.

The museum's collection has 85,000 drawings and more than a million photographs of jewelry. The cataloguing and conservation of these visuals has been ongoing for 17 years. None of the information is available online. "Just to do a computer scan is already complicated because of the delicacy (of the files)," she emphasizes.

According to De Plinval, Nitot kept meticulous records for the simple reason that he did not trust his descendants to continue the business in the manner he believed it should be done where "creation, fabrication and quality and clients" were priorities.

"For him, the orders of the First Empire were of particular importance so he kept a record of everything including a physical record. Since 1811, that has not left Chaumet," explains De Plinval.