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 designers who have worked here all leave their work in this museum. They have been drawing everything. All the inspirations are in fact in the naturalistic style, which we take pride in because they are interesting and not predatory of other ideas," explains De Plinval who is also president of the Comite Vendome, a representative body that aims to promote the prestigious Vendome quarter while upholding its interests and values.

"It is more than a museum," she says. "It has to be contemporary and concentrate on the history of style. The humanity and atmosphere of the house is important."

For insurance reasons, not all the pieces are shown at the same time but each one has a story. "You have to be strict to have a collection of antique pieces. I don't want accumulation. Each piece is perfect and has a role to play," she stresses.

A wheat-inspired tiara from 1800 is the oldest piece, yet it would pass as a contemporary fashion accessory.

"That's because it has a naturalistic inspiration so it looks modern," says De Plinval.

She points to what appears to the untrained eye to be a simple diamond bracelet with three natural pearls of different colors but of the same size and luminosity. The idea for this bracelet was "three natural pearls from three oceans" - the pink conch from the Caribbean, white from the Indian Ocean and the gray from the South Pacific.

To a pearl aficionado, this is almost impossible to gather, but for the brand, the pursuit of perfection is par for the course.