Since its inception in 1780, Chaumet's history has been rooted in Paris, with its founder, Marie-Étienne Nitot the official jeweller of Napoléon I, whose wife, Empress Joséphine, was one of the designer’s most prolific customers as well as its muse.
Its Parisian flagship located at 12 Place Vendôme since 1907, encompasses not only the boutique and High Jewellery workshop but also an ephemeral museum which hosts exhibitions dedicated to Chaumet's history and archives.
In the latest short film from the House, entitled 'A Walk in Joséphine’s Footsteps: Gaités Parisiennes,' Chaumet's historical relationship with Paris is explored in a stylized romantic stroll through some of the locations central to Empress Joséphine’s life in Paris: from her former residence the Château de Malmaison to Le Jardin des Tuileries and Le Louvre, on to the Chaumet boutique.
Starting one misty morning at the opulent Château de Malmaison, a young woman discovers the spectacular Belle Époque Bourbon de Parme tiara, made by Joseph Chaumet in 1919.
More everyday pieces are showcased as the film takes us to the ballet, where the rose gold crosses of the Liens collection echo the criss-crossing ribbons of ballet slippers.
This contemporary range also complements the modern architecture of the Frank Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton in the 16th arrondissement, where the pieces are paired with a very Parisian tuxedo.
To end their playful promenade, the couple take a tandem bicycle ride around Place Vendôme, our leading lady modelling Chaumet’s newest Insolence fine jewellery pieces.
Inspired by bows from the archive and wrought in a contemporary mixture of materials, the range sees a rose-gold rope chain intertwined with a white-diamond ribbon: sensual, feminine and playful: words that could equally apply to Empress Joséphine herself.