Who Owns Chaumet?

Chaumet was founded in 1780 by Étienne Nitot, a Parisian jeweler who established his workshop during the final years of the Ancien Regime. The timing placed Chaumet at the center of dramatic events in French history. The French Revolution of 1789 and the subsequent rise of Napoleon Bonaparte transformed the political and social environment in which luxury jewelry operated.

Nitot's most significant relationship was with Napoleon Bonaparte, who appointed him as official jeweler following his rise to power. Nitot created jewelry for Napoleon's coronation in 1804, including pieces for Empress Josephine and other members of the imperial court. This relationship established Chaumet's reputation as a jeweler of imperial prestige and gave the house access to the most significant commissions in Europe during the Napoleonic era. The bee, Napoleon's emblem, became a recurring motif in Chaumet's designs and remains central to the brand's identity today.

Nitot's son, François-Regnault Nitot, continued the business after his father's death and maintained the imperial connection. The house passed through several owners, including Jean-Baptiste Fossin and his son Jules Fossin, before being acquired by Joseph Chaumet in 1875. Chaumet gave the house its current name and moved it to 12 Place Vendome, the address associated with the brand ever since.

Place Vendome is one of the most prestigious addresses in luxury jewelry. The octagonal square in the 1st arrondissement of Paris is home to Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels, Boucheron, and the Ritz Paris hotel. Chaumet's presence at 12 Place Vendome since the 19th century places it among the founding members of this luxury jewelry enclave.

Chaumet became renowned for its tiaras, which were among the most technically complex jewelry pieces of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The house created tiaras for European royal families and aristocracy, developing expertise that remains central to Chaumet's identity. The brand has crafted over 2,000 tiaras since its founding. In 1910, American sculptor Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney purchased a platinum tiara from Chaumet's London boutique featuring blue translucent enamel wings and over 1,200 diamonds. Chaumet acquired the wings at auction in 2017 for its archives.

The house also developed expertise in naturalistic jewelry design, creating pieces inspired by wheat sheaves, laurel leaves, and botanical motifs. These naturalistic designs, combined with the imperial heritage and tiara expertise, established Chaumet's distinctive aesthetic identity within the French jewelry tradition. The brand's archives contain 66,000 gouache drawings documenting over two centuries of design history.

Through the 20th century, Chaumet continued to operate as a prestigious Parisian jewelry house. LVMH acquired the brand in 1999, providing financial resources and global distribution infrastructure to support expansion beyond its traditional French and European clientele.

Under LVMH ownership, Chaumet expanded its retail presence internationally. Charles Leung, who joined Chaumet in 2006 and led the brand's expansion into China, became CEO in January 2024. Leung is the first Asian CEO of an LVMH-owned brand. He previously ran fellow LVMH jewelry brand Fred for several years before returning to Chaumet.

In 2024, Chaumet designed the medals for the Paris Olympic Games, which CEO Charles Leung reported drove double-digit growth in the French market. The hexagonal medal design resonated with France's "Hexagone" nickname. The brand also participated in the Osaka World Expo, taking pride of place in the French Pavilion. Leung reported that the Japanese market "practically doubled" as a result.

In 2025, Chaumet unveiled its Jewels by Nature high jewelry collection and renamed its Bee My Love collection to Bee de Chaumet. The brand committed to 100% traceable gold starting with the Bee de Chaumet pendant, made entirely from responsibly sourced gold. In April 2026, Chaumet presented Journey Through Nature, a 46-piece high jewelry collection inspired by green tea, coffee, saffron, and vanilla. This was the first collection entirely created by Creative Studio Director Olga Corsini. The brand also opened its sixth Seoul boutique at Shinsegae The Main in April 2026 and its first standalone North American boutique in Vancouver in July 2026.