Chaumet

If one kind of piece defines Chaumet, it is the tiara. Marie-Étienne Nitot founded the house in Paris in 1780 and became jeweler to Napoleon's imperial court, making the sword for his coronation, a tiara for Pope Pius VII and jewels for the Empress Joséphine. That imperial grandeur is still the house's calling card. The name came later, from Joseph Chaumet, who led the firm into the 20th century, and in 1907 it settled at 12 Place Vendôme, where its salons and high jewelry workshop remain. Look to Chaumet for formal, crowning pieces with a sense of ceremony, and for an archive that reads like a history of French court taste.