Goossens

Goldsmithing and couture jewelry Robert Goossens, the son of a Marais foundry owner, opened a small goldsmith's workshop in the 1950s, and from 1954 he and Gabrielle Chanel developed jewelry in antique and Byzantine styles, including crystal Byzantine crosses. He also made pieces for Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Madame Grès and Dior. Goossens matters because it blurs the line between costume jewelry and fine metalwork, and because the house applies the same hands to furniture and decorative objects as well as jewelry. Chanel bought the workshop in 2005, and it now works at le19M.