The first book devoted to Maison Chaumet, the prestigious jewelers in the Place Vendome, Paris, sheds new light on the history of jewelry and the development of styles from the French revolution to the present. Throughout its long history from 1789, Chaumet has always succeeded in attracting the greatest buyers; Russian princes, Maharajas, the aristocracy and millionaires of the Old and New World were all drawn by the combination of the finest stones available with jewelery epitomizing French chic and good taste. The founder, Marie-Etienne Nitot, who made jewels for Napoleon and his two empresses, set the standard which has been maintained ever since.The Chaumet archives go back to 1836. The author spent several years studying the ledgers, tradesman's accounts and correspondence, as well as albums of designs and thousands of daguerrotypes. She presents the fascinating story of this genius of jewelery in a scholarly but readable form using quotations from contemporary literature, fashion magazines, diaries and letters to bring the story to life.