From 1 November to 19 December 2024, at M7 located in Msheireb Downtown Doha, Maison Chaumet presents Chaumet & Nature: Nature-Inspired Jewellery Since 1780, in collaboration with Qatar Museums, M7 and Qatar Creates. This unprecedented and immersive exhibition takes visitors on a unique journey to discover and celebrate the wonders of nature in all its variety.
The Maison started the project by looking to its vast heritage, which is among Europe’s most significant in jewellery history. It also drew inspiration from its modern designs. The ambition was to highlight its unique identity and vision of botany within the pieces. At the same time, this approach echoes with the Chaumet collection at Qatar Museums. These pieces tell stories of wild and lively nature, connecting with the Maison’s theme.
A naturalist jeweller at heart, as workshop head has succeeded workshop head, Chaumet has put its savoir-faire and creativity at the service of nature to transpose its preciousness into jewellery. At the heart of Place Vendôme in Paris, from 1780 to today, it appropriates masterpieces of fauna and flora, portrays the immensity of the sky, its stars and birds, and interprets the infinite nuances of the sea and the treasures hidden there, to create jewels imbued with emotion and symbolism.
Between earth and sky, between sky and sea, the exhibition takes one on a sensory journey where the true nature of Chaumet is revealed, captured in the moment. Nearly 107 pieces of jewellery and 111 visual works — including glass plates and drawings — transport the public on a stroll through 240 years of naturalism.
Within its distinct chapters, the exhibition invites visitors to appreciate the Maison’s aesthetic approach, proposing in turn to preserve, draw, observe, live and immerse themselves in nature.
Merging the French Maison’s collections with those of Qatar Museums, the exhibition Chaumet & Nature also honours the links they have shared since the 1970s. Chaumet & Nature is a legacy project of the Qatar–France 2020 Year of Culture, a year-long programme of collaborations between institutions across both countries.
— Chaumet has put its savoir-faire and creativity at the service of nature to transpose its preciousness into jewellery.
Paris, Chaumet collections. © Chaumet collections
The exhibition Chaumet & Nature: Nature-Inspired Jewellery Since 1780 continues the Maison’s tradition of showcasing nature-themed retrospectives and events. This began with exhibitions Dessein de nature in Paris’ Saint-Germain, continued at Paris’ Palais des Beaux-Arts with Végétal — L’École de la beauté, and was followed by the Jewels of Nature events in Shanghai and Tokyo. These exhibitions and events all honour the beauty of nature through various forms of artistic expression. Each also provided a platform to display Chaumet’s High Jewellery collections that capture the essence of an abundant, ever-changing natural world. Notable collections include La Nature de Chaumet from 2016, Les Ciels de Chaumet from 2019, Ondes et Merveilles de Chaumet from 2022, and Le Jardin de Chaumet from 2023.
CHAUMET AND M7
A Creative Collaboration
The exhibition Chaumet & Nature marks a new stage in the collaboration that has united Chaumet and M7 for several months. The story started in 2023 with a venture to create the Maison’s logo in Arabic, in partnership with M7. Together, they chose a designer from Qatar to carry out the project, representing a milestone in connecting homegrown talent with global brands.
Conceived by Zainab AlShibani, a graphic designer and artist specializing in printing and lettering, the logo translates the Chaumet spirit and reflects both its jewellery heritage and its commitment to excellence. Evoking harmony and balance, it symbolises the fusion of tradition with innovation, and captures the essence of the Maison’s elegance and sophistication.
The exhibition actively engages local creatives, featuring a poem called “Treasures of the Earth” written by Qatari poet Salman Bin Khalid. The poem was created for Chaumet to celebrate the significant role of poetry in Arabic literature. Surrounded by words, visitors experience a virtuoso dialogue that connects nature, beauty and jewellery. Chaumet also commissioned the Qatari artist Shouq Al-Mana to design an exclusive piece for the exhibition. Inspired by the underwater nature that Chaumet cherishes as a source of themes and motifs, Altawash pays tribute to the Qatari tradition of pearl diving and commerce.
Map of Qatar
Preserving Nature
Remaining faithful to its botanist vision, Chaumet has been drawing inspiration from nature for more than 240 years, creating uniquely naturalistic jewellery that realistically represents nature. Proud of this jewellery tradition and heritage, its stylistic repertoire is a source for motifs that are as symbolic as they are ephemeral, with a savoir-faire ingenuity that enables time to stand still. From Nitot to now, the Maison’s existence has been an ode to nature and a desire to preserve it.
Nitot, Father and Son
The story starts with Marie-Etienne Nitot, the founder of the Maison, and his son, whose evocative hallmark was an ear of wheat. “Jeweller by appointment” to Emperor Napoléon and Empress Joséphine, he signed his documents with the title “naturalist jeweller”, infusing Chaumet with a vision true to nature. Together, they formed the first generation of workshop leaders and directors of the Maison, until the end of the First Empire.
Fossin, Father and Son
The story continues with the second generation of workshop heads and directors, Fossin father and son, considered the most pioneering and virtuosic jewellers of the Romantic period. The Maison carried on celebrating nature in its creations, providing delicate and poetic portrayals magnified by movement.
Morel, Father and Son
Trained under the Fossins, Morel father and son were the Maison’s third generation of workshop heads and directors to perpetuate the tradition and offer jewellery creations in which nature appeared to come to life. Combining creativity and savoir-faire, they evoked its many facets through an innovative use of precious metals and ornamental stones.
Joseph Chaumet
Joseph Chaumet took over and headed the Maison from the Belle Époque up until the late 1920s, in the process giving it its definitive name. As inspired by the beauty of nature as his predecessors, he presented a figurative and refined version, with iterations of emblematic motifs derived from the archives.
Marcel Chaumet
Next it was the turn of Marcel Chaumet, who succeeded his father in 1928. Respecting the naturalist tradition inscribed in the Maison’s identity since its earliest days, he revisited nature in a more stylised, sometimes even abstract way.
The Chaumet Brothers in the 1970s
During the 1970s, Chaumet embarked on a period of unprecedented creative exploration. With a sense of daring freedom, nature took an even more avant-garde turn. Rewriting the codes of jewellery, the artisans pushed the limits of working with gold and precious materials to reach new heights of realism.
— Indelible elements of the Maison’s DNA, nature and its corresponding emblematic motifs are reinterpreted across the creations.
The Present day
Chaumet savoir-faire and creativity continue to thrive today, since its acquisition by LVMH in 1999. Indelible elements of the Maison’s DNA, nature and its corresponding emblematic motifs are reinterpreted across the creations, perpetuating this unique botanist vision. From Ondes et Merveilles de Chaumet and L’Épi de Blé to Le Jardin de Chaumet and beyond, the Maison’s contemporary collections bear witness to this.
Drawing Nature
The first step in the creative process, the jewellery sketch embodies its creator’s original impulse. The physical gesture, the emotion, precision and quest for realism shine through in the pencil strokes: this is the art of the line. Among the 66,000 drawings held by Chaumet, a multitude of sketches and illustrations testify to the Maison’s long-standing and enduring devotion to the beauty of nature. Uncover how it is revisiting yesterday’s botanical motifs today.
Observing Nature
At Chaumet, nature is not only represented in a manner reflective of reality, but also instilled with meaning and emotion. Throughout its history, the Maison has interpreted and continues to reinterpret highly symbolic motifs sublimating individual species, in order to transpose feelings, virtues and other universal values into jewellery. In creation after creation, wheat, oak and laurel disclose their hidden meanings while flora proclaim a language of love.
Wheat
Associated with Ceres, wheat symbolises life, opulence and fertility. Echoing the creations produced by the Maison for the empresses Joséphine and Marie-Louise, ears of wheat swept by the wind suggest the unfettered and vibrant nature prized by Chaumet. Enhanced with diamonds, they highlight its preciousness in historical and contemporary pieces alike.
Oak
A sacred tree, the oak stands apart for its strength and quiet longevity. A timeless symbol of wisdom, it connects the earth and the sky. Its foliage and fruits have inspired many of the Maison’s creations over the years, imparting its aura to all who wear them.
Laurel
An emblem of glory and mercy, the laurel also speaks of immortality. Combining suppleness and movement, it has infused its symbolism into Chaumet creations since the start — Napoléon in his time wore laurel as a statement of victory. Continuing today, laurel comes adorned with white gold and diamonds to form jewels whose design straddles classicism and modernity.
Meaningful Flowers
Rich in multiple meanings, flowers compose a symbolic language of their own, in poetic suggestions of feelings and emotions. From the rose to the daisy and the pansy, they have appeared as jewellery creations across eras and fashions, each conveying their secret messages to those who know how to decipher them.
Living in Nature
From the earth to the sky and sea, animals populate the natural world, contributing to its richness and beauty. Whether real or fantastical, domestic or wild, animals are a favourite jewellery inspiration. In its symbolic creations, Chaumet offers a rich bestiary featuring a variety of figures, from birds to exotic animals such as the giraffe and the lion, as well as insects including the bee, originally chosen as a symbol by Napoléon himself. Among plants and flowers, in the water or in the air, they are rendered from life, testifying to the Maison’s esteemed art of the line.
Diving in Nature
— CHAUMET CONTINUES TO PERPETUATE THIS PEARL TRADITION, MOUNTING THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PEARLS, SELECTED FOR THEIR CAPTIVATING ORIENT, ON ITS CONTEMPORARY CREATIONS.
Chaumet plunges into a mesmerising marine world in its desire to uncover the wonders of the deep. Captured in motion, it suffuses creations with its vast allegorical repertoire. Among these treasures, the pearl holds a special place. The history of Qatar and the Chaumet collections are filled with them, united in the same expertise and savoir-faire. Around 1890, Joseph Chaumet established a laboratory to determine the origine of natural pearls and what distinguishes them from cultured pearls. His expertise was unanimously acclaimed, and the Maison became the reference in Place Vendôme for natural pearls, known as the main pearl trader in the early 20th century. Today, Chaumet continues to perpetuate this pearl tradition, mounting the most beautiful pearls, selected for their captivating orient, on its contemporary creations.
"Pearls of Qatar" A rich history
Qatar’s legacy is deeply rooted in the age-old art of pearl trading, an integral thread woven through the fabric of its cultural and economic narrative for centuries. Skilful divers and astute merchants propelled the nation into a gilded age of pearl commerce from the 19th century up to the mid-20th century. The advent of oil heralded a new era, transitioning from time-honoured pearling to modern industry. Yet, venerable merchant houses have preserved their pearl bonds, flourishing into eminent jewellery empires, ensuring that pearls remain enshrined in Qatar’s soul.
Among those, the Al Fardan family were pearl merchants, tawawish, as far back as family history records. The pearl lore of generations of traditional Gulf pearl merchants lives on today in the person of Hussain Al Fardan, whose passion for pearls has survived the diversification of the Al Fardan business empire. Today, the extraordinary collection of Hussain Al Fardan is thought to be the largest and most splendid assemblage of natural Gulf pearls in the world.
— VENERABLE MERCHANT HOUSES HAVE PRESERVED THEIR PEARL BONDS, FLOURISHING INTO EMINENT JEWELLERY EMPIRES.
