Jewelry World Housekeeper (Figure)

"In the world of jewelry, men always have more opportunities than women, and managers are mostly gentlemen, not ladies," said Béatrice de Plinval, curator of the Chaumet Museum. In this original line of men's business, she recorded and defended the glory of Napoleon's Queen Jewelers.

At the jewelry store Chaumet, if the president decides to launch a brand retrospective, if the design director needs inspiration from the Belle Epoche period, if the public relations department is collecting information on animal themes, Batrice de Plinval is the person they are looking for. As the "curator of the museum," Batrice exercises the power of a female housekeeper among the jeweler family, in charge of a rich brand treasure containing more than 37,000 glass plates, over 80,000 design drawings and more than 2,000 crown replicas.

“To be a good administrator, you not only need to be familiar with your family but also tell a story.” She explains her work like this, “I can't do anything else. Fortunately, Chaumet’s long history can be traced back to the Napoleon period. Therefore, we do not need to add vinegar at all."

If it is not for this period of time that spans more than 200 years of history, Batrice will certainly not serve the same company for 40 years—she graduated from the Higher Institute of Arts in Tours and the National Institute of Decorative Arts in Paris as early as 1969. Enter Chaumet's job. For the first 12 years, she worked in the design department and mainly created jewelry inspired by plants and animals. In 1980, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the brand's establishment, Chaumet established a museum on the second floor of its headquarters and Batrice was appointed curator. “She not only understands the professional field, has a deep understanding and respect for French culture, but also has an excellent affiliation. Therefore, she is the best candidate for the museum.” Her colleagues commented on her.

“In the jewelry world, men always have more opportunities than women, and managers are mostly gentlemen, not ladies.” Batrice said. Needless to say, her appearance breaks this rule: Under her planning, the first book on Chaumet jewelry came out in 1992, and later launched "Timeless Tiaras", "Le Grand Frisson" and other books. The exhibitions organized by it include the "Two Centuries of Creation" of the 1998 Canavare Museum in Paris.

Batrice has the best office in the whole of Paris and is facing the magnificent Place Vendôme. Located in the northern part of the Tuileries Garden, the Cheetah Rectangular Square is small in scale but is home to some of the world’s most famous jewelers: In addition to Chaumet, which settled on the 12th in 1907, the boutiques of Cartier, Van Cleef & Arples and Chopard are rooted here. There is also the famous Ritz hotel. Batrice said she first fell in love with Vendôme when she was young. Nowadays, she walks to work every day. She is not far from Kangpeng Street. In September 2007, Batrice was elected chairman of the Vendome Business Association.

Chaumet Museum is located next to Batrice's office. 150 crown models for royals and celebrities from various countries are hung on the wall and carefully collected like butterfly specimens. Here you can see some masterpieces from different periods, such as the diamond waterfall headdress from 1907 and the half-star emerald plume from 1914. Another room adjacent to it, once home to the pianist Chopin, is displaying bee-themed Spring 2011 “Bee My Love” collections. "The bee is both Napoleon and the symbol of the first king of ancient France. Napoleon was not a royal family, so he came to power and used his bees to represent himself in order to create some kind of dynasty connection," Batrice explained.

If you have any questions about Napoleon, ask her right.

B=The Bund Pictorial

BDP=Batrice de Plinval

B: What was your initial jewellery design at Chaumet, and what was your motivation to start managing brand history?

BDP: After working in the design studio for 12 years, our artistic director suddenly passed away. His departure made me very sad. I had a hard time. It was at that time that jewelry brands became aware of the importance of maintaining history and propagating history. My boss invited me to be responsible for the establishment of the Chaumet Museum. I am very honored to have this because in the world of jewelry, men always have more opportunities than women, and managers are mostly gentlemen rather than ladies.

B: Did you have a great passion for the jewelry industry when you were young?

BDP: I was born in Paris, but grew up in a suburb near Paris. After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts, my family sent me to Paris. They knew the family members of Chaumet, so I began my internship at the headquarters of Chaumet in Paris. During this period I fell deeply in love with the city of Paris, especially the Place Vendôme. I decided to stay here.

B: The Vendôme Square is home to some of the world's best known jewelers. In your opinion, what makes Chaumet different?

BDP: Chaumet has the purest Parisian descent. Its story began at the end of the 18th century. Our founder Nitot was trained by Queen Marie Antoinette's jeweller. After the latter retired, he became the first French jeweler and received the Queen of Josephine from Napoleon's wife. Trust - Josephine is only 7 years younger than Marie Antoinette, and it was still 18th century. Nitot is a visionary and a great decision maker who brought the concept of high jewelry to the modern age. He created history.