Originally from Craveggia, a small village in Italy, nestling on the border between Piedmont and Lombardy, the Mellerio family arrived in France at the dawn of the 16th century, working as stove setters, peddlers and seasonal traders, whilst maintaining close relations with their country of origin.
In 1613, the regent Marie de Médicis – mother of the future king of France, Louis XIII – granted exceptional privileges to the Mellerio family, who had become “Mellerio dits Meller” (their name was made French between the 17th and 19th centuries), and they very quickly became jewellers with an illustrious clientele. This privilege, renewed by all future kings, marked the start of the Mellerio family’s activity, which concentrated on their business of traders in precious objects.
More than a century later, Jean-Baptiste Mellerio went to the Château in Versailles and became supplier to the Court. He was the first of the Mellerio family to open a shop in 1799 at 20 rue Vivienne in Paris.
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- “Florissante – Bourgeon”:
It was in the 18th century, in the reign of Louis XVI, that the Mellerios began to hold a significant place in French jewellery. Their activities, initially Parisian, extended very quickly across the whole of France and even as far as England. Mellerio specialised in luxury items: silverware, rings, jewellery, watches, charms, precious boxes in tortoiseshell or gold, snuff boxes, candy boxes … which Queen Marie-Antoinette loved to give her friends.
After an interlude due to the French Revolution, Mellerio became one of the named suppliers to Empress Joséphine (Napoleon’s wife), marking the start of a brilliant success. In 1815 the Mellerio dits Meller jewellery shop was the first to set up in the all new Rue de la Paix, located in immediate proximity to Place Vendôme.
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- “Luxuriante”
From then on the shop received visits from celebrities from all over the world, as proved by entries in the Order Books, which have been preserved since 1766 and where the names of the greatest royal families are entered, along with names from the Parisian bourgeoisie. Mellerio became jeweller to the queens and empresses of France, and of Europe too: from Marie-Antoinette through to the queens of today, including Marie-Amélie, Isabelle II of Spain, Emma and Maxima of the Netherlands, Eugénie, … not forgetting Marie de Médicis of course.
400 years and 14 generations later, Mellerio dits Meller continues this creative tradition in its shop on Rue de la Paix, where artisan silversmiths and jewellers work with gold, platinum and precious gems. Collectors’ pieces, unique pieces, private orders, repairs and transformations, all the facets of a jeweller’s world are found in this workshop.
In addition to its work as a silversmith and jeweller, in 1993 Mellerio added a new skill: watchmaking, creating a watch with an unusual egg-shaped dial, both complex and fine-lined, clear and subtle, a symbol. This innovation was patented exactly 20 years ago.
Today Olivier Mellerio, representing the 14th generation, continues the work and the family saga.
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- “Médicis”
On the occasion of its 400th anniversary and to celebrate this exception landmark in its history, the Mellerio dits Meller house has entrusted the young designer Edéenne with the design of the new “Médicis” collection, created in honour of Queen Marie de Médicis, and where the lily (symbol of royalty in France) comes in 4 versions: High Jewellery, Luxuriante, Florissante, Evanescente.
Finally a book by Vincent Meylan has just been published; its 448 pages and over 370 illustrations go back over the history of the Mellerios. The book also includes numerous archive documents, letters provided by the family and previously unpublished drawings.
