Mellerio
The Mellerio family left Italy to settle in France in 1515 and started as peddlers who sold their jewelry from wooden trays suspended from their necks. Their status and lives changed dramatically when in 1613 they were granted the royal protection of Marie de Medici, Queen of France. This allowed them to trade without having to submit the usual taxes and granted them no real administrative restrictions. This was upheld for almost 150 years until Louis XVI ended the tax free era. In 1801 François Mellerio, who had spent some time training under Manini in Italy established himself on the Rue du Coq-Saint-Honoré. By 1815 he had opened on the Rue de la Paix with his brother Jean-Jacques at No. 22. In 1830 they were appointed official supplier to the Royal family and just two years later in 1832 François’ son Jean- François joined his father in the business followed a year later by his brother Antoine. Then in 1836 they moved from No. 9 to No. 5. The sons pushed the company to exhibit in a host of fairs including first Paris in 1855 followed by London 1862, Paris 1867, Rome 1870, Vienna 1873 and Paris again in 1878. After Queen Isabel II purchased a piece at one of the fairs they received another Royal appointment, this time to the King of Italy. During the 1950s they decided to collaborate with Balenciaga, Dior and Patou combining beautiful jewels with clothes. In 2013 they celebrated their 400th anniversary under the guidance of the 14th generation of the Mellerio family from the Rue de la Paix premises they have been in for almost two hundred years.
