Mellerio were the first jewellers to set up there in 1815.

At the start of the 19th century it was quite another story in the district that we now know as the symbol of luxury and refinement: the rue de Rivoli was lined with wasteland and run down housing whilst various houses and shops cluttered the Louvre courtyard and the Tuileries Gardens.

But in 1802, Emperor Napoleon launched a vast plan to reorganise the capital and soon a complete district of perpendicular streets ending at rue de Rivoli came to light. One of these streets was to be, according to the Emperor, the most beautiful in Paris.

It was the street that was to open up the Place Vendôme to the new boulevards that was chosen to pay homage to the glory of Napoleon. In 1806 the rue Napoleon was built from the location of the Capucines Convent and, under the Restoration, was re-named rue de la Paix.

Mellerio was very quickly followed by other famous jewellers, who joined it on the rue de la Paix and then, at the end of the 19th century, on Place Vendôme.

The most prestigious clients are still welcomed in N°9 rue de la Paix. But the woodpanels of the salon Vendôme and the Salon Vert keep the secret of their conversations…