The grandfather of the current directors, a modest and extremely discreet man, Charles Mellerio belongs to the long line of artists in the family. His watercolours were exhibited many times at the Salon des Artistes Français at the Grand Palais and he received the Prix de Rome award for drawing at the age of 20.

Nonetheless, he had to renounce the reward for this prize – a one-year stay at the Villa Médicis – and the artistic career of his dreams to take on his role in the family business.

There he learned the profession of jeweller and was, in this respect, awarded the title of best craftsman in France. He ultimately declared that he was prouder of this award than the Prix de Rome… Like his grandfather Jean-François and his father Raphaël before him, he himself designed the jewels that can still be admired in the Company’s archives.

Charles Mellerio was thus one of the few jewellers to be both craftsman and company director, dividing his time between “the peg” and the accounts books.

How better to manage a company than by having an intimate knowledge of all of its workings and mastering the profession with heart, hand and soul?