Charles Christofle

Charles Christofle founded the company that bears his name in 1830. Originally a jeweler, he bought the patents silver plating and electrolytic gilding of gold in 1842. As a goldsmith, he transformed ceremonial items and everyday objects: from jewelry to cutlery, gold smithery to sculptures, and decorative objects to tableware. This is how silver came to be an integral player in art of living today.

Charles Christofle was born in Paris in 1805 amongst small industrialists specializing in the manufacturing of buttons. The only boy in a family of four, he apprenticed with his brother-in-law Hughes Calmette, a manufacturer of "provincial" copper jewelry in 1821.He took over the business 10 years later and ,in 1832 ,deposited his master's mark at the Garantie de Paris for "adornment". He developed his factory by positioning it towards export jewelry made of precious metal. The following year, he married Anne Henriette Bouilhet (1839 -1919) with whom he had two children, a daughter Marie Rose (1836-1918) and a son Paul (1838 -1907).

While searching for technical innovations, Charles Christofle took out a patent for the manufacturing of metallic fabrics in 1837. He then produced silver filigree pieces and hangings, epaulettes and braids for the army. Armed with this diverse skillset, he participated in the Exhibition of Products of French Industry in Paris in 1839. This first participation inaugurated a long series of national and universal exhibitions, where the House won numerous awards. At one exhibition in 1844 in Paris, he received a gold medal.In 1842, he acquired the patents for silver and gold metal electroplating. More durable and less harmful than traditional techniques, electroplating and gilding made it possible to manufacture pieces on a massive scale. Christofle was the only patent holder in France for 15 years.One of his first clients was the French King, Louis-Philippe I, who ordered a full service from him for the Chateau d'Eu in Normandy, a vacation spot for the French royal family.