Notes adapted from online sources: Christofle is a goldsmith and tableware company, founded in Paris in 1830 by Charles Christofle. A jeweler and goldsmith, Christofle produced ceremonial and everyday objects from jewelry to cutlery, from gold pieces to statuary, from decorative objects to tableware. One of his first clients was the King of France, Louis-Philippe the First, who ordered a full service from him for the Chateau d'Eu in Normandy, a holiday resort for the French royal family.
In 1837, seeking technical innovations to benefit his company, Charles took out a patent for the manufacture of entirely metallic fabrics. He then produced silver filigree pieces and hangings, and epaulettes and braids for the army. With this expanded product line, he participated in the Exhibition of Products of French Industry in Paris in 1839; in the following years, "Maison Christofle" participated in a series of national and international exhibitions, gaining awards for the Maison each time.
In 1842, Christofle acquired patents for electroplating silver and gold metal. Stronger and less harmful than traditional techniques, electroplating and gilding make it possible for the Maison to manufacture goldsmithery similar in every way to mass-produced versions. As patent holder, Christofle was for 15 years the only one in France able to manufacture silver metal.
Charles Christofle was born in Paris in 1805, into a community of small industrialists specializing in the manufacture of buttons. The only boy in a family of four siblings, in 1821 he apprenticed with his brother-in-law Hughes Calmette, a manufacturer of "provincial" copper jewelry. Ten years later, he took charge of the business and in 1832 acquired his master's mark for "adornment" at the Garantie de Paris. He was married to Anne Henriette Bouilhet the year after he launched his business. They had two children, a daughter Marie Rose (1836-1918) and a son Paul (1838-1907).
In 2012, the company was bought by one of its shareholders, the luxury group, Chalhoub.