Mellerio: the oldest surviving jewellery house

Door de redactie · Vakinhoudelijk getoetst · Bijgewerkt juli 2026

Mellerio (full name Mellerio dits Meller) is the oldest surviving jewellery house in the world and has been family-owned for over two centuries. For the vintage market, this is a name with an exceptional reputation but limited visibility: signed Mellerio work is scarce on the Dutch market, and the few pieces that do appear are often bought directly by specialist parties. This editorial guide describes the context and provides the reading context to weigh an attribution. Name exclusively as text; no house brands.

Brief historical context

The Mellerio family originally comes from the Italian Val Vigezzo and has worked as jewellers in Paris since the seventeenth century; the firm in its current form dates back to 1613. From 1815, the house operated from a building on the rue de la Paix in Paris (its current address in the immediate vicinity of Place Vendôme), where it still has its main establishment today. The firm has continuously been owned by the Mellerio family.

Historically, the house supplied European royal families (including France, Spain, Italy) and the bourgeois Parisian elite. Stylistically, the firm moved with the dominant fashions of each period: historicising in the nineteenth century, Edwardian and art nouveau around 1900, art deco in the interwar period, and more classical jewellery in the post-war decades.

Waar de verzamelmarkt op let

Dutch market scarcity

Unlike Cartier, Van Cleef and Boucheron, this house never had a large Dutch trading network. The Dutch elite bought in Paris, but rarely as much as from the commercially dominant main names. The consequence for the vintage market: signed pieces from this house appear sporadically in Dutch estates and are often quickly moved on to the French market by specialised parties.

Documentation is decisive

Because the house is less known in Dutch trade practice, documentation is extra decisive for attribution. An original box with a firm stamp, a purchase invoice, a dated engraving or an archive entry is often the difference between a responsible attribution and a speculative one for this brand. Without documentation, the safest description is "in the style of the better Parisian jewellers of [period]".

Period: nineteenth-century and interwar

For the collector's market, the main focus is on the late nineteenth century (historicising jewellery, court commissions) and the interwar period (art deco). Post-war work is technically well-executed but less differentiated from comparable Parisian production. For the broader style context, we refer to our Edwardian and Art Deco guides.

Signature at pattern level

Signed work bears the brand name in the usual discreet place. We describe this exclusively at pattern level; the exact formats and positions per period are the knowledge domain of specialised appraisers and the house itself. For Dutch attribution, consulting the house archive in Paris is the appropriate route.

Bandbreedtes en realisme

Prijsranges als richtlijn

Small signed piece (ring, pendant)

Highly dependent on period, material and documentation.

€ 2.000 – € 12.000
Signature from late nineteenth century or art deco

Platinum, old cuts and full documentation structurally increase value.

€ 8.000 – € 50.000
Complete historicising court jewel

Rare documented pieces from this category are internationally collected.

€ 25.000 – multiples thereof

The stated ranges are indicative and based on public auction results. Actual value requires assessment of the piece itself by an independent appraiser; head and top prices are outside these ranges in both directions.

Verkopen of laten beoordelen

Onafhankelijke beoordeling is bij deze categorie de standaard

Voor gesigneerde stukken loont onafhankelijke beoordeling altijd — zowel voor verificatie van authenticiteit als voor een realistische waardebepaling. Wij bemiddelen niet en zijn geen taxateur; ons gratis advies op foto is een startpunt dat je met een paar beelden kunt aanvragen, waarna we je doorverwijzen naar geschikte specialisten en veilinghuizen in ons netwerk.

Vraag gratis advies →

Veelgestelde vragen

Wat lezers vaak vragen

Why is this house little known in the Netherlands?

Because the commercial focus of this firm has always been in Paris and the Dutch trading network is more limited than that of, for example, Cartier or Van Cleef. As a result, the name appears sporadically in Dutch estates.

I have inherited a piece with this signature. What now?

Document the signature and any numbers clearly in a photo, keep the box and papers, and present the piece to an appraiser with Parisian auction experience. For definitive attribution, consulting the house archive in Paris is the appropriate route.

Is this house comparable to Cartier or Van Cleef?

In terms of reputation and technical level, certainly, but not in terms of market visibility and trading network. At auction, the three houses are weighed separately; the Dutch market reflects these differences.

How old is the house exactly?

In its current form, the firm dates back to 1613; since 1815, it has operated on the rue de la Paix in Paris. It has remained continuously family-owned, which makes the house unique in jewellery art.

Verder lezen

Curious what you have in your hands?

Prijsranges zijn een startpunt; wat je precies in handen hebt bepaalt de bandbreedte. Stuur foto's en een korte beschrijving, dan bekijkt een specialist wat het is en adviseert binnen twee werkdagen over een logische vervolgroute.

Request free advice

Independent advice about what you have and your options — not a purchase offer, not a formal appraisal.

Andere merkgidsen

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Cartier

Merkgids · Grote huizen

Van Cleef & Arpels

Merkgids · Grote huizen

Tiffany & Co.

Merkgids · Grote huizen

Boucheron

Merkgids · Zilver en design