History

Charles Christofle founded his silver workshop in Paris in 1830. Within a decade, the company had acquired the rights to the electroplating patents of Elkington & Co. of Birmingham — a revolutionary process that allowed silver to be deposited uniformly onto base metal, making silver-quality table settings accessible to a far wider market than solid sterling had previously allowed. Christofle patented the electroplating process in France in 1842, transforming the art de la table.

Imperial Service

The timing was perfect. France was entering a period of imperial grandeur: Napoleon III commissioned Christofle to supply silverware for the Tuileries Palace, and the brand went on to create the tableware for French royal and state occasions for the rest of the 19th century. Christofle silver appeared at the tables of the Élysée Palace, French embassies worldwide, and the great hotels and ocean liners of the Belle Époque. The company became synonymous with French diplomatic hospitality — the silverware that represented France to the world.

Craftsmanship

Christofle's workshops combine traditional silversmithing techniques — hand-chasing, engraving, polishing — with modern precision. The electroplating process deposits a layer of silver typically 30–40 microns thick over a precisely cast base metal, then hand-finishes each piece to the standard of solid silver. The house employs specialist artisans for each technique: chasers for relief decoration, polishers for the mirror finish, engravers for monograms and motifs. Every piece carries the Christofle hallmark.

Collections

Christofle's most celebrated collections include Albi (a clean Art Deco line designed in 1935, still in production), Malmaison (inspired by Empire-era motifs from Napoleon's Malmaison estate), and the contemporary Vertigo collection by Andrée Putman. The house also produces jewellery, picture frames and home accessories alongside its core tableware — flatware, serving pieces, candlesticks, trays and ice buckets.

Prices

A Christofle silver-plated table fork in the Albi pattern is approximately €95. A five-piece place setting begins around €350. A silver-plated ice bucket starts at approximately €600. Serving pieces and centrepieces range from €300 to several thousand euros. Solid sterling silver and special commission pieces reach significantly higher.