During the second half of the nineteenth century, Paris was the scene of an extraordinary flowering of jewelry design and manufacture. Many of the internationally famous houses opened their doors in that period: Falize in 1840, Cartier in 1847, Boucheron in 1858, Fouquet in 1860, Lalique in 1885. Prominent among these was the house of Falize, which, until its close in 1936, was recognized as one of the most meticulous and tasteful of jewelers and goldsmiths. Its history is a tale of three generations: the founder Alexis; his son Lucien, who ran the enterprise in its most illustrious period; and finally Lucien's three talented sons, who continued the tradition into the twentieth century as Falize Frres. In recent years, Falize has been rediscovered, and its jewels and objects can be found at auction sales fetching handsome prices. The relative rarity and quality of the pieces make them highly valued, as do their intriguing associations. During the company's heyday, when it was ensconced at a smart address in the Avenue de l'Opra, it counted among its illustrious customers Empress Eugnie, the Imperial Russian family, Sarah Bernhardt, Queen Marie of Rumania, Colette, and many others.