Limoges is like champagne - both are associated with the ultimate in quality brought out on celebratory occasions when only the very best will do.

But while sparkling wines are made in many parts of the world, only those born and bottled in the Champagne region of France are legally allowed to be called Champagne. Thus, while porcelain is made in many countries, only porcelain made in the Limoges region in west central France may be called Limoges

A center of the arts since the Middle Ages, Limoges is the epicenter of the French porcelain industry The art - and it is art, not manufacture - of Limoges boxes remains largely with small studios of five or six craftspeople - very literally a cottage industry. To keep up with enormous demand, Chamart works with numerous studios, each with its own specialty.

The French Connection

Chamart is a contraction of the name of its founder, Charles Martine, one of the "personalities" of the gift and tabletop business. As the result of the devastation inflicted on France by World War I, there was little product to import; only Haviland imported French porcelain - and only its own product. Martine was the first to bring a variety of French porcelains into the U.S. He created the company in the early 1950's and moved to 225 Fifth Avenue, where it remains as one of the building's oldest tenants.

Originally Martine's line was limited to dinnerware and handpainted ceramics - predominantly gift items, serving accessories and crystal. Limoges boxes, for which the company is now world famous, remained in the future. "My uncle was very conservative," says Leny Davidson, current Chamart president. "Our box line developed slowly over the past 30 or so years."

The Limoges Box business was born in 1965 with larger decorative boxes - "coffee table" pieces. Leny is now attempting to restore boxes from the original collection, intending to accumulate one of every box in the history of the company to create a special museum-like display called "Vintage Chamart."

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