The Musketeers’ Cup and the Suzanne Lenglen Cup are the work of the craftsmen of the world’s oldest luxury jewelry house, Maison Mellerio.
While the house is best known for its refined jewelry collections today, it is goldsmithing that forms the original core of its mastery.
Maison Mellerio, the world’s oldest family-owned jeweler, holds a place of distinction in the fine arts of craftsmanship.
From royal commissions to the most prestigious sporting trophies, Maison Mellerio has been crafting history in silver, gold, and precious stones for over four centuries.
In 1981, the French Tennis Federation sought to redesign the Musketeer’s Cup, awarded annually to the men’s singles champion at Roland Garros.
Then-president Philippe Chatrier launched a tender, inviting top jewelry houses to submit their vision.
Maison Mellerio triumphed, not through grandeur, but through subtle elegance and timeless style.
The result was a silver basin framed by a delicate vine leaf frieze and two swan-shaped handles—both ornamental and symbolic of grace and strength.
Each year, the original trophy is brought out for a single occasion—the final of the French Open—before returning to the Federation’s headquarters.
The winning player receives a replica, faithful in design but slightly smaller in scale, created exclusively by Mellerio’s expert artisans.
Suzanne-Lenglen cup has been awarded to the women’s singles champion since 1979 and bears the name of an emblematic French champion.
Suzanne Lenglen (1899-1938) won Roland-Garros six times. Her modern style, elegance and flair were what inspired the Musketeers.
The trophy is almost identical, minus a few details, to the cup offered at the time by the City of Nice to Suzanne Lenglen, and which is housed in the National Sports Museum.
It takes over 100 hours of meticulous labor by Mellerio’s dedicated silversmiths to bring the replica to life.
This is not mass production; this is artistry rooted in centuries of savoir-faire.
Beginning with a plain silver sheet, the journey begins.
The silversmith molds it using a wooden mandrel to sculpt the body of the cup.
Then, the forger steps in, pouring molten metal into molds to form the handles and frieze.
Once hardened, these elements are refined by a chiseller, who engraves every curve and contour to perfection.
Each part is thoroughly inspected and assembled by hand.
The polisher brings the piece to life with a mirror-like finish, and finally, the engraver marks the year of victory into the base.
The result: a fourteen-kilogram trophy standing twenty-one centimeters tall and nineteen centimeters wide, crafted not just for beauty but to embody a moment of sporting immortality.
Maison Mellerio traces its roots to 1515, when the Mellerio family left Italy’s Val Vigezzo for Paris. In 1613, Queen Marie de Médicis granted the family special privileges for their loyalty.
For generations, they served royals, emperors, and nobles, becoming synonymous with elite French luxury.
Jean-Baptiste Mellerio sold his creations outside Versailles before catching the attention of Marie Antoinette herself. This royal favor opened doors, making Maison Mellerio a fixture of the French court.
Later, the Empress Joséphine became a key patron, regularly visiting the boutique on rue Vivienne and introducing the house to the Bonaparte dynasty.
Maison Mellerio remains a rare jewel in the modern luxury world—still family-run, proudly independent, and fiercely dedicated to its heritage.
Now in its 15th generation, the house continues to combine creativity, discretion, and mastery.
Its connection to sport, art, and royalty is not just history; it is a living tradition, visible in every trophy, every gem, and every handcrafted detail.
Through its continuing role in Roland Garros and its unwavering standards, Maison Mellerio proves that excellence never goes out of style.
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