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Fontana's jewellery firm was very famous in Paris. Its founder, Thomas Fontana (1813-1861), came from Switzerland and opened a small and modest workshop at the Galerie Beaujolais of the Palais-Royal in early 1840. His jeweller's reputation increased and he gradually expanded his premises with a number of arcades. When he died, his nephew Joseph Fontana, took over, with other descendants, the responsibility and smooth running of the firm. Later in 1867, Charles Fontana, the son of founder Thomas Fontana, joined the firm in 1871, it became Ch. Fontana & Cie but he kept his father's collaborators as partners including Joseph until 1881. In 1896, he decided to move into spacious premises in the Rue Royale where he continued to maintain the excellence and the reputation of his distinguished firm. They had a large clientele among the Parisian bourgeoisie and they were renowned for their traditional and luxurious gem-set jewellery.
In 1882, Joseph Fontana ended the partnership with Charles and he and his brother Giacomo established a new firm under the name of Fontana Frères. They moved to Rue de la Paix no. 7 where Joseph's son, Pierre Fontana, succeeded them.
They developed a reputation for the quality of their craftsmanship and their classical designs.
Today, the Fontana's archives belong to Chaumet.