A red crystal cabochon, signature of the house, sparkles on the back of its suit. Maggie Henriquez, of South American origin, former boss of Krug champagne (LVMH group), took over management of the Baccarat crystal factory in April 2022. Here she is in Baccarat (Meurthe-et-Moselle) on October 4, for the inauguration of an exhibition space in the heart of the small Lorraine town. This is the first act of the 260th celebrationse anniversary of the manufacture which, at the beginning of 2024, will see the commissioning of the new oven.
The F oven, like Fortuna, a revolution within this house created in 1764, since the company will be able, thanks to this tool, to manufacture lead-free crystal! This is to meet a requirement from Europe which, since 2002, has been putting pressure on manufacturers to produce lead-free crystal for reasons relating to both environmental protection and the health of crystal workers.
The arrival in 2021 of new shareholders, five funds based in Hong Kong (Tor Investment Management, Sammasan Capital, Dolphin Capital, CEOF Holding and Corbin Opportunity) which financed an investment program of 68 million euros, including nearly half was devoted to the construction of a new furnace to replace the aging previous one, allowed the manufacture to embark on a new era, since for centuries, this element has accounted for 24% of the composition of the crystal to which it confers particular abilities.
Alchemists
The challenge for the crystal makers of the Grand-Est, who, each in their own right, from Baccarat to Saint-Louis, via Daum or Lalique, have turned into alchemists, is to succeed in offering a lead-free crystal that meets the three requirements which give this material all its magic: the refractive index, that is to say the play of light and color in the crystal, its density, and above all its sound.
This may seem futile, but the “ting”, this joyful tinkling which occurs when two crystal glasses delicately collide, and which resonated in the Hall of Mirrors during the dinner given in honor of King Charles thanks to the Juvisy glass, we do not hear it will never hear with glasses… made of glass. “Thanks to this tool, we will be able to respond to the demand that we are unable to satisfy today, and create new, even more complex parts”, explains Maggie Henriquez. Asia, particularly Japan, is the leading manufacturing market, followed by the United States.
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