Silica: extremely white, fine and pure sand.
Lead oxide (also called minium): a dense mineral substance which gives crystal its luminosity, sonority and density. 24% minimum
Potassium carbonate (also called potash): alkaline white mineral, preferred over sodium carbonate for the shine it brings to the crystal.
Cullet: scrap crystal from faulty pieces; it is sorted, cleaned, ground, melted down again and it promotes crystal fusion.
Various substances: secret ingredients which make Baccarat crystal unique!
All the raw materials used for Baccarat crystal are rigorously selected following very high quality standards so as to guarantee perfect purity.
It melts, going from the solid phase to the liquid phase, under the effect of heat. Then it is refined and any possible impurities removed.
It is then “gathered” on a metal blowpipe, removed from the furnace and hot worked at 850° (cf. Christine Hénissart)
Metallic oxides are added to the ingredients before the crystal fuses. The desired shade will vary depending on which oxides are added, heating time, temperature and crystal thickness.
Our palette includes 18 colours: Clear crystal, black, midnight, rose, mist, amber, blue, green, red, violet, olive green, glacier blue, peony, etc.
Crystal treatments: another tinted finish possibility
Graduated metallic finish (as for example on the Our Fire lamp shade or HIC! ceiling lamp) or “solid” (as on the Mille Nuits d’Or chandelier arm)
Satin-finish (as for example on the Our Fire lamp diffusion panel and certain pieces of the Flou or “Unfocused” chandelier
Just as for any exceptional object, chandeliers require a certain lead time once the order is placed. At Baccarat it takes approximately 6 weeks between order date and delivery for an existing piece in the catalogue. Manufacturing lead time for a special order varies depending on the complexity of the piece to be modified or created.
The various crystal parts that make up a chandelier are cold and hot worked in workshops at Baccarat crystalworks:
The glassblower gathers the molten crystal and pours it in a mold, pressing it down to completely fill the mold using a hand press. Making a chandelier arm requires two glassblowers who twist it and insert it into a wooden mold.
The cutter cold works the crystal by hand or uses a cutting machine.
The metal structure is also produced in the crystalworks’ workshops and is an essential piece because it acts as a skeleton for the chandelier’s crystal body!
The crystal pieces are assembled using pins in the cold workshops at the crystalworks.
The chandelier is then entirely assembled. This operation checks that all the pieces needed to assemble the chandelier are indeed there at packaging time, and it ensures that the product is perfect in terms of aesthetics and standards.
Electrification is done at the same time. It is a very sensitive stage as electrification is what makes Baccarat chandeliers functional.
After assembling all the parts and verifying that the chandelier functions properly, it is partially taken apart in order to pack it. The parts are then delicately placed first in cardboard boxes, and then in wooden cases to ensure that the chandelier will not be damaged during transportation to its future owner.
Conformity tests are done to ensure all Baccarat chandeliers function properly electrically so as to offer the end client absolute reliability. More than 30 people hand check production quality on 3 aspects: aesthetic, size and function. It is meticulous, attentive and rigorous monitoring which can result in the rejection of 20 to 50% on certain batches.