THE ART OF CRYSTAL

Natural luxury or luxurious nature? Crystal is a stroke of masterly magic that blends the four natural elements harmoniously together: earth (sand), air (blowing), fire (furnace) and water (cooling). Each product is unique, mouth blown and hand cut and finished. In short, a craftsman’s art that Val Saint Lambert has cherished for nearly 200 years.

The pure Val Saint Lambert crystal is known as one of the clearest in the world. It all starts with a sophisticated product composition – a mixture of sand, potassium and soda. The raw materials are heated at 1400°C and melted to a viscous liquid. The glassblower takes a blob of liquid glass out of the furnace with a blowpipe and blows it into a bell – in open space or by using a mould. Glassblowing is one of the oldest techniques in glass art, handed down at Val Saint Lambert from father to son, and from son to grandson.

When the shape is set, the crystal is placed on a conveyor belt. The stress that occurred when shaping and heating the glass gradually disappears in the cooling tunnel. The crystal then reaches the cutter in the "cold department." The crystal is cut and polished to give it its unique character, transparency and brilliance. The final character is also conferred by the finishing work – engraving, etching, sandblasting, enamelling, etc. to create a unique piece of crystal art signed Val Saint Lambert.

Colours and techniques –Creating crystal means playing with light. The distinct colour spectrum of Val Saint Lambert comprises cobalt blue, sapphire blue, royal blue, petroleum blue, green, Chinese green, Japanese yellow, pink, amethyst, fuchsia, violet, morning red, quartz and black. In addition, the specialised cutting techniques also determine the specific incidence of light and look: from diamond, star, cross, festoon, scow, grain of salt, palm leaf, pearl, almond, olive, bowl, bamboo to slant cut…