vendredi 11 janvier 2019

Identifying Real Baccarat Crystal Items

By Janet Burns


Baccarat was founded in France in 1764, and they started with window panes, mirrors and stemware. They starting using a crystal oven in 1816 and since then every baccarat crystal item created is of great value. They started with 3000 workers and in time even opened two museums, one in Meurthe-et-Moselle and one in Paris.

In 1993 the company began making jewelry and expanded into the perfume business in 1997. In 2010 Baccarat already had stores in more than 10 locations. Starting 2012, they also opened a luxury hotel chain which features their crystal chandeliers. Given their popularity and quality, each item is quite expensive and if you want to purchase one it is important to know that you are getting the real thing.

Let's see some of the methods that can be used to determine if the crystal item you are after is an original piece. For example, paperweights are usually market with the letter B and when it was created, just the year. If you piece is from 1849 and onward, only the number will be present and they would be of different colors, depending on the year or model.

Perfume bottles created starting with 1920 will have a logo on them and images of a wine glass, a goblet and a carafe, along with the company's name printed in a circle. Various other glass pieces, such as vases, decanters, candy dishes, etc, which were made starting 1936 also have the images and the name in capital letters. Pieces created more recently only have the name of the company and not the images anymore.

If you only see the word "Baccarat" and no other logo, this means that the pieces are quite recent. Other items will have a large B on them or could be labeled with a sticker, which would be quadrilateral or rectangular. The stickers will feature the company's logo and be gold with a black edge, with the name Baccarat in the middle, for the quadrilateral ones, or white with a red ridge for the rectangular ones. The latter could also be solid red and have the text written in gold.

However, if you found an unmarked piece, it is a bit more difficult to determine its authenticity. Start by studying the websites and catalogs of various collectors in order to familiarize with the styles. During the '20s and '50s, cube shapes were popular, while Venetian glass influenced the pieces created in the the 1960.

If you are already familiarized with their style you can study the designers that Baccarat used in the past. It may be a bit complicated if you are not familiarized with these, though. Another easier way is to weight them, considering that crystal is way heavier than other materials used in fake items.

If you still cannot be sure about the authenticity of the piece or cannot figure it out, a good idea would be to visit a store near you or contact a representative. They should be able to help you and provide all the answers and information that you need before your purchase. As you surely know, there crystals are extremely valuable and you should know as much as you can about them before you buy them.




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