Rene-Jules Lalique, the founder of Lalique, was born April 6, 1860, in Ay-en-Champagne in the Marne region of France. His first love was jewelry design and his talent was unsurpassed, creating outstanding works of art for many famous people and winning numerous awards.

In 1905, Lalique opened a shop in Place Vendome where he exhibited his jewelry along with glassware. Perfumer Francois Coty was so impressed with Lalique’s glasswork that he partnered with him to be the first to offer perfumes in attractive bottles. This revolutionized the perfume industry.

After devoting himself to glassmaking for several years, Lalique opened his own glassworks, Verrerie d’Alsace. This is now the world’s only Lalique glass factory. His techniques created a style where the design was expressed in frosted versus clear glass.

Lalique passed away May 5, 1945. His son Marc sought to lead the business into crystal.

Marc’s daughter, Marie-Claude Lalique, took over as CEO in 1977 and renewed the company’s focus on jewelry and perfume.

Lalique sold to Art & Fragrance in 2008. Silvio Denz aims to bring the glassworks to full capacity and distributing worldwide.