While I'll probably never be able to buy anything here, I am truly glad that the Saint Louis has been saved. Artisans do deserve to be able to practice their art. A job like (at least typically / in my experience) is something you do because you LOVE it. Like not being able to wear protective clothing when working with hot glass. If I was doing that job, I'd be filled with so much pride in working quickly, safely as possible, and producing gorgeous works of art. Artisans deserve to be able to do their art, even if it's something I'll only ever be able to look at on a youtube channel.
Do those artisans get paid appropriately for their work? If a single drinking glass costs over $400, how much are the workers paid for producing that glass?
There's a mistake at 9:50, the subtitles says "defects caused by the size" when he says "défauts causés par la taille", but he probably means "caused by the cut" (taille both means cut and size).
Also wrong, with only 5 people know how to do this technique, lol theres tons of artist who know the technique, it's just only few do it, because most like to find their own creative techniques.
It's possible it's a machine translation. It's cheaper, especially so if you neglect or are unwilling to pay for someone to correct it after; but you sacrifice quality and nuance. An incorrect differentiation between the French for "cut" and for "size" is a perfect example of one of the pitfalls of machine translation.
It’s also owned by Hermès, which really explains how Saint Louis has been able to market and sell their items at these high prices. Other more independent manufacturers such as Baccarat are struggling to find enough customers willing to pay a premium price for heritage and savoir faire.
I'm not sure Saint-Louis is exactly a marketing powerhouse. While being very familiar with Baccarat and Lalique (and Hermès, of course), I'd never heard of Saint-Louis. Maybe that's just in the US, and they focus on other countries though.
Ive collected paperweights my entire life! Some were gifts from others, some I bought while traveling, and some I've picked up at thrift shops. The crystal ones are truly beautiful with not even the tiniest bubble inside. I wish I could afford even more.
I collect paperweights too! I just like pretty glass objects lol. One day when I am wealthy I will buy the ones from Saint Louis with the millefiori inside
@@SMITESHSURESH I haven't seen any RUclipsrs talk about it, but I personally just like pretty glass art so I buy paperweights when I come across pretty ones. Not really a serious hobby, just a way of collecting small things that I like lol
I was lucky enough to apprentice in a glass blowing shop. It was quite an experience. Except in the middle of summer. I couldn’t imagine making piece this complex
I’m so happy to see these people keep their art alive. I am from a former glass and crystal industry town, and all of our glass houses and factories had closed by the 90s, leaving one as a small studio, and the second as a museum. Everyone and their nan’s got some good Crystal stored somewhere from our good days.
My husband and I had collected a number of fine crystal paperweights about 40 years ago, simply because we enjoyed the variety and the quality of the workmanship. We collected Murano, Kosta Boca, Steuben, Murano, Saint Louis, Caithness, Baccarat, Orrefors, etc., setting aside a few hundred dollars for each purchase. We enjoyed the way they sparkled on the shelf, not giving them a second thought. Ten ago, we hosted a party, and a guest noticed our collection and nearly cartwheeled in place as he raved about the value of the collection. Damn! Now, we keep them locked in a safe and have an additional amount of homeowners insurance to cover a potential loss. We’re looking at selling the collection to pay for our grandson’s college education at the university of his choice.
@@jamesbizs Why would that be horrible? The paperweights were purchased with our hard-earned money and enjoyed. We had no idea they would appreciate the way they did, so why not sell them and allow someone else to enjoy them? This is no different than buying a new car decades ago that has become a collector’s classic, worth several tens of thousands of dollars more than its initial purchase price.
@@probablynot1368 wonder what they would be worth in another 30-40 years if you handed them down. They say generational wealth only last a few generations because someone in the line will eventually sell the family's assets.
@@cknorris3644 But of course that's just speculation. For all we know the value could plummet by the next generation, which has happened for many collectable categories.
I own a piece of Saint Louis crystal. A beautiful flower vase. I purchased it decades ago when I worked in the high-end gift business. I purchased it on an employee discount. They make a beautiful product. Gone is the appreciation for beautiful hand made crystal. It has been cheapened by mass produced glassware of today.
"Gone is the appreciation" is right. That stuff is garbage let's be real. They practically said in the video that normal people can't buy this, it's only for the wealthy and high end businesses. Sounds like squeezing blood from a stone to me.
There is a difference between appreciating it and being able to afford it. I'm glad that you found the money for something that you appreciate, however, 13K for a paperweight is a bit out of most people's range. I can appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into this. It would be very nice to have one. IMHO it's even nicer to use the 13K pay the mortgage for most of a year.
Tbh, I think the issue is more that it looks very classical and just doesn't fit in modern interiors anymore. It would probably be more beneficial to them to partner with current designers and create pieces with the same level of craftmanship but a more modern design language. Some italian designers like gaetano pesce and Luca nichetto have been doing this very succesfully .
I used to go to a little town called Rattenberg in the West of Austria, famous for its glass blowing and -cutting, every summer. It was quite magnificent to walk into the shops, see these beautiful, handmade pieces and, if you were lucky, you got to see someone making one right there in the middle of the shop. It's incredible to see how fast and precisely they can make these pieces of art.
"I don't have a crystal ball" Seems like a bit of an overnight to me... considering she works at a crystal factory. Come on guys, get the lady a crystal ball!
@@elisetaragnat7663 Yeah, I don’t mean necessarily actual nobility. In America, we treat the wealthy old rich families as nobility. Like the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers.
My introduction to mouth blown glass was in the late 1950s at Blenko Glass in West Virginia. When I began collecting perfume bottles in the 1970s, I looked, and still do, at the bottom for the mark from it being taken off the pipe. My oldest piece is a cruet, with the original stopper, over 100 years old.
Milliefiori!!! Gorgeous!! I have some old candy dishes from Waterford. And animal carvings! I am collecting crystal, this is a new factory for me!! ❤❤ Jeannie in Lakeport California
@@spiritualseeker410Bahaha yeah, cheap chinese mass production is "superior craftsmanship". Thanks for the laugh buddy, you are a funny person. Who doesn`t know that cheap Chinese products stand for the epitome of quality.
I didn't know what the whole process of crystal and why it was so valued I know what makes the entire process come to light so intricate right down to the inspection thank you for shining light on this wonderful craft
I love this art, it is absolutely beautiful and I hope it withstands the test of time forever. Art like this should be preserved and kept alive as long as humans live on this planet. And I also love the effects the video creators did at 8:20, the sound and visuals of the glass are so pretty
On the contrary, miss, if they saw how you kept the spirit alive and modernized without losing that special touch, they would be more than honored and proud of you!!!! God blees you for keeping the art alive.
I feel like they're just complicating it to create artificial scarcity to justify sky high prices. It's like if I said "I hand made this car using nothing but long forgotten secrets. Not a single factory was involved. Not even a calculator. Why not? Uhhh... well it's very exclusive and unique y'know... You could buy a well made mass produced vehicle for a tiny fraction of the cost and it would be even more useful, but then you'd be like everyone else... you want to be special don't you?" I don't know I just find this and other "exclusive" manufacturing methods for different products as thinly disguised snobbery. Sure, congrats on having such a high degree of craftmanship, but it's literally useless if it wasn't for ultra rich people trying to one up each other on burning money on the most mundane of things.
@@unocualqu1era when you have only 10 people who know how to make them, it's not artidicial scarcity. the molds are unique, the technique is unique, the workers are not cheap. It's luxury.
@@backintimealwyn5736that doesn’t mean its worth what they are selling it at, or has any value at all. All it means is they are purposely gatekeeping their recipe, and process from everyone else so they can have an artificial monopoly on the market, and justify the insane and deluded price. Only two people on earth know the coca cola recipe, that doesn’t mean its magically the best, most high quality carbonated beverage on earth. if people are willing to pay that much for some heated sand, that just meants they’re stupid.
Someone once told me “what’s something worth? Whatever someone is willing to pay for it.” Sounds obvious, but it seems pretty deep to me sometimes. Especially when I see things like a $13k paperweight
Kinda similar to the artist David Cho, when he used to sell paintings for really cheap, and then became really wealthy, and didn’t need the money anymore, so he raised the prices to thousands of dollars a painting, and people kept buying them.
The gist is this. To each person, each thing has a different value. If I like apples, I might value an apple as worth $2, whereas you might not like apples at all, so to you an apple is only worth $0.25. So if you have an apple, and sell it to me for $1, You now have lost $0.25 worth of apple and gained $1.00 in cash, so you're up $0.75, whereas I have lost $1.00 in cash but have gained $2.00 in apple, so I'm up $1.00. Ultimately, luxury goods are largely about status, and the perception of status. You're paying for the benefit of feeling superior to other people... of having what they can't. Of course, there is some more direct benefit. For example, that $13k paperweight is probably prettier than a $1 paperweight. Not $12999 prettier, but somewhat prettier, and looking at prettier things can improve your mood of itself, etc. A paperweight is a bad example though, because the legit quality improvements are more subjective. Perhaps something more like clothing is in order, since it's easier to see how clothing made of nicer material, constructed better, with better hardware, fit to your body, can be way better than clothing made of cheap uncomfortable material, poorly constructed, cheap hardware, and ill-fitting.
Especially since you can buy the same murrina paperweight for much cheaper from any other glass blower in the world. As for any luxury brand, they just pay for the name.
As a professional knifemaker (monolith knives) I find the talent of these artisans at the top of the food chain. I collect Italian Murano glass. Glass artisans are amazing. Cut cystal is the prettiest of all. My grandmother left me a collection of these paperweights. I had no idea they were so valuable.
Maybe paperweight can also be used on tablecloths, if only maybe tablecloths can complement them aesthetically, that should still be something interesting
I wonder if there are people that do the same things the Blaschka family did before like making really convincing flowers and marine life replicas out of glass...
I've always been fascinated by glass blowing. When I was a kid we would go to the markets and there would often be a man with a stall selling his wares. To catch peoples attention he would make some of the simpler pieces there on the spot and I'd just watch. Seeing glass go from being a molten glowing blob to something like a bird was fascinating. And that gentle tap that seems to magically separate the work from the rod was amazing.
My usable paperweight at home is over a million years old. A rock from my backyard with fossil imprints. Cost? Nothing and will last another million years.
It's a piece of art man. Your rock may do its job, but some people are willing to pay the deserved amount of money that goes into creating a piece that requires 10 years of study to become good at.
There was a video on Indian glass making bracelets and the video or commentators were ragging on the Indian bosses for not making the workers use gloves. They don’t wear gloves in France either!
depends on the position some blowers or finishers might use gloves but gloves around molten glass is so dangero0us because the glass would be quenchable /removeable form skin but the gloves will litterly cook the person alive if its coated in molten glass
I heard diversity, multiculturalism, Mass Immigration, and an overall anti European sentiment will help this industry tremendously by firing all the French citizens and replacing them with "refugees". Seems like it's been working so far.
I heard diversity, multiculturalism, Mass Immigration, and an overall anti European sentiment will help this industry tremendously by firing all the French citizens and replacing them with "refugees". Seems like it's been working so far.
I get the impression that manufacturing an expensive paperweight is a much more straightforward process than selling it for exorbitant amounts of money. The sales team for those must be top-notch.
@@spiritualseeker410 No shit, they make cheaper stuff in India and China than in France, who would have thought. Have you seen the working conditions in those factories ? Glass as a material isn't that expensive, manpower is. Yeah, of course you pay extra because it's St Louis, but not as much as you think, they're arguably the best paperweight maker at their scale. I'm very curious about what those roadside glass pieces look like, I'd like to look it up, you've got any photos or names ? As a professional glass blower, I'm a bit curious about those outstanding new creative designs I've never heard about. And honestly, " The level of artistry is not outstanding at all" ? I don't think you understand how intricate and difficult this shit is.
@@spiritualseeker410 Glad to see I'm not the only one who sees right through these snobs and the rich idiots who feel superior because their paperweight cost far more than it deserves, because let's be honest they don't just use art or other expensive stuff to transfer money, they also use it for bragging rights. It's a more sophisticated version of rappers wearing massive golden chains.
I am amazed that some of these workers are grinding crystal glass without breathing protection. I'm sure the combination of lead and silica causes problems
The grinding is done with water, so dust is minimal. In any case, there are strict rules and controls for these kind of things, I’m sure the rist is as low as reasonably possible.
@@Muonium1 What? Glass is silica. That's what glass is made out of lmao. Inhaling glass dust is extremely dangerous, doesn't matter the form. These people use water to keep it to a minimum, but I guarantee they still get lung issues over time. Probably worth it for the paycheck though.
Tiny translation mistake at 9:48 , it's not "defects caused by the size" but "defects caused by the carving" :) edit : The mistake was easy to make, carving and size in that case are homophones and homographs. to carve, in French is "tailler" , the carving : '"la taille" the size: "la taille" ... Same pronunciation, same spelling. So if I say "La taille du verre", out of context, it's impossible to know if I'm talking about glass carving or glass size ! I'm French and although the translation felt weird it still took me a couple seconds to understand why :)
I was lucky enough to apprentice in a glass blowing shop. It was quite an experience. Except in the middle of summer. I couldn’t imagine making piece this complex
France has truly amazed us with all their factory work. No doubt this country has been exemplary at mastering their craftmanships. We can genuinely say for certain that this isn't easy work to begin with, as expected from a factory, however we can still admire the amount of dedication and perseverance that goes into this whole process.
Is it dangerous to have lead in the finished product? How much is there? I know antique collectors look for lead in glassware and aren't able to use it if it's present?
I have visited the island of Murano and watched how they make glass there. Like in this video, it is a family tradition that has been handed down through at LEAST 3 or 4 generations. If I had some extra money, I would have bought a pair of wine glasses but wow, they are expensive. But seeing the glass blower at work, he was a magician. He knew exactly when to stop blowing up the bulb and when he flattened it into a dish, it was precisely the same diameter as the first one. He used no tape measures or rulers. He just knew when the plate was large enough and was measuring everything by memory!
I like lead crystal glasses, but I buy mine in a 4 pack for $30 from winners. They sell it cheap because it’s defective, so you have to check to make sure it’s ok. Right now I have all designs of crystal, as well as different colours of other glasses like a beautiful blue hexagonal scotch glasses that are great for everything. Hand made glass doesn’t have to be expensive, I have a hand made glass beer boot I bought for like $40.
Joseph: "handmade glass doesn't have to be expensive" Also Joseph: spends 40 dollars on an empty beer bottle. In all honesty, I'm glad you found an affordable way to fill your life with more beauty. Ill have to look into that . I'm a sucker for pretty bottles.
well that's just dumb imo the idea of these sorts of purchases is they're supposed to be so insanely expensive that you keep them as an investment & use them only on rare occasions with guests, so as to avoid lead poisoning. By buying cheap versions with no potential to increase in value, you lose investment potential & increase the chance you will use them so regularly that it will impact your health
@@mehere8038 To each their own, but I much prefer a $7 per crystal cup vs the cheap glasses they sell at Walmart. The lead in lead crystal is not in a form that can leach into water under normal use, I'm not drinking chemical solvents here, they even said in the video it doesn't leach. These are a nice brand of crystal, they are not the super expensive "investment" brands you mentioned. $30 is probably a 50% discount on their normal price, and its worth it for me to get a nice cup. I like the durability and feel of crystal, it doesn't stain or crack.
@@NinjaPiParadox I really just bought the boot because I liked it, it has great craftsmanship and in some places the glass is over 2cm thick. This is also Canadian dollars, so 40 cad is 30 usd. If you like cups and jars, thrift stores, estate sales, and garage sales are a great place to look. Most will be garbage, but I have found some brand new cups in the box for a fraction of their original price. My favorite glasses I have are two curved green glass with stripes that I found in a box at an estate sale, they were underneath some antique blue mason jars that had glass lids.
I hope this factory can still stand as long as people wanna keep this alive and i bet this luxury will stay alive because it would still be in high demand
It would be in higher demand if hermes hired a ton more staff, and expanded from the obscenely overpriced consumer market, into something affordable by people who aren't willing to drop thousands on a literal paperweight. The smaller light fixtures and "sconces" are a good place to start, I suppose. . .
@@saturnpattern4244 Do you really believe there is a "safe" lead ingestion level? I guess one good thing about this is that the lead exposure problem is biggest in children, so in most of the world it's probably not something children are having problems with. I doubt many adults are giving their kids wine in crystal glasses. For the tiny minority who potentially are, maybe that explains their failure to listen to their instincts & not go onto a submersible that is clearly not built to be safe
Interestingly, Saint Louis paperweights are no longer $13,000. The most expensive paperweight on their site, the Lapilli, is €7,250 (roughly $7,790 US). For example, the flowery one featured here, labelled as the Romantic 2023, is €4,550 (roughly $4,889 US).
At 9:48 there is a mistranslation in the subtitles, "taille" was translated as "size" but here it means "the carving" of the piece, not its size. Those words are the same in french
I'm glad to hear of the efforts to prevent lead leaching and worker contamination. I don't drink from crystal glassware, but as decorative items I do have some very nice paperweights I got from Harrods in London.
at 6:00 there is a mistake , christophe says "2 of my grandfather worked here " which could mean 2 generations of grand father or simply both as stated , but by the way he said it I assume he refered to his grand-father and great-grandfather .
I read the video title and my first thought was, "who would spend that on a paper weight?" Then my next thought was, "who has paper on their desk anymore?" They're pretty, though.
Wish we got some more footage of the artist that does the finishing touches, all the blokes get to talk for ages, Esther gets a minute or two and it'd be great to know what sort of paints they use!
The amount of lead you can actually get out of a glass is very small, like a couple micrograms. It's not really something you need to worry about, although as they said in the video storing something in a crystal decanter for a long time could be a slight concern.
Nothing in life is that simple, lol. Different fluids with different PH and salinity levels will diffuse different elements into or out of the container, or the fluid, at different rates. There’s plates and stuff that have Uranium in their glaze, and they’re safe to eat off of so long as the surface of the glaze is properly preserved, and so long as you don’t smash the plate, eat any piece that might accidentally be chipped off of it, or grind it up and inhale it. I’d assume this is a similar situation to that, just with added caveats due to the long term storage of liquids.
Love that when they talk about worker safety it's the onoy time you see any ppe except maybe eye gear. Lolol we get it spraying lead contaminated water across their skin and in their fave could never affect the workers making these luxury items.
My grandads navy glass is Lead crystal and despite losing its silver handle and decades in an attic it still rings true and looks beautiful with a cocktail in a way no glass can. The lead worried me too but 20mins with an ice cold drink in is indeed no risk of contamination.. my decanters are still glass though just to be sure
While I'll probably never be able to buy anything here, I am truly glad that the Saint Louis has been saved. Artisans do deserve to be able to practice their art. A job like (at least typically / in my experience) is something you do because you LOVE it. Like not being able to wear protective clothing when working with hot glass. If I was doing that job, I'd be filled with so much pride in working quickly, safely as possible, and producing gorgeous works of art. Artisans deserve to be able to do their art, even if it's something I'll only ever be able to look at on a youtube channel.
Shot glass is $93
🙏
Do those artisans get paid appropriately for their work? If a single drinking glass costs over $400, how much are the workers paid for producing that glass?
@@drexrew about $8.75 per hour American
The HSE (Health Safety Environment) rules are so incredibly strict in France, I am actually surprised that they are allowed to work like that.
There's a mistake at 9:50, the subtitles says "defects caused by the size" when he says "défauts causés par la taille", but he probably means "caused by the cut" (taille both means cut and size).
You are quite correct, it's cut, not size.
🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🇫🇷Uh huh huh
Also wrong, with only 5 people know how to do this technique, lol theres tons of artist who know the technique, it's just only few do it, because most like to find their own creative techniques.
It's possible it's a machine translation. It's cheaper, especially so if you neglect or are unwilling to pay for someone to correct it after; but you sacrifice quality and nuance.
An incorrect differentiation between the French for "cut" and for "size" is a perfect example of one of the pitfalls of machine translation.
@@myriamickx7969
But my ex told me size matters.
They definitely could make some insane bongs
LoL
Classic junkie
Lmfaoooooooooooooo
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Typical Drugo 🤬
It’s also owned by Hermès, which really explains how Saint Louis has been able to market and sell their items at these high prices. Other more independent manufacturers such as Baccarat are struggling to find enough customers willing to pay a premium price for heritage and savoir faire.
@@spiritualseeker410 and use Chinese glass with impurities, such as lead,cadmium,mercury,arsenic. German glass is much purer and has rigid standards.
I'm not sure Saint-Louis is exactly a marketing powerhouse. While being very familiar with Baccarat and Lalique (and Hermès, of course), I'd never heard of Saint-Louis. Maybe that's just in the US, and they focus on other countries though.
@@spiritualseeker410 nope
@@spiritualseeker410 Equally good... or just good enough for you ?
@@hermes3386 Indeed - he perhaps has higher standards than you.
Ive collected paperweights my entire life! Some were gifts from others, some I bought while traveling, and some I've picked up at thrift shops. The crystal ones are truly beautiful with not even the tiniest bubble inside. I wish I could afford even more.
That's fascinating! I had no idea people collected paperweights, is there a youtube channel that showcases/explains the hobby 👀
I collect paperweights too! I just like pretty glass objects lol. One day when I am wealthy I will buy the ones from Saint Louis with the millefiori inside
@@SMITESHSURESH I haven't seen any RUclipsrs talk about it, but I personally just like pretty glass art so I buy paperweights when I come across pretty ones. Not really a serious hobby, just a way of collecting small things that I like lol
ever gotten one from a dealership?
Yeah, those papers sure do just blow around without those essential weights.
I was lucky enough to apprentice in a glass blowing shop. It was quite an experience. Except in the middle of summer. I couldn’t imagine making piece this complex
This was so interesting. I'm so glad Hermes was able to buy and help this beautiful company and tradition stay in its roots.
I’m so happy to see these people keep their art alive. I am from a former glass and crystal industry town, and all of our glass houses and factories had closed by the 90s, leaving one as a small studio, and the second as a museum. Everyone and their nan’s got some good Crystal stored somewhere from our good days.
I am grateful these people keep this Art form alive [ and the buyers that buy ] its important we
never forget how to create wonderful things .
My husband and I had collected a number of fine crystal paperweights about 40 years ago, simply because we enjoyed the variety and the quality of the workmanship. We collected Murano, Kosta Boca, Steuben, Murano, Saint Louis, Caithness, Baccarat, Orrefors, etc., setting aside a few hundred dollars for each purchase. We enjoyed the way they sparkled on the shelf, not giving them a second thought. Ten ago, we hosted a party, and a guest noticed our collection and nearly cartwheeled in place as he raved about the value of the collection. Damn! Now, we keep them locked in a safe and have an additional amount of homeowners insurance to cover a potential loss. We’re looking at selling the collection to pay for our grandson’s college education at the university of his choice.
Such a shame to have a beautiful collection locked away where you can't enjoy your precious objects after working and saving money to acquire them.
Please please do not tell anyone where you got the money to pay for his college. That would be a horrible thing for him to find out.
@@jamesbizs Why would that be horrible? The paperweights were purchased with our hard-earned money and enjoyed. We had no idea they would appreciate the way they did, so why not sell them and allow someone else to enjoy them? This is no different than buying a new car decades ago that has become a collector’s classic, worth several tens of thousands of dollars more than its initial purchase price.
@@probablynot1368 wonder what they would be worth in another 30-40 years if you handed them down. They say generational wealth only last a few generations because someone in the line will eventually sell the family's assets.
@@cknorris3644 But of course that's just speculation. For all we know the value could plummet by the next generation, which has happened for many collectable categories.
I own a piece of Saint Louis crystal. A beautiful flower vase. I purchased it decades ago when I worked in the high-end gift business. I purchased it on an employee discount. They make a beautiful product. Gone is the appreciation for beautiful hand made crystal. It has been cheapened by mass produced glassware of today.
"Gone is the appreciation" is right. That stuff is garbage let's be real. They practically said in the video that normal people can't buy this, it's only for the wealthy and high end businesses. Sounds like squeezing blood from a stone to me.
@@spiritualseeker410😂😂😂
There is a difference between appreciating it and being able to afford it. I'm glad that you found the money for something that you appreciate, however, 13K for a paperweight is a bit out of most people's range.
I can appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into this. It would be very nice to have one. IMHO it's even nicer to use the 13K pay the mortgage for most of a year.
I got 4 nice, crystal beer glasses last week for £8.
Tbh, I think the issue is more that it looks very classical and just doesn't fit in modern interiors anymore. It would probably be more beneficial to them to partner with current designers and create pieces with the same level of craftmanship but a more modern design language. Some italian designers like gaetano pesce and Luca nichetto have been doing this very succesfully .
Im so happy the CEO decided to keep this factory alive! Hats off to that man!
I used to go to a little town called Rattenberg in the West of Austria, famous for its glass blowing and -cutting, every summer. It was quite magnificent to walk into the shops, see these beautiful, handmade pieces and, if you were lucky, you got to see someone making one right there in the middle of the shop. It's incredible to see how fast and precisely they can make these pieces of art.
"I don't have a crystal ball" Seems like a bit of an overnight to me... considering she works at a crystal factory. Come on guys, get the lady a crystal ball!
She says "justement" right afterwards but it wasn't translated. What she means by that is that she does not, "in fact", have a crystal ball. ;)
I'm sure it's a play on words
Wow! Just amazing history, work and craftsmanship!
500 years ago, only the nobility could afford Saint Louis. 500 years later, only the nobility can afford Saint Louis.
Did you know the divide between us and the nobility has gotten as bad as when the French did something about it hundreds of years ago?
Aujourd’hui, la vraie noblesse a disparu ou est ruinée. Ce sont les nouveaux riches qui peuvent avoir ces merveilles.
@@elisetaragnat7663 Yeah, I don’t mean necessarily actual nobility. In America, we treat the wealthy old rich families as nobility. Like the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers.
@@ferretyluvit's bit weird that fortune 500 never mentions these wealthy families, or swedish ones when they publish their annual boring thing.
@@cubertmisoBecause then everyone would soon realize that being rich is more determined by nepotism than it is by actual work.
Man, these people are Artists!
The most mind-blowing thing for me is that people actually spend money on paper weights.
How else would I weigh down my papers?
need something to weigh down the invoice for their new yacht as they sit on the porch of their multi-million mansion
If I had the money, I would collect them, not a must-have but they are so gorgeous.
Truly, except they are works of art
For people who can afford it, it's just chump change 😂
My introduction to mouth blown glass was in the late 1950s at Blenko Glass in West Virginia. When I began collecting perfume bottles in the 1970s, I looked, and still do, at the bottom for the mark from it being taken off the pipe. My oldest piece is a cruet, with the original stopper, over 100 years old.
Milliefiori!!! Gorgeous!! I have some old candy dishes from Waterford. And animal carvings! I am collecting crystal, this is a new factory for me!! ❤❤ Jeannie in Lakeport California
My mom used to collect paperweights like these. I was mesmerized by them
@@spiritualseeker410 TBH, I don't remember where they were made. This was the '70s & '80s.
@@spiritualseeker410Bahaha yeah, cheap chinese mass production is "superior craftsmanship". Thanks for the laugh buddy, you are a funny person. Who doesn`t know that cheap Chinese products stand for the epitome of quality.
is your mom rich?
@@spiritualseeker410 HAHA, good joke mate. China is known as the land of cutting corners.
@@bermchasin no, she's dead.
I didn't know what the whole process of crystal and why it was so valued I know what makes the entire process come to light so intricate right down to the inspection thank you for shining light on this wonderful craft
I love this art, it is absolutely beautiful and I hope it withstands the test of time forever. Art like this should be preserved and kept alive as long as humans live on this planet. And I also love the effects the video creators did at 8:20, the sound and visuals of the glass are so pretty
It's amazing how glass can be common, uncommon and rare. It all depends on how it's made.
Geez! I’m of French heritage and I would love a paper weight from there. Absolutely beautiful!!
On the contrary, miss, if they saw how you kept the spirit alive and modernized without losing that special touch, they would be more than honored and proud of you!!!! God blees you for keeping the art alive.
"used to be the reserve of the nobility and the wealthy" Also "our glasses cost $400"
Everything would be this expensive if we didn't invent a way to mass produce it.
used to be, and still are, too 😆
I feel like they're just complicating it to create artificial scarcity to justify sky high prices.
It's like if I said "I hand made this car using nothing but long forgotten secrets. Not a single factory was involved. Not even a calculator. Why not? Uhhh... well it's very exclusive and unique y'know... You could buy a well made mass produced vehicle for a tiny fraction of the cost and it would be even more useful, but then you'd be like everyone else... you want to be special don't you?"
I don't know I just find this and other "exclusive" manufacturing methods for different products as thinly disguised snobbery. Sure, congrats on having such a high degree of craftmanship, but it's literally useless if it wasn't for ultra rich people trying to one up each other on burning money on the most mundane of things.
@@unocualqu1era when you have only 10 people who know how to make them, it's not artidicial scarcity. the molds are unique, the technique is unique, the workers are not cheap. It's luxury.
@@backintimealwyn5736that doesn’t mean its worth what they are selling it at, or has any value at all. All it means is they are purposely gatekeeping their recipe, and process from everyone else so they can have an artificial monopoly on the market, and justify the insane and deluded price. Only two people on earth know the coca cola recipe, that doesn’t mean its magically the best, most high quality carbonated beverage on earth. if people are willing to pay that much for some heated sand, that just meants they’re stupid.
What a beautiful story. Well done!
Someone once told me “what’s something worth? Whatever someone is willing to pay for it.” Sounds obvious, but it seems pretty deep to me sometimes. Especially when I see things like a $13k paperweight
Kinda similar to the artist David Cho, when he used to sell paintings for really cheap, and then became really wealthy, and didn’t need the money anymore, so he raised the prices to thousands of dollars a painting, and people kept buying them.
The gist is this. To each person, each thing has a different value. If I like apples, I might value an apple as worth $2, whereas you might not like apples at all, so to you an apple is only worth $0.25. So if you have an apple, and sell it to me for $1, You now have lost $0.25 worth of apple and gained $1.00 in cash, so you're up $0.75, whereas I have lost $1.00 in cash but have gained $2.00 in apple, so I'm up $1.00.
Ultimately, luxury goods are largely about status, and the perception of status. You're paying for the benefit of feeling superior to other people... of having what they can't.
Of course, there is some more direct benefit. For example, that $13k paperweight is probably prettier than a $1 paperweight. Not $12999 prettier, but somewhat prettier, and looking at prettier things can improve your mood of itself, etc.
A paperweight is a bad example though, because the legit quality improvements are more subjective. Perhaps something more like clothing is in order, since it's easier to see how clothing made of nicer material, constructed better, with better hardware, fit to your body, can be way better than clothing made of cheap uncomfortable material, poorly constructed, cheap hardware, and ill-fitting.
This was my Eureka moment
August 26 2023
Especially since you can buy the same murrina paperweight for much cheaper from any other glass blower in the world. As for any luxury brand, they just pay for the name.
As a professional knifemaker (monolith knives) I find the talent of these artisans at the top of the food chain. I collect Italian Murano glass. Glass artisans are amazing. Cut cystal is the prettiest of all. My grandmother left me a collection of these paperweights. I had no idea they were so valuable.
Glad the history was preserved & kept French :) They're lucky to have a luxury brand fund them, seems perfect
Wow!!!! I had no idea about adding lead. Not that I know anything about glass blowing, but I just found it fascinating. Talk about artistry.
In paperless world these paper weights are becoming a thing of the past. But I love them very much. Thanks for the video.
Maybe paperweight can also be used on tablecloths, if only maybe tablecloths can complement them aesthetically, that should still be something interesting
VERY METICULOUS AND INTERESTING CRAFTS‼️BEAUTIFUL CRYSTAL PIECES ARE LIKE WORKS OF ART‼️😃🫶🏽🙋🏽♀️💜💜💜
I’m surprised they didn’t spend time showing the finished paperweights.
Looking upon the finished product is reserved only for nobility and the wealthy.
This is cool to see and definitely explains why modern factory made dishware is not made this way.
I love art glass. It is incredibly beautiful. I would love to see a series on the existing glass makers. Like true Island of Murano, etc.
I wonder if there are people that do the same things the Blaschka family did before like making really convincing flowers and marine life replicas out of glass...
I’ve been to murano factory. It’s amazing
@@ShawnLH88 So lucky! ☺
These pieces, especially the delicate wine glasses, are just stunning. Such amazing craftsmanship, almost a lost art.
"Lead is the secret ingredient that makes the crystal more clear and easier to sculpt."
And then- "They've been making table ware for 200 years!"
lol lead poisoning
Me when lead gets in my food:
I've always been fascinated by glass blowing. When I was a kid we would go to the markets and there would often be a man with a stall selling his wares. To catch peoples attention he would make some of the simpler pieces there on the spot and I'd just watch. Seeing glass go from being a molten glowing blob to something like a bird was fascinating. And that gentle tap that seems to magically separate the work from the rod was amazing.
Omg id love a chandelier made from this
I’ve never made anything by hand that anyone would want, let alone buy. These guys are amazing!
Excellent presentation and fascinating to watch !
2:48 That's some of the tiniest caning I've ever seen. That bowl represents dozens of hrs of work just on its own. Beautiful.
My usable paperweight at home is over a million years old. A rock from my backyard with fossil imprints. Cost? Nothing and will last another million years.
Congrats bob, we’re all really happy for you
🤓
It's a piece of art man. Your rock may do its job, but some people are willing to pay the deserved amount of money that goes into creating a piece that requires 10 years of study to become good at.
You're obviously not their target audience.
This rare method was revolutionary at the time it was discovered
So beautiful! Hold on to this skill
i love how she wraps the priceless crystal in paper with tape...
The french touch...
Surely, they know what method works best. That's why they're successful.
Gloves aside, the fact they aren't wearing masks when grinding is nuts to me
It’s wet grinding with water or oil, so there no free dust
very sus that there doesn't seem to be any workers past 40 there lol
They must breathe in the debris to become one with the material.
Jokes aside, you're right, more safety measures required!
I think the glasses were just for show too lol. a few clips in there without any goggles
Because none of them are actually making anything. Its just for the camera
There was a video on Indian glass making bracelets and the video or commentators were ragging on the Indian bosses for not making the workers use gloves. They don’t wear gloves in France either!
many things are just fine when white guys do it, but anyone else will get criticized for doing the same. welcome to earth.
Western hypocracy runs everywhere
depends on the position some blowers or finishers might use gloves but gloves around molten glass is so dangero0us because the glass would be quenchable /removeable form skin but the gloves will litterly cook the person alive if its coated in molten glass
@@yorkshireway150 You're using RUclips.
I heard diversity, multiculturalism, Mass Immigration, and an overall anti European sentiment will help this industry tremendously by firing all the French citizens and replacing them with "refugees". Seems like it's been working so far.
it's so nice to see there are still craftsmen in the world.
Yesterday only the rich could buy them
Now only the rich can buy them 😂😂😂
Nah, they are so precious! What an art!
I heard diversity, multiculturalism, Mass Immigration, and an overall anti European sentiment will help this industry tremendously by firing all the French citizens and replacing them with "refugees". Seems like it's been working so far.
To see these skills and arts survive and prosper is important for the future.
Merci Hermes
Stunning examples of craftsmanship!
I get the impression that manufacturing an expensive paperweight is a much more straightforward process than selling it for exorbitant amounts of money. The sales team for those must be top-notch.
Artistry still counts -- it's why people pay a lot of money for paintings or hand crafted furniture.
@@spiritualseeker410 Your opinion I guess.
@@spiritualseeker410 No shit, they make cheaper stuff in India and China than in France, who would have thought. Have you seen the working conditions in those factories ? Glass as a material isn't that expensive, manpower is. Yeah, of course you pay extra because it's St Louis, but not as much as you think, they're arguably the best paperweight maker at their scale. I'm very curious about what those roadside glass pieces look like, I'd like to look it up, you've got any photos or names ? As a professional glass blower, I'm a bit curious about those outstanding new creative designs I've never heard about. And honestly, " The level of artistry is not outstanding at all" ? I don't think you understand how intricate and difficult this shit is.
@@spiritualseeker410 What's odd is it's now the Indians and Chinese who live in caves and make rude noises. Filthy places.
@@spiritualseeker410 Glad to see I'm not the only one who sees right through these snobs and the rich idiots who feel superior because their paperweight cost far more than it deserves, because let's be honest they don't just use art or other expensive stuff to transfer money, they also use it for bragging rights. It's a more sophisticated version of rappers wearing massive golden chains.
I am amazed that some of these workers are grinding crystal glass without breathing protection. I'm sure the combination of lead and silica causes problems
The grinding is done with water, so dust is minimal. In any case, there are strict rules and controls for these kind of things, I’m sure the rist is as low as reasonably possible.
it's not silica, it's glass, it's amorphous, so not harmful. The lead is largely immobilized in the glass, it's literally vitrified.
My first thought as well. It's like smoking cloves all day.
@@Muonium1 What? Glass is silica. That's what glass is made out of lmao. Inhaling glass dust is extremely dangerous, doesn't matter the form. These people use water to keep it to a minimum, but I guarantee they still get lung issues over time. Probably worth it for the paycheck though.
Tiny translation mistake at 9:48 , it's not "defects caused by the size" but "defects caused by the carving" :)
edit :
The mistake was easy to make, carving and size in that case are homophones and homographs.
to carve, in French is "tailler" , the carving : '"la taille"
the size: "la taille" ...
Same pronunciation, same spelling.
So if I say "La taille du verre", out of context, it's impossible to know if I'm talking about glass carving or glass size !
I'm French and although the translation felt weird it still took me a couple seconds to understand why :)
Thank you! I was wondering how sending it back to the carvers would fix the size problem. Makes a lot more sense.
@@15BubblesOrigami you're welcome ! I edited my original comment with an explanation of why the mistake was easy to make :)
1:20 thanks for using metrik scale.
Is crystal clear how talented and devoted to their job these people are.
As a chinese I feel honored to have my culture embraced by this french factory because it means my culture is universally appreciated
I wouldn't even want to hold on to one of those. I'd break it. 😂
I was lucky enough to apprentice in a glass blowing shop. It was quite an experience. Except in the middle of summer. I couldn’t imagine making piece this complex
France has truly amazed us with all their factory work. No doubt this country has been exemplary at mastering their craftmanships. We can genuinely say for certain that this isn't easy work to begin with, as expected from a factory, however we can still admire the amount of dedication and perseverance that goes into this whole process.
hey x
These people should be on blow away! Thayer are so freaking talented!
Is it dangerous to have lead in the finished product? How much is there? I know antique collectors look for lead in glassware and aren't able to use it if it's present?
It's a bit vague, are they talking about elemental lead? Lead can be alloyed with things and it would no longer have the properties of elemental lead.
Wow, I never knew the process was so intricate
Fascinating and very beautiful.
I love that it stayed French ❤
I have visited the island of Murano and watched how they make glass there. Like in this video, it is a family tradition that has been handed down through at LEAST 3 or 4 generations. If I had some extra money, I would have bought a pair of wine glasses but wow, they are expensive. But seeing the glass blower at work, he was a magician. He knew exactly when to stop blowing up the bulb and when he flattened it into a dish, it was precisely the same diameter as the first one. He used no tape measures or rulers. He just knew when the plate was large enough and was measuring everything by memory!
I like lead crystal glasses, but I buy mine in a 4 pack for $30 from winners. They sell it cheap because it’s defective, so you have to check to make sure it’s ok. Right now I have all designs of crystal, as well as different colours of other glasses like a beautiful blue hexagonal scotch glasses that are great for everything. Hand made glass doesn’t have to be expensive, I have a hand made glass beer boot I bought for like $40.
Joseph: "handmade glass doesn't have to be expensive"
Also Joseph: spends 40 dollars on an empty beer bottle.
In all honesty, I'm glad you found an affordable way to fill your life with more beauty. Ill have to look into that . I'm a sucker for pretty bottles.
well that's just dumb imo
the idea of these sorts of purchases is they're supposed to be so insanely expensive that you keep them as an investment & use them only on rare occasions with guests, so as to avoid lead poisoning. By buying cheap versions with no potential to increase in value, you lose investment potential & increase the chance you will use them so regularly that it will impact your health
@@mehere8038 To each their own, but I much prefer a $7 per crystal cup vs the cheap glasses they sell at Walmart. The lead in lead crystal is not in a form that can leach into water under normal use, I'm not drinking chemical solvents here, they even said in the video it doesn't leach. These are a nice brand of crystal, they are not the super expensive "investment" brands you mentioned. $30 is probably a 50% discount on their normal price, and its worth it for me to get a nice cup. I like the durability and feel of crystal, it doesn't stain or crack.
@@NinjaPiParadox I really just bought the boot because I liked it, it has great craftsmanship and in some places the glass is over 2cm thick. This is also Canadian dollars, so 40 cad is 30 usd. If you like cups and jars, thrift stores, estate sales, and garage sales are a great place to look. Most will be garbage, but I have found some brand new cups in the box for a fraction of their original price. My favorite glasses I have are two curved green glass with stripes that I found in a box at an estate sale, they were underneath some antique blue mason jars that had glass lids.
Yeah the "impergect" stuff goes for pennies on the dollar, add 99% of the population could not find the imperfection.
Fascinating, I hope these artisans are training the next generation. Good for Hermes.
$13,000 for a paperweight?....I have random objects right now within reach that does the same job.
Amazing video thank you. I want a St Louis paperweight!
I hope this factory can still stand as long as people wanna keep this alive and i bet this luxury will stay alive because it would still be in high demand
It would be in higher demand if hermes hired a ton more staff, and expanded from the obscenely overpriced consumer market, into something affordable by people who aren't willing to drop thousands on a literal paperweight. The smaller light fixtures and "sconces" are a good place to start, I suppose. . .
@@eyesplicednow what fun would that be 😂😂
WHAT AN AMAZING
CRAFTSMANSHIP
Lead contamination from crystal is not rare at all. It happens pretty quickly due to the acidity of wine and other alcohols.
@@saturnpattern4244 There is no safe level of lead in your body. WTF are you talking about?
@@saturnpattern4244 Do you really believe there is a "safe" lead ingestion level?
I guess one good thing about this is that the lead exposure problem is biggest in children, so in most of the world it's probably not something children are having problems with.
I doubt many adults are giving their kids wine in crystal glasses. For the tiny minority who potentially are, maybe that explains their failure to listen to their instincts & not go onto a submersible that is clearly not built to be safe
Interestingly, Saint Louis paperweights are no longer $13,000. The most expensive paperweight on their site, the Lapilli, is €7,250 (roughly $7,790 US).
For example, the flowery one featured here, labelled as the Romantic 2023, is €4,550 (roughly $4,889 US).
i love how she wraps the priceless crystal in paper with tape.... Omg id love a chandelier made from this.
If it works to protect the crystal, why not?
comment bot combining two comments, annoying
@@damien819 They are evolving lol, i haven't noticed that before
Its BEYOND IMAGINATION ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
At 9:48 there is a mistranslation in the subtitles, "taille" was translated as "size" but here it means "the carving" of the piece, not its size. Those words are the same in french
Already been observed countless times, you pedant.
I would gladly work with their scraps of glass!!! Easy. Send it to me, and I will use them in my simple glass work. What a gift!!!
I'm glad to hear of the efforts to prevent lead leaching and worker contamination. I don't drink from crystal glassware, but as decorative items I do have some very nice paperweights I got from Harrods in London.
Always been fascinated and would have loved to learn to blow glass and other glass work.
"It takes ten years to be a good blower" Yes it does.
at 6:00 there is a mistake , christophe says "2 of my grandfather worked here " which could mean 2 generations of grand father or simply both as stated , but by the way he said it I assume he refered to his grand-father and great-grandfather .
u ever heard of a grandfather from your mom AND dads side of the family before?
@@RainKad that's what i said in my comments but in french it could mean either dad and mom side or 2 generations
I read the video title and my first thought was, "who would spend that on a paper weight?" Then my next thought was, "who has paper on their desk anymore?"
They're pretty, though.
Wish we got some more footage of the artist that does the finishing touches, all the blokes get to talk for ages, Esther gets a minute or two and it'd be great to know what sort of paints they use!
I have always wondered how those paperweights were made.
For Christmast special I would like you to make a video about some glass bulbs manufacture in Poland
Me still using that rock I found from my backyard to weigh my stack of unread mail:
Great video 🫶 Thank you
Cheaper glass made it less popular, or was it the fact people realized it's a terrible idea to drink from a lead based container?
So little lead leaks into your drink (much less than the amount you consume in a day) that it doesn’t matter.
Vid says it's because of cheaper glass
The amount of lead you can actually get out of a glass is very small, like a couple micrograms. It's not really something you need to worry about, although as they said in the video storing something in a crystal decanter for a long time could be a slight concern.
Nothing in life is that simple, lol. Different fluids with different PH and salinity levels will diffuse different elements into or out of the container, or the fluid, at different rates. There’s plates and stuff that have Uranium in their glaze, and they’re safe to eat off of so long as the surface of the glaze is properly preserved, and so long as you don’t smash the plate, eat any piece that might accidentally be chipped off of it, or grind it up and inhale it. I’d assume this is a similar situation to that, just with added caveats due to the long term storage of liquids.
LOL the amount of lead people inhaled from cars, compared to whatever they got from wine stored, is night and day.
Lead exposure probably off the charts
So stunningly beautiful, I dearly love fine crystal-so very, very beautiful......thank you for sharing the story....
7:30 She's a decedent who has been in the grave for in the neighbourhood of a year.👑
Love that when they talk about worker safety it's the onoy time you see any ppe except maybe eye gear. Lolol we get it spraying lead contaminated water across their skin and in their fave could never affect the workers making these luxury items.
Did you hear the narrator say that the lead workers get monthly medical testing for lead?
I HAVE A PAPER WEIGHT LIKE THAT WITH A FLOWER IN IT ITS GIVING ME SO MANY HOURS OF PICS WITH LIGHTS I LIKE TO TAKE ITS SO AWESOME
Je suis le seul français à me rendre compte que je regarde un reportage étranger sur une manufacture française ?
Et alors? Tu crois que c'est un exploit?
My grandads navy glass is Lead crystal and despite losing its silver handle and decades in an attic it still rings true and looks beautiful with a cocktail in a way no glass can. The lead worried me too but 20mins with an ice cold drink in is indeed no risk of contamination.. my decanters are still glass though just to be sure
That ancient technique at 2:45 looks exactly like those candy making videos
Yep, it looks like Taffy