FRÉDÉRIC CUNY

At Baccarat, the fusion technician is involved at the beginning and end of the crystal manufacturing process. Depending on the recipe provided by the laboratory, I have the responsibility of ensuring the correct dosage of the mixtures that will form the raw material of our creations, and I sometimes readjust the formulas according to the feedback of our analyses and controls. To see all these colored powders magnify into a vitrifiable substance, the molten material becoming this perfect and transparent material, it is enchanting! But this alchemy requires great precision in its execution. Beyond the composition part, my role is to manage and optimize the operation of the furnaces that will condition the material so that the glassmakers can use it. With them, I regulate the temperature to the nearest degree; the purity of Baccarat crystal depends on this synergy! Even if our business has evolved greatly with the introduction of new materials or special sensors that transmit data to a smartphone, a furnace that heats to one thousand five hundred degrees Celsius for eight years without interruption requires extremely rigorous monitoring! I think the best way to keep a kiln warm is to keep a cool head. After giving the last blowtorch blast on the tube that will inaugurate the kiln’s operation, I finally have the joy of seeing the crystal flowing out. That is always a very emotional moment! Then, I guarantee the perfect annealing of the pieces so that the craftsmen who handle the cold work can perform in the best conditions.

© Trafalgar Maison de Portraits & Romain Chambodut