The baccarat crystal manufacture began in 1764, when Louis de Montmorency Laval, Bishop of Metz, asked the Ruler of France Louis XV to open a factory for the production of the famous crystal, because at the time he had to refuel in Venice, the authorization by royal decree arrived on October 16, 1764.
Thus, in the town of Baccarat in Lorraine, on the banks of the River Meurthe, the Verrerie Sainte Anne was born. The soil here is rich in silicon, a fundamental element for glass production, plus the large forests nearby provide fuel for furnaces.
In the structure, in addition to the production department, the housing for the workers could accommodate up to 70 families.
Master glassman Antoine Renaut. Adviser to the King, he is the first director. The Revolution French saw the decline of glassware, which failed in 1806. It was taken over in 1816 by the entrepreneur Aimé-Gabriel d'Artigues, former owner in Belgium of cristalleria Vonèche, who moved all production to Baccarat. From this moment Verrerie specializes in crystal processing, becoming after a few years the first crystal manufacture in France, with prestigious orders from King Louis XVIII, then Charles X and Louis Philippe.
During the Restoration period, countless innovations are made, new processes and particular colors (such as the famous golden red) are created, awarded over the years by awards and gold medals. At first Baccarat also supplies its crystals to external artists, including Madame Désarnaud.