| Whilst Rene Jules Lalique's childhood years seem | | | | larger Parisian jewelry houses. By 1885, Rene was |
| to be shrouded in somewhat of a mystery, it is | | | | working for himself. Destape retired and |
| known that he was born to Jules and Olype | | | | ownership of his business was transferred to |
| Berthellemy Lalique on the 6th April 1860. For the | | | | Lalique. Now, with a fully staffed workshop and |
| first two years of his life the family lived in Ay, in | | | | free from the restrictions of working for |
| the Champagne region of France, about a hundred | | | | someone else, he could fully concentrate on his |
| miles to the northeast of Paris. By 1862 the | | | | own Art Nouveau designs. Which, featured heavily |
| family had moved to Paris where his father | | | | in the French jewelry trade magazine "Le Bijou" |
| worked as a merchant dealing in novelties. | | | | and were met with much admiration and imitation |
| Throughout his childhood years, Rene and his | | | | from his competitors. Lalique's "magic" was in the |
| family made frequent return visits to their rural | | | | way he steered clear of the usual precious metals |
| roots to see family and friends. This is where and | | | | and expensive gems-stones, instead, |
| when his love of nature began to develop. He | | | | concentrating more on cheaper materials such as: |
| loved to take walks with his grandfather into the | | | | translucent enamels, semi-precious stones and |
| surrounding countryside and woodland, where he | | | | ivory etc. By 1900, Lalique had reached the |
| studied nature at close quarters. Nature fascinated | | | | pinnacle of his jewelry career. He exhibited at the |
| him; he loved everything about it, from | | | | Exposition Universelle Internationale in Paris and |
| vegetation to animals. He began his education at | | | | won international praise for the way that he |
| Turgot Lycee near the Parisian suburb of | | | | intertwined symbolism and naturalism. However, |
| Vincennes, where he studied art and was | | | | dismayed by the way that his work was |
| awarded first prize in a drawing competition during | | | | constantly being copied, Rene's attention began to |
| his time there. At the age of sixteen, shortly | | | | drift away from his jewelry "art forms" and |
| after his father's death, Rene, in all probability, | | | | toward glassmaking. By 1909, Rene had begun |
| steered by his mother, embarked upon his | | | | making perfume bottles for Coty. Prior to this |
| apprenticeship with Louis Aucoc, one of the | | | | time, most perfumes were sold in plain bottles. |
| leading Parisian jewelers of the day. His time there | | | | Lalique drew upon his experience and created |
| was spent helping Louis in the creation of the then | | | | bottles that evoked the nature of the perfume |
| popular Rococo styled jewelry and learning the | | | | that they contained. By the Nineteen Twenties, he |
| tools, materials and techniques of his trade. He | | | | was also creating bottles for some of the |
| also took evening classes at the local school of | | | | greatest French perfumeries of the era: |
| decorative arts. Having finished his training, in | | | | Houbigant, d'Orsay and Molinard to name but a |
| 1878, Rene moved to the London suburb of | | | | few. Within a few years, his glassmaking talents |
| Sydenham where he studied at The Crystal | | | | had expanded to include: statuettes, vases, |
| Palace School of Art, Science and Literature for a | | | | tableware, bowls and, amongst other things, |
| couple of years. During his stay in England, Lalique | | | | architectural panels. These panels could be found |
| spent much of his spare time at London's | | | | aboard the greatest ocean liners of the day and |
| museums; he loved them. By 1880, Rene had | | | | decorating the dining car of The Orient Express. It |
| returned home to Paris and took up training as a | | | | didn't stop there. His glass mascots could be found |
| sculptor in his spare time whilst working as a | | | | adorning the hood of many of the more luxurious |
| wallpaper and fabric designer through the day. A | | | | cars of the Roaring Twenties. Indeed, these are |
| year later, he had settled into working as a | | | | the most sought after collectibles today. The |
| professional jewelry designer for Jules Destape, | | | | Lalique factory closed in 1939 for the duration of |
| this would be his career for the next twenty | | | | World War II. Unfortunately, Rene died on the 5th |
| years. In addition to holding down a full-time job | | | | May 1945 and never witnessed its reopening. |
| he also took on freelance work for some of the | | | | |