Appraising Lalique Glass And Jewelry

By Nicholas M. Dawes

The name 'Lalique' is universally recognized and most authentic works are distinct in style and standard but wide fluctuations in market value demand close attention to detail for accurate appraisal. Fortunately, and somewhat uniquely, René Lalique jewelry and glass is well documented in two catalogues raisonnés, and all serious appraisals should be referenced to them. Lalique's policy of naming and numbering all glass designs has also made reference extremely simple in modern searching, though finding a common design may reveal a bewildering range of color versions and values. The following explanations attempt to clarify a Lalique appraisal. It is important to begin by understanding the three main periods of Lalique production:

Jewelry and objets vertu by René Lalique; circa 1885-1910.
Glass by René Lalique; circa 1910-1945.
Modern Lalique; circa 1947-Present.

First Period:

René Lalique (1860-1945) began his career as a jeweler in Paris in 1885 working in an innovative style using materials unfamiliar to most traditional jewelers. By 1900 his style had evolved into an extraordinarily robust and daring form of Art Nouveau achieving the highest technical and artistic standards. Original works from this period are rare and most are unique, though some simpler designs were made in series. Typical materials include gold, colorful enamels and Baroque pearls, and many include glass or plique-a-jour elements. Most pieces are stamped LALIQUE in tiny capital letters, often on the outer rim or back, and most are identified in the catalogue raisonné (Barten) or many subsequent exhibition catalogues. Unsigned pieces are unlikely to be by Lalique. At this time Lalique produced all types of personal jewelry, including hatpins and pectoral ornaments for evening wear together with some accessories such as evening bags. This period also saw Lalique producing unique objects of larger scale including chalices, desk items and book bindings using a variety of materials such as horn, ivory, glass, leather, wood and metals. Most are discreetly signed, and well documented. Although small pieces are aided by wearability and practical considerations, jewelry value is determined mainly by the complexity and sophistication of the item. Motifs such as female forms, animals or fish can greatly increase value over floral designs.

Condition is less of a factor in valuing jewelry. Good restoration and later alterations may not result in significant loss to value. The largest consideration in this area is fakery. Even though appearing convincing, modern fakes tend to be relatively simple in execution and lack the quality of manufacture of authentic work. Lalique produced some glass jewelry in the second period, but this genre is valued extremely lower than early work.

Second Period (Glass):

The name Lalique is best known for glass produced mainly in between the two world wars, mostly at a factory in Alsace opened in 1921 and still in operation. All glass from this period was designed by René Lalique except for a few vases designed by his daughter Suzanne in 1926. The best method of identification is familiarity with René Lalique's distinctive style and standards. Prior to 1921 Lalique made mostly smaller items including perfume bottles, boxes, letter seals and desk items at a smaller works near Paris. These early glass pieces tend to be high in quality and are a collecting field in themselves. Many pieces are signed with an engraved Lalique in script, sometimes on the outer wall. A particular problem with objects of this type is missing or married elements such as stoppers, box or inkwell covers. An incomplete piece has very low value. Pieces made after about 1921 are typically signed with an initial 'R' before the name 'Lalique'. Virtually all pieces, except architectural elements, are signed. Although several models were made well after WWII with old signatures molded in, this practice largely stopped in 1945. Value of all pieces from the glass period is determined by supply and demand but the following factors are also of significance:

Condition: Though tiny chips and scratches may have little or no effect, as with all glass, original, fine condition is imperative. Cracks, internal bruising or restoration which disturbs the original form will result in extreme loss of value. Completeness is also essential in the case of designs with multiple elements. In the case of commercial perfume bottles, made in large numbers from the 1920s, the finest condition includes original contents, labels and packaging (normally card). This is rarely encountered and not expected but can greatly increase value depending on rarity and attractiveness. Vases are often damaged by drilling for lamp use and lose a great majority of their value in this case. Some are drilled through the side wall. Hood ornaments are considered imperfect if permanently fixed into metal mountings and are greatly reduced in value if only slightly chipped or polished.

Color: In the case of Lalique vases, generally speaking, bright colors such as red, blue and green add significantly to the value compared to a clear and frosted glass piece of the same design. In some cases however, opalescent glass is more valuable than colored. Most designs were made only in clear glass and many only in clear or opalescent. This information, together with exact dimensions, dates, design numbers and titles, is well documented in the catalogue raisonné (Marcilhac). The use of color in most items beyond vases does not necessarily lead to higher value. To enhance the design, many vases and other items were given a superficial color stain, known as patine , which tends to wear off. This is often restored and will increase value if successfully done.

Rarity: Supply and demand is the important consideration here. Despite being made in large numbers, many of Lalique's most popular designs of the 1920s are still most popular today. Many later vases, made in the years leading to WWII, enjoyed limited production and are very rare today but have limited collector appeal and value. Some categories of collecting have led to a 'collect the set' approach including letter seals, perfume bottles and automobile hood ornaments. In these fields rare models can be valued at up to 100 times greater than common designs.

The most common problem is fakery. There are few outright fakes of Lalique glass, mainly because successful production requires the use of expensive and sophisticated factory techniques. But it is common to apply spurious signatures to Lalique style glass of the period and modern work, most of which was made in Eastern Europe. Other common forms of fakery include altering authentic pieces by clever restoration to disguise damage, normally by polishing or re-sculpting. Other repairs include adding new bases to vases to disguise drill holes and marrying or making new elements such as covers or stoppers.

Third (Modern) Period:

The Lalique Company remains in operation but the products have changed considerably. When the factory reopened after WWII under the direction of René's son Marc Lalique (1900-1977), the glass formula was changed to a cristal of higher lead content, weight and brilliance. Modern Lalique is relatively easy to value for insurance using current retail prices for identical or comparable models. Objects discontinued from production do not result in increased value and resale or fair market values tend to be low compared with retail figures on a scale comparable to most luxury goods.

For further information, two main catalogues raisonnés are recommended, though not easily available:

Jewelry: Barten, Sigrid: René Lalique Schmuck und Objets d'art 1890-1910, Prestel-Verlag, Munich 1977 (in German).

Glass: Marcilhac, Felix: R. Lalique L'Oeuvre de Verre , Les Editions de L'Amateur, Paris 1989, 1994, 2005. (Three editions in French)