Lalique, René (Jules)

(born April 6, 1860, Ay, Fr.—died May 5, 1945, Paris) French jeweler and glassmaker. Trained in Paris and London, he opened his own firm in Paris in 1885 and soon acquired clients such as Sarah Bernhardt. Reacting against machine-produced jewelry featuring precious gems, he designed elegant and fantastic jewelry with less conventional gemstones (tourmaline, cornelian, etc.) and materials such as horn. His designs contributed significantly to the Art Nouveau movement and later the Art Deco movement. His interest in architectural glass led him to develop the style of molded glass for which he is famous, characterized by iced surfaces, elaborate patterns in relief, and occasionally applied or inlaid colour.

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