Baccarat

On March 12 in Singapore the renowned House of Rémy Martin will offer a unique decanter of its famed Louis XIII cognac (above) from the 1930s for sale at about $70,000. The precious elixir will be on offer at the Master of Spirits event organized by DFS, one of the world's leading travel retailers, in partnership with Changi Airport. The Baccarat crystal decanter contains Louis XIII Grande Champagne Très Vieille Age Inconnu cognac dating back to the mid-19th Century, a crown jewel of the House of Rémy Martin.

The decanter, certified by the Rémy Martin's cellar master Pierrette Trichet, was created from a series of carafes that were served as part of a royal banquet in 1938 at the château de Versailles in the presence of His Majesty King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. It comes presented in a unique seamless full-grain leather and rare wood box set. In addition, Rémy Martin will offer for sale two of the last remaining carafes of Louis XIII Rare Cask and one magnum decanter of Louis XIII Black Pearl at the prestigious event.

Baccarat, the French tableware, crystal and lighting company extraordinaire, is the winner of the Luxist Awards' Editors' Choice Award for Best in Decor.

Though it is nearly two and a half centuries old, its pieces are considered to be cutting edge. From its delicately gilded champagne buckets and champagne flutes in the emblematic Baccarat colors to its vases, knife holders and decorative objects---not to mention the exquisite crystal chandelier hanging above, Baccarat is an everlasting fantasy. A Baccarat piece is much more than just a valuable object---it epitomizes a certain concept of fulfillment and perfection.

A table laid with Baccarat is nothing short of a theater of the senses. As one Baccarat lover puts it: "eyes gleam with the sparkle of a thousand reflections". Whether it is wine, champagne or even water, when it is enjoyed from an exquisitely cut Baccarat crystal glass, it is an magical experience that involves all of the senses: taste, touch, hearing, sight and smell.

Courvoisier has one request for the release, next month, of their age-stamped Connoisseur Collection: please, no cocktails.

Sitting down with Pierre Szersnovicz, the cognac house's director of spirit quality control and global brand ambassador, conversation wandered into a discussion of how, and why, someone would create a spirit simply for blending (nay, disappearing) into a mixed drink. While suitable for others, understandably so given the cocktail's continued reign, Szersnovicz emphasized that the newly created Connoisseur Collection was an appeal to the cognac aficionado and not the mixologist. To wit, Courvoisier will release two age declaring bottles in October, a 12-year and a 21-year (like whiskey, both numbers represent the youngest age in the blends). The 12-year old is a blend of stock from the crus of Borderies, Fins Bois and Grande Champagne, while the 21-year old is comprised entirely of the top-tier Grande Champagne. Double distilled, both bottlings are then put through a two-step aging process, first in young French oak barrels and then in reused casks to extract their tannis. The young barrels, which the house selects from a number of areas including Limousin, are given a medium char for subtle wood and vanilla notes, which avoids an aggressive, over-oaked profile. The results are evident in the 12-year, which shows light wood notes, spice and fruit with a finish of cloves and anise. As for the 21-year, the floral notes recede to highlight dried fruit, cooked honey and sandalwood.

And for those whom the market has come back to (or never went away from), Courvoisier introduces L'Essence. Housed in a Baccarat-designed decanter, which requires 30 craftsmen to produce and features a crystal stopper emblazoned with Napoleon's signet, L'Essence de Courvoisier contains a blend of 100 eaux-de-vies stretching back 60 to 70 years. A reliquary-like display box presents the bottle (which can be engraved) upright and illuminated by several LED lights. Wonderfully mature and complex, only 125 bottles will be available in the US, priced at $3,000. As for mixing this one, well, that's your call.

It caused quite a kerfuffle when 38-year-old Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko's megayacht A (above), designed by Philippe Starck, weighed anchor off San Diego the other day while its owner drove off to check out Hearst Castle. The 390-ft. craft which resembles a sci-fi submarine cost over $300 million to build to the quirky designer's specs at Blohm + Voss, where Roman Abramovich's Eclipse was also constructed. With a crew of 35 (all outfitted in Starck-designed uniforms) to run it, the A's twin diesel's kick down 24,000 hp for a maximum speed of 24 knots, impressive for a ship this size. The interior features $40,000 bath faucets and $60,000 stair banisters.

The all-white, 2,583-sq.-ft. master suite wrapped in bulletproof, 44-milimeter glass is accessed by a silver-plated staircase with a fingerprint scanner at the door. Elsewhere Starck scattered Baccarat crystal tables, alligator skin and Kudu horn chairs, stingray skin upholstered walls and hand-stitched leather paneling. Some of the companies involved in constructing the unique sea beast went bankrupt due to the difficulties in executing Starck's design dictums. Filling the A's gas tanks alone costs $500,000 a pop and running costs come to about $20 million a year. Check out a video of the eye-popping yacht after the jump:

The Hooo!!! and Haaa!!! lamps aren't exactly new, but they have been shown in production form this year and if you have hoo-haa sums of money, maybe you can buy one. A collaboration between lighting company Flos, designer Philippe Starck, artist Jenny Holzer, electrical designer Moritz Waldemeyer,and crystal glass maker Baccarat, the Hooo!!! is a table lamp and the Haaa!!! a floor lamp, both fitted with an LED display down their centers that display text.

Jenny Holzer's text is already encoded into the lamp and will be projected onto any nearby surface, which is supposed to make for "an attention-grabbing animation." We aren't sure what the text reads, but we hope it's compelling, because with that list of contributors you know better than to expect mundane prices: 49 examples of the Hooo!!! will go for €9,000 ($11,433 U.S.), while just nine examples of the Haaa!!! will require a cash transfusion of €90,000 ($114,327 U.S.). Check out a short video of the Hooo!!! lamp after the jump.

Baccarat, which is renowned for its unique expertise and bold creativity in the making of fine crystal, has launched the Bouchons de Carafe collection, a new jewelry line designed by Elie Top, a world-renowned jewelry and accessories designer.

Baccarat, which has long created beautiful jewelry collections and fashion accessories, asked Top to create a jewelry line that interprets the Baccarat spirit in his own way. In response, the designer came up with the Bouchons de Carafe Collection, which is the French name that refers to the stoppers made for the fine crystal bottles that graced luxurious dining tables and elegant dressing tables in bygone days.

Luxist attended the premiere of the United Crystal Woods collection, from famed Dutch designer Marcel Wanders for Baccarat, held at the Museum of Arts & Design, with a gorgeous view of Columbus Circle. Baccarat, winner of the Luxist Readers' Choice Award is the ultimate in luxury glassware. Each piece is entirely handmade in the Baccarat village of France. The heavy weighted crystal of the classic Baccarat we were handed when entering made the champagne taste divine. We quickly realized, while exploring the latest collection, that drinking out of a Baccarat glass is the ONLY way to drink champagne.

Wanders has collaborated over the years with nearly every major designer, including Flor, Vitra, B&B Italia and Bisazza. But nothing could prepare us for the latest Baccarat collection, easily Wander's best collaboration to date. It all began with a dream Wanders had, after a long dinner party, waking up with his head on the table, in a room full of gorgeous empty glasses. "I woke up in the forest of the united crystals," he said in his artist statement. "Too much light forcing me to close my eyes, too many sparkles for a heavy night, boys will always be boys."

Harrods has just launched the long-awaited offering of Remy Martin's Louis XIII Rare Cask, comprising a blend of 1,200 ultra-exclusive cognacs aged between 40 and 100 years from a single cask (above). The rare spirit is expected to sell for about $15,000 a bottle. Featuring a formidable bouquet of wild mushrooms and woodsy notes followed by full, spicy tones and notes of gingerbread, wax, nuts and mint, Rare Cask "boasts a presence and density in the mouth that knows no limit." Each portion of Louis XIII Rare Cask is presented in a black crystal Baccarat decanter, hand-blown, hand-decorated, individually numbered and housed in an embellished metal coffret. Every detail of Rare Cask is designed to be a "celebration of the finest craftsmanship reflecting the pedigree of this incredibly rare and distinctive cognac."

[via LuxuryLaunches]

Votes have been cast for the best-of-breed in lighting, furniture, antiques resources, dishware and glassware. The Luxist Readers' Choice Decor Awards winners are all leaders in their respective industries.

Niermann Weeks, the winner of the Readers' Choice for Best in Lighting, is a family-owned and operated company that produces lighting that radiates beauty from every angle. Joe Niermann's design style extrapolates the traditional form within its historic constraints.

The winner of the Readers' Choice for the Best in Furniture is Roche-Bobois. The French-based company is a global leader in design and distribution of fine home furnishings. Its original artistry ranges from the avant-garde to ethnic and traditional.

The Readers' Choice for the Best in Glassware is Baccarat. Each of its fine crystal pieces are handcrafted in the village of Baccarat in Lorraine in eastern France. They are extravagant and elegant.

Haviland Limoges is the winner of the Readers' Choice for Best in Dishware. It is estimated that there are as many as 60,000 unique Haviland china patterns. For over a century, Haviland china has remained a standard for elegant tables.

The International Fine Art & Antique Dealers Show is the Readers' Choice winner for Best Antiques Resources. The New York-based show is an annual destination for serious connoisseurs, collectors and museum curators who are in search of the best.

The winner of the Readers' Choice Award in the glassware category is Baccarat, which has sold its creations to the royal families of France, Japan, Russia, Arabia, Morocco and even the White House, since it was established in France in 1764.

Since its founding, Baccarat has continued expanding its influence, inspired in roots stemming from an ingenious handcrafted work of the highest quality, throughout the world.

To this day, Baccarat crystal is still handcrafted in the village of Baccarat located in Lorraine in eastern France. The crystal pieces it creates are described as both divine and exhilarating. Yes, they are extravagant but always elegant.

Nothing tastes better than when drunk from a Baccarat crystal glass.

Best in Lighting
Each of the finalists for best lighting is a master in their field. One is credited with founding modern interior lighting designs, while another creates sculptural masterpieces. A third produces lighting that radiates beauty from every angle while the crystal chandeliers of another have been sought out by royalty. Last, but not least, there's one which melds exquisitely cut crystal with its masterful designs

Baccarat
Bodner Chandeliers
Jean Perzel
Niermann Weeks
Schonbek

Best in Furniture
The best in furniture nominees offer a range of original artistry from simple and pure to the exotic; from traditional to the ultra-modern. The styles may vary but each has a timeless quality that extends far beyond trendiness. Many of their creations are collected by connoisseurs and even museums.

Vladimir Kagan
Kreiss
Roche-Bobois
Stickley Furniture
William Switzer & Associates

Best in Glassware
The Best in Glassware nominees for a Luxist Award include award-winning brands from France, Sweden and the United States. Each represents the finest of quality and artistry while offering the most exquisite of designs. The styles may vary but all the nominees have their own proud tradition of glass craftsmanship.

Baccarat
Lalique
Orrefors
Steuben
Tiffany

Best in Dishware
Nominees for Best in Dishware include companies that have been producing china for decades; some for centuries. Two have roots in the Limoges region of France, the cradle of the French porcelain industry. One nominee is quintessentially English while two produce American classics.

Bernardaud
Haviland Limoges
Pickard China
Tiffany
Wedgwood

Best in Antiques Resources
Nominees for Best Antiques Resource include the most prestigious art and antiques fairs in the world. These fairs, which are international in scope, are annual destinations for serious connoisseurs, collectors and museum curators who are in search of the best. Each of these fairs have rigorous vetting processes in which the quality, condition and authenticity of each piece is carefully investigated.

American International Fine Art Fair, Palm Beach
International Fine Art and Antique Dealer's Show, New York
Maastricht Art Fair, Netherlands
The San Francisco Art Antiques Fair
Winter Fine Art & Antiques Fair, Olympia, London

Nominations have been received and vetted for the best-of-breed in lighting, furniture, antiques resource, dishware and glassware. The Luxist Readers' Choice Decor Awards will be awarded based on your voting.

Each of finalists for the Readers' Choice for the Best in Lighting is a leader in the industry. One is credited with founding modern interior lighting designs, while another creates sculptural masterpieces. A third produces lighting that radiates beauty from every angle while the crystal chandeliers of another have been sought out by royalty. Last, but not least, there's one which melds exquisitely cut crystal with its masterful designs.

The Readers' Choice for the Best in Furniture nominees offer a range of original artistry from simple and pure to the exotic; from traditional to the ultra-modern. Their creations are collected by connoisseurs and museums alike.

The Readers' Choice for the Best in Glassware for a Luxist Award include award-winning brands from France, Sweden and the United States. Each represents the finest of quality and artistry while offering the most exquisite of designs.

Nominees for Readers' Choice for Best in Dishware include companies that have been producing china for centuries. Two have roots in the Limoges region of France, the cradle of the French porcelain industry. One nominee is quintessentially English while two produce American classics. Dishware created by each of these nominees are owned by the who's who of world leaders from the King of Saudi Arabia and the Queen of England to the President of the United States.

Readers' Choice nominees for Best Antiques Resource include the most prestigious art and antiques fairs in the world. These fairs, which are international in scope, are annual destinations for serious connoisseurs, collectors and museum curators who are in search of the best. Each of these fairs have rigorous vetting processes in which the quality, condition and authenticity of each piece is carefully investigated.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed for each of these categories. Readers' Choice Awards for Decor will be announced on October 31st.

Nominated for a Luxist Award in the glassware and lighting categories is Baccarat, which has sold its creations to the royal families of France, Japan, Russia, Arabia, Morocco and even the White House, since it was established in France in 1764.

Since its founding, Baccarat has continued expanding its influence, inspired in roots stemming from an ingenious handcrafted work of the highest quality, throughout the world.

To this day, Baccarat crystal is still handcrafted in the village of Baccarat located in Lorraine in eastern France. The crystal pieces it creates are described as both divine and exhilarating. Yes, they are extravagant but always elegant.

Since 1824, Baccarat has been presenting magnificent crystal chandeliers. The Maharajah of Gwalior ordered a large chandelier, weighing about a ton to decorate his new Palace. A series of candelabras were created for the Czar Nicolas II's St. Petersburg Winter Palace. Baccarat's magnificent lighting includes crystal chandeliers, sconces, lamps, floor lamps, candleholders and candelabras. Each piece has ethereal qualities as it glistens with the incomparable luster of crystal.

There's nothing like the light that emits from Baccarat crystal, and perhaps nothing tastes better than when drunk from a Baccarat crystal glass.

Caring for and protecting for your fine crystal is important and should be done properly. Here are a few tips, courtesy of the experts at Baccarat, which has been creating some of the world's finest hand-crafted crystal since it was established in France in 1764.

Can Baccarat crystal be washed in the dishwasher?

Yes. Select the "fragile" or "average temperature" cycle on your dishwasher (the temperature should not exceed 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit). Separate and prop up the glasses so that the force of the water does not move them or knock them into each other.

Baccarat further recommends using "gentle dish washing tablets" designed especially by Baccarat to protect the crystal's original radiance. These gentle care tablets are suitable for washing your crystal by hand or in the dishwasher, perfect for preserving the crystal's radiance and shine.

Are their any tips for washing fine crystal by hand?

If washed by hand, each glass should be washed separately so that they do not bump into each other. Rinse the glass under running water, with the bowl facing down, and finish by rinsing the base

How should fine crystal be dried after it is cleaned?

Place the glasses on a thin cotton or linen cloth or on absorbent paper. Dry the glasses with caution by placing the thumb outside and turning the glass towards you. Always hold the glass by the stem to avoid excessive pressure. Use a thin cotton or linen cloth (one which is not fluffy) and arrange the glasses in their boxes or place them upright.

How to care for crystal decanters

It is better not to leave the wine in the decanter after use and to rinse it immediately with clear water. To absorb the humidity inside the decanter, place a long thin cloth or some absorbent paper inside the decanter and leave it in place for a few hours. Should there be colored marks inside the decanter, place alcohol, vinegar and coarse salt inside, shake and rinse.

How you should care for fine crystal vases

Hard water can damage the crystal and leave a water line on the upper part of the vase, says Baccarat. If there is no mineral water available, it is recommended to change the water level daily when changing the water. If your vase is heavy and bulky, and thus difficult to move, we suggest to not fill up the vase completely but to add water or even ice cubes on a daily basis.

How to care for fine crystal chandeliers

Baccarat recommends that very large chandeliers be maintained by experienced professionals who know how to take them apart, to clean each part and to place everything back correctly. Small and medium sized chandeliers should be dusted regularly in order to avoid more integral cleaning procedures. Here's how: Put on a pair of cotton gloves soaked in methylated spirits and rub gently the crystal pearls and ornaments. Methylated spirits evaporate very quickly, so soak your gloves into the spirits from time to time while cleaning. The result is astounding, but be careful not to clean around flames as methylated spirits are highly flammable.

How to care for crystal candlesticks

Do not stick wax candles into candlestick holders by using melted wax. Baccarat recommends the use of non-drip candles. In case the wax sticks to the candlestick holders, gently wipe it away by using lukewarm water or methylated spirits. Baccarat also recommends not letting the candles burn down entirely (leave approximately 3 inches standing). The contact with a flame could make the crystal burst.

How to care for crystal decorative items

Clean them with a soft cloth. Anti-static detergents help to protect the items from dust.

A reader recently had a question on the value of this cognac. I asked a few people but was unable to get any information so I'm hoping Luxist's audience can help me determine both what it's worth and where to sell it. I've already contacted a couple of major auction houses and a liquor store or two and had no luck. What we know is that it is Michael Camus Cognac Royale in a Baccarat crystal decanter along with an invention to the winery in France. The owner has provided larger pictures which are in the gallery below. Please share any information you can in the comments.