7 Places to Find Baccarat Around the World

Baccarat crystal has had an eternal life since its inception. A tour of the Maison Baccarat in Paris and its heritage collection takes you from Monaco (with the service created for His Serene Highness Prince Rainier to Her Serene Highness Grace), to Japan with the glasses engraved for His Imperial Highness Mutsuhito, of the Meiji Family.

You can enjoy such commissions at the Elysée Palace or the Vatican, but short of a state dinner, we invite you to discover seven places around the world where you can be fully immersed in Baccarat’s style.

NEW YORK, USA: UNICEF SNOWFLAKE

The Big apple has no shortage of Baccarat crystals, from the Harcourt glasses in the lobby of the Baccarat Hotel, to the Madison Avenue Boutique. But if there is one Baccarat crystal that epitomizes the city, the lights, and the brilliance, it’s the UNICEF snowflake.

A 3,300 pound, 28-foot ornament made up of 16,000 hand-cut Baccarat crystals, the ornament shines each holiday season over the intersection of 57th Street and Fifth Avenue, midway between the Baccarat Hotel and Boutique. The ornament — a beacon of hope, peace, and compassion for children everywhere — was donated to UNICEF by the Stonbely Family Foundation. Its iconic architecture is courtesy of designer Ingo Maurer and Baccarat. Shining above the avenue, the UNICEF snowflake hangs as a symbol and reminder of their commitment to reach a day when zero children die from preventable causes.

Special stop in New York
Of course, our recommendation for a special stop in NYC is at the Baccarat Hotel and Residences for afternoon tea in the Grand Salon, under the iconic chandeliers.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: CORINTHIA HOTEL
New York may have the first Baccarat Hotel, but Baccarat chandeliers have graced grand palaces and homes for a long time. And while you may not be able to see the vase offered to HRH Queen Elizabeth II by the Republic of Mauritius, you can enjoy tea under a grand chandelier. The “full Moon” chandelier — created by Parisian designer Chafik Gasmi — welcomes guest in the spectacular glass dome of the Corinthia Hotel in London.

Echoed in a circular motif in the limestone floor, the Full Moon is the grand focal point of the main hotel area where afternoon tea is served. While you enjoy crumpets and cucumber sandwiches, notice the trademark red ‘pampille’ with a B signature that adorns all Baccarat chandelier.

Special stop in London
Don’t miss Harrods, of course, for the perfect teas.

PARIS, FRANCE: THE MUSEE DU LOUVRE
The Louvre started as a fort, and is now the biggest museum in the world with its iconic I.M. Pei pyramid. Every king and emperor has a say in its evolution, but nobody more than Emperor Napoleon III who asked his architect Louis Visconti and Hector-Martin Lefuel to re-design the the palace.

Most of his vision disappeared when the Tuileries wing burned down in 1871, but the quintessential of it remains in the famous Napoleon III Apartments in the Aile Richelieu overlooking the rue de Rivoli (later ministry of Finance offices). The unique style is one of pomp and grandeur, perfectly defined by Charles Garnier when asked by Empress Eugenie, as “style Napoleon III, milady.”

It was the time of sumptuous balls organized by the Frères Pereire, the Baron Haussmann, the Rothschild, or the Laffitte. Empress Eugenie, wife of the Emperor, dazzling in Melerio jewels, would be the center of high society, sliding in her House of Worth gown through the decor of gold, stuccos, marble, bronze, silk and velvet, under iconic Baccarat chandeliers.

Special stop at the Musée du Louvre
Don’t miss the Henri II room for its George Braque ceiling in a 17th century decor.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY: DOLMABAHÇE PALACE
Sultan Abdülaziz fell under the spell of Baccarat crystal mesmerizing qualities when he first traveled to the Universal Exposition of 1867 in Paris. The Dolmabahçe and Yildiz palaces in Istanbul, the capital of the former Ottoman empire, are the forever testimony to his vision and connection to the western world. Red, gold and transparent candelabras dot the ceremonial hall of Yildiz palace, a chandelier hangs in the Caliph’s staircase (nicknamed the crystal staircase for being made of crystal, brass and mahogany) of Dolmabahçe, making it the largest collection of Bohemian and Baccarat crystal chandeliers in the world.

Special stop in Istanbul
The Beylerbeyi Palace with its unique candelabra cut in triple-thick crystal with opaline, emerald green, or red with gold crystal.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA: MAISON BACCARAT
Czar Alexander and Czar Nicholas II commissions are legendary. “Table folies” of the aristocrats and St Petersburg grand bourgeoisie merely followed the imperial’s house love for Baccarat, from candelabras, to table, from crystal fountain to table services. To this day the Czar service of glasses is made only by the special craftsmen, Meilleurs ouvrier de France, in the Lorraine factory.

The most iconic piece is the 3.85 meter-high Czar candelabra, ordered by Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna during a visit to Paris in 1896. It included 3,320 pieces of crystal. Illuminated with candles, the Tsar ordered electrified models for his palaces in Saint Petersburg, making it Baccarat's first electric-powered light fitting.

St Petersburg may have been the city where the russian love of Baccarat developed, but Moscow is the place to experience it now; Philippe Starck has imagined a palace of crystal out of an old pharmacy created by order of Peter the Great. What better way to enjoy champagne and caviar, to live the brilliance of those formal suppers than by going at the Maison Baccarat on Nikolskaya Street in Moscow.

Special stop in Russia
A trip to Russia isn’t complete without visiting St Petersburg.

GWALIOR, INDIA: JAI VILAS PALACE
The house of Baccarat established its first branch in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1886 and it opened an era of the most magnificent commissions. As a symbol of transparency and of purity, crystal values exceeds a mere decorative level. The 1930s came to represent the apotheose of those bespoke orders, from the « Paraison » service, ordered by the Maharaja of Indore, Yeshwant Rao Holkar II, for his Manik Bagh palace, and its unique Art Deco style (now in view at the Baccarat museum) to the triple-crystal chandelier enhanced in gold for the prime minister of the maharajah of Nepal.

The most iconic of those custom orders is part of the legend of the maharajah of Gwalior, of the Scindia dynasty, who ordered the chandelier called “Hall Oriental,” now strongly attached to the ceiling of the Jai Vilas palace. The legend has it that the piece collapsed the palace's ceiling when it first got installed so the flamboyant Indian king rebuilt the rafters, testing their strength by suspending an elephant from them.

Special stop in India
Follow Madhya Pradesh’s palace trail and experience the state’s rich royal history through its Maratha and Mughal palaces.

TOKYO, JAPAN: B BAR
After going around the world, starting with breakfast at the Grand Salon in New York, the only one way to finish the day is at a B Bar in Tokyo. Not only do you get to experience the crystal, but you get to make it your own. From the cocktail, crafted to your taste, to your own selection of vessel, this drink is yours and is so unique. There’s no better way to celebrate the sparkling matter in all its glory.