Narrator: It takes more than 100 tiny glass flowers
to make just one of these $5,000 paperweights.
And at the oldest crystal factory in France,
only a few people even know how.
Saint-Louis pieces were once a mainstay of French palaces
in the 19th century.
But many furnaces like this one shut down
when cheaper class alternatives became widely available.
Saint-Louis managed to survive by leaning
into the kind of luxury products that are rare these days:
crystal vases, chandeliers, and yes, even paperweights.
We went to France to see how after nearly half a millennium,
this factory is still standing.
Fewer than 10 people know the exact recipe
for Saint-Louis crystal.
Most of the ingredients are the same used to make glass:
sand, limestone, potassium carbonate, and sodium carbonate.
Lead is what makes crystal clearer, stronger,
and easier to carve.
It all starts with a molten mix
that burns at 1,450 degrees Celsius inside this furnace.
Artisans have no more than two minutes to shape a piece
before it hardens.
Glassblowing was invented
in the first century BC in ancient Syria.
Saint-Louis still uses many of the methods from back then,
like blowing into molds to shape a piece.
The factory has crafted over 12,000 of them.
Narrator: For some pieces, they measure the size,
shape, and thickness by eye.
At this point, the crystal's temperature needs to be
between 900 and 1,100 degrees Celsius.
If it cools too fast, it could shatter.
Saint-Louis' team of 60 glassblowers can make
over 1,000 pieces in a single day,
and most were trained in the factory.
Narrator: Paperweights are the crown jewel
of Saint-Louis.
Nowadays, only five artisans know how to make them,
and it can take two months to complete just one.
It starts with an ancient technique called millefiori,
which is Italian for "a thousand flowers."
Artisans stretch molten glass flower designs
until they are thin as a pencil.
Then they cut it into tiny pieces.
One by one, workers sort them into a mold,
then fill it with molten crystal.
A final crystal layer will create
a three-dimensional effect.
Artisans add the final decorations by hand.
While its paperweights gained popularity in the 1950s,
the factory had been making crystal tableware for 200 years.
Making a single wine glass is a team effort.
Workers pour molten crystal into a press to form the stem.
Joining the two pieces together is the most difficult part.
The cup needs to be hot and soft enough to attach.
These torches help keep the crystal hot.
Then two artisans work together to pour in
just the right amount of crystal to make the base.
They have seconds to roll it before it hardens,
and any wrong move could damage the shape.
Narrator: Once they cool, some pieces go
to the cold workshop, where artisans will carve,
cut, and decorate them.
Christophe Schneider starts off
by drawing the design on the surface.
Narrator: Then he picks his wheels.
The factory has at least 100 of them.
Narrator: Today, he's working on highball glass
from the Tommy collection.
They were designed after World War I to pay tribute
to English soldiers, who were nicknamed Tommies.
Just one can cost $450.
Narrator: It's one of the most complex pieces,
requiring around 120 cuts.
Narrator: Christophe has been working at Saint-Louis
for two years, but he's been around the art
for most of his life.
Narrator: He can finish a glass in about one hour.
Filing the bottom is the finishing touch.
Narrator: But other pieces,
like chandeliers, can take three months to complete.
They've been a staple of Saint-Louis
since France's royal court commissioned the factory
to make one in 1837.
One chandelier can cost over $40,000. But over the years,
Saint-Louis has expanded its lighting department
to include more than just these elaborate pieces.
About half of the factory sales come
from selling smaller lighting fixtures,
like sconces and lamps.
Crystal has been a symbol of luxury
since it was invented in England in the 17th century.
But Saint-Louis actually started off much earlier
as a glass factory back in 1586.
Two hundred years later,
glassmakers here accidentally created crystal
while trying to make colored glass using lead.
At its peak in the early 20th century,
Saint-Louis produced pieces
for the most prestigious clients in Europe,
including Queen Elizabeth II and the Palace of Versailles.
By the mid-20th century,
people up and down the social ladder considered it
a must-have gift for special occasions like weddings.
But things started to change in the 1960s,
when cheaper alternatives entered the market.
Customers across the world started embracing
more casual glassware.
Many traditional glass
and crystal factories struggled to compete.
Saint-Louis says sales reached an all-time low in the 1980s
and '90s as it struggled to find young customers.
The factory was about to be sold to American investors
when the French luxury brand Hermes bought it in 1995.
Their CEO fell in love with Saint-Louis' history
and wanted to keep it French.
Hermes poured investment money into the business,
giving Saint-Louis time to develop new marketing strategies
and to find new clients.
The glassmakers found success in one
of the most surprising markets of all: paperweights.
Saint-Louis discovered a niche network
of collectors who would pay thousands for them.
It's why it launched
an annual limited-edition collection based
on the Chinese zodiac.
The latest creation,
honoring the Year of the Rabbit, costs $4,200.
That's a third of the price
of its more intricate paperweights,
which can go for up to $13,000.
Today, they have buyers in Europe, China, and North America.
Saint-Louis also updated some of its tools and equipment,
like replacing wood furnaces for gas-powered ones.
Narrator: But one thing that remains is the human touch.
Every piece in the factory still goes
through a thorough, hands-on quality inspection.
That's Clement Mischler's job.
Narrator: While we may not see anything,
a trained eye can spot defects in seconds.
Only half the pieces will pass Clement's inspection.
Narrator: Every piece is coated with a special solution
as an extra precaution to prevent lead from leaking.
Lead contamination from crystal is extremely rare,
but studies have found that small amounts of lead could leak
into alcohol when it's stored in crystal decanters
for extended periods of time.
In the 1990s and early 2000s,
the US and Canada issued warnings
about lead contamination from crystal glass.
Factories began voluntarily limiting the amount of lead
in their crystal to 24%.
Today, all Saint-Louis employees undergo
monthly health checks
and wear protective gear when handling lead.
Narrator: One hundred years ago, only nobility
and the wealthy could afford to buy Saint-Louis pieces.
Today, they're sold around the world to hotels,
cultural institutions, restaurants, and private collectors.
Narrator: The focus today is preserving the knowledge
for generations to come.