A unique chess set – Daum brand

Daum presents this impressive chessboard, handcrafted entirely in a French workshop that has perfected leather inlay. The light, vibrant orange leather, reminiscent of molten crystal, is combined with a deep navy blue, creating a striking contrast of great elegance that highlights the precious crystal elements. The large chessboard measures 61 cm x 59 cm, with neat ton-sur-ton stitching finishes, framed with handles in gold-plated bronze with fine gold accents, making it a remarkable decorative piece.

Exquisite finishes enhance this valuable game. The handles with clean lines are gold-plated with fine gold. They allow access to the interior of the box, where the game pieces are housed in a perfectly fitted compartment protected by a leather cover. Everything has been thoughtfully designed with exceptional finesse to enable travel with this precious game.

Daum is a pinnacle of high-quality craftsmanship combined with a passion for creating luxurious objects.

Discover the history

Daum, the legendary master glassmaker, who for over a century has maintained close relationships with the greatest artists of his time, giving their works a second life in crystal and color. From École de Nancy, Art Nouveau, to decorative arts, from Majorelle to Dalí, Arman, and Hilton McConnico, Daum has embraced every magical encounter between artistic creativity and modern knowledge, continually renewing the marriage of art and true craftsmanship.

Few brands have collaborated with so many artists: over nearly 140 years, more than 350 exceptional autographs have created an unparalleled legacy, a unique collection of its kind.

How can we translate these works into crystal sculptures? Here is Daum’s secret: a creator of extraordinary objects, a highly skilled workshop, a laboratory of wonders, a designer of beautiful objects.

Creation methods

The pâte de cristal technique is rare and very ancient. It appeared around 5000 BC (found in the tombs of pharaohs). Long forgotten, it was rediscovered by Daum in 1900 and further developed in 1968. The process is extremely delicate. Products made by combining pieces of crystal mixed in molds are characterized by graininess, material richness, and soft contours that cannot be achieved with blown glass.

Daum’s specialty, copied but never matched—the crystal paste—is a precious material that gives the object a sculptural dimension and continues to evolve. Crystal paste has the unique property of imparting transparency to the shapes it reproduces. The shine of this material, the intensity of colors, and subdued shades give it a distinctive character.

Crystal paste contains nearly 30% lead. The material is produced from specially prepared crystal in cauldrons. Several factors influence the final color: weighing of materials, mixture proportions, chemical reactions of certain minerals and metals, temperature increase, and cooling in kilns.

Thanks to the Daum-developed lost-wax casting method and crystal casting techniques, reproducing the original is perfect and aligned with the artist’s wishes. Currently, Daum is the only crystal manufacturer in the world capable of creating this exceptional material with such precision. Crystal paste is a substance that has evolved for over a century, adapting to the whims of master glassmakers’ imagination. It is through mastery and ongoing research that world-renowned masterpieces are born.