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Born in 1860 in pre-industrial France, René Lalique moved to Paris with his family when he was two yearsold. After the death of his father, Lalique began apprenticing with Louis Aucoc, one of the best jewellers of Paris, while following drawing classes at the "Ecole des Arts Décoratifs de Paris". He later studied drawing in London where he developed a unique naturalist style which was to distinguish him as one of the famous jewellers of the "Art Nouveau" era.
By 1881, Lalique was working as a freelance designer for many French jewellery houses such as Cartier and Boucheron, and also for private clients. In 1885, Lalique began manufacturing his own jewellery designs in his workshop where he broke with traditional jewellery conventions by using fragile and exotic materials such as translucent enamel, semi-precious stones and ivory. Nature was his main source of inspiration, as attested by his jewellery creations in the form of dragonflies, snakes and peacocks.
In 1910, he dedicated an increasing amount of time to glassmaking and created an amazing array of nearly 1'500 glass objects including vases, perfume bottles, clocks and other decorative pieces. Lalique continuously evolved with his time; from artist to designer, from jeweller to glassmaker, he was a real innovator.