Fierce heat and a delicate touch create glass delights

It is a highly-skilled and often dangerous trade as the glass can shatter.
Two types of lampworker are recognised as maîtres d’art and they both fashion objects from glass melted using a propane or natural gas blowtorch. A fileur uses precise hand movements to ‘spin’ delicate objects from the molten glass, while a souffleur blows into tubes of glass that have been heated by the torch or in a furnace.

The fileur is generally able to work in greater detail than the souffleur, but the latter is more spectacular to watch. Some verriers au chalumeau are
masters of both techniques.

Lampworking is an ancient art form – the earliest known worked glass beads date from the 5th century – but the in­vention of the blowtorch in 1860 and then the use of oxy-propane allowed working temperatures to reach 2,927C, letting lampworkers create completely new and more intricate objects.

Master lampworkers speak about a fascination with the properties of glass which led them into their trade, and this is listed as a prerequisite for glasswork by the L’Institut National des Métiers d’Art.
A strong sense of colour and light is also important, as is creative flair.

In terms of physical skills, a high degree of manual dexterity and precision of movement is a must for these craftsmen.

Although most people think of the artistic side, 90% of French verriers au chalumeau carry out technical work, creating laboratory tools, signs or other goods for chemistry, physics, biology, advertising, and electronics. Just 10% are artisans producing decorative glassware as jewellery, tableware and ornaments.

French artisans also had an international reputation before becoming known at home: buyers and collectors in Japan, UK, Greece, Switzerland and the US have all been attracted to the quality of their craftsmanship. Beads costing €20-€150 in France will have price tags of up to $750 (€720), so export is an important market.

Practical experience is fundamental to becoming a verrier au chalumeau, so anyone contemplating taking up the trade should visit a master craftsman before thinking about starting their training.
There are several possible training routes. Some artisan lampworkers are self-taught, although it undoubtedly takes longer to learn the techniques that way. Anyone looking at this can check whether they can do stages, as these are an efficient way to learn new skills and can be arranged on an informal basis.

Short courses are also available and these may be particularly helpful for anyone interested in decorative rather than technical glassware.
Atelier Agathe Saint-Girons in Montreuil, Ile-de-France, for example, offers several options in decorative glassware.

For technical work, there are three relevant Certificate of Professional Aptitude qualifications (CAPs), while the professional BAC artisans and master crafts stream offers a two-year course in scientific and technical glassware, or a three-year course in signs and signalling.

Only one centre, the Lycée Dorian in Paris, offers a CAP and Brevet des Métiers d’art in the arts and techniques of glasswork, with the opportunity to specialise in lampwork.

Taking both qualifications takes four years, and it is possible to live near the lycée as a boarder.