Country / Language: Switzerland, English
Working alongside some of the most remarkable glass manufacturers throughout France and Europe, such as the Nivyne workshop, Diptyque has honed its extraordinary expertise magnifying the brilliance of candlelight in candle holders with kaleidoscopic effects.
Diptyque has always felt a special affinity with glass, particularly borosilicate glass. This light, seemingly delicate material, as transparent and brilliant as crystal but able to withstand extreme temperatures, is more often found in laboratories. In fact, it was while rummaging through a scientific equipment shop on a wander around Saint-Germain-des-Prés that the three founders caught a chance glimpse of some large, clear borosilicate jars. They bought them and filled them with seeds to create a poetic decoration for their boutique. The transition from functional material to decorative object is now one of the hallmarks of the Maison’s expertise.
Borosilicate glass creates crystal-like reflections.
The molten material metamorphoses in the red heat of the flame.
The candle holder’s shape emerges in contact with the graphite counterform.
Today, Diptyque entrusts the making of its borosilicate glass candle holders to the craftspeople at the Nivyne workshop in France’s Vendée region, who specialise in blowing this material. Two generations of glassblowers have nurtured this art, in which molten material undergoes a metamorphosis in the glow of the flame. Heated to between 825 and 1200 degrees, the glass rod swells like a bubble as the glassblower breathes life into it. A constant rolling motion prevents the glass from drooping and changes the shape of the blown glass as it meets a graphite counterform. From this emerge the ribbed and twisted lines of our candle holders, which then steadily take shape.
A unique feature of the Torsade candle holder is the artful gesture of the glassmaker, who gives a slight inflection to the rod’s rolling motion and to the rhythm at which it rotates. The twisting lines that give the candle holder its sparkle and glimmer emerge almost imperceptibly in the hot glass. Diptyque's signature – a thread of black glass added to the curves like a line of Indian ink – recalls the calligraphy omnipresent in the Maison's aesthetic.
As if polishing a precious stone, the glassmaker patiently smooths the surface of the candle holder in the torch flame using tools made of raw glass or graphite. Before quality control, the object is fired a final time at 550 degrees to stabilise the borosilicate glass, heightening its transparency to the point of becoming nearly impalpable, all the better to magnify the wax and transform the candles’ fragrant flames into a thousand dancing reflections.
Artisanal expertise, with every stage of the production process carried out by hand.
The candle holder is painstakingly smoothed with raw glass and graphite tools.
Each candle holder is inspected by hand.
Borosilicate, a highly resistant form of glass, diffuses its reflections in countless ways. Fire-blown, then delicately formed by the master glassmaker, it comes alive in the light, sending shapes dancing across walls.
Making scented candles is a craft that demands time and an intimate knowledge of their materials – wax, wick and fragrance. This expertise has been built up and mastered by the Maison over more than 60 years.
Diptyque’s large, sculptural candles attest to the expertise of the ceramists at the Virebent workshop, one of the artisanal ceramic workshops the Maison collaborates with in France and Europe.
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