A unique chess set – Daum brand

Daum presents this impressive chessboard, handcrafted entirely in a French workshop renowned for mastering leather inlay techniques. 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 bronze handles gilded with fine gold, making it an extraordinary decorative piece.

Exquisitely refined finishes enhance this valuable game. The sleek-lined handles are gilded with fine gold. They reveal the interior of the box, where the game pieces are stored in a perfectly fitted compartment protected by a leather cover. Everything has been thoughtfully designed with exceptional finesse to allow travel with this precious game.

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

Discover the history of

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 this kind.

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

Creation methods

The crystal paste 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. This process is extremely delicate. Products made by combining crystal fragments in a mold 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, a precious material that gives sculptural dimension to objects, continues to evolve. Crystal paste has the unique property of imparting transparency to the shapes it reproduces. The brilliance of this material, the intensity of colors, and subdued shades give it a distinctive character.

Crystal paste contains nearly 30% lead. It 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 rise, and cooling of the furnaces.

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