Original swordfish sculpture – Daum brand

The imperial swordfish is considered one of the fastest fish in the world, reaching speeds of up to 110 km/h. This species is widely distributed in the tropical and temperate waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. A majestic creature with silvery fur in shades of dark blue and brown, reinforced by twenty light blue stripes and spots on each side. Transferring these colors onto crystal paste, the Daum team chose shades of light blue, gray, and white to create an interesting contrast. Its sail is bathed in light through the finesse of the crystal.

Marlin, swordfish, and sailfish are recognizable by their very long, pointed snouts, resulting from the fusion of premaxillary and nasal bones. To emphasize this feature, the Daum team decided to add a palladium-plated gold finish to the snout of their imperial swordfish. Its dynamic posture, as if frozen in the act of hunting prey, illustrates the elegance and architectural silhouette of this fish.

Daum is a brand of the highest quality craftsmanship combined with a passion for creating beautiful objects.

Discover the story

Daum, a 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, through Art Nouveau, to decorative arts, from Majorelle to Dalí, Arman, and Hilton McConnico, Daum has never missed a magical encounter between artistic creativity and modern knowledge, continually renewing the union 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 is Daum’s secret, a creator of extraordinary objects, a highly trained workshop, a laboratory of wonders, a designer of incomparable items.

Creation Methods

The crystal paste technique is rare and very ancient. It appeared as early as 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. Items produced by combining pieces of crystal mixed in molds are characterized by graininess, materiality, and softness of contours, which cannot be achieved with blown glass.

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

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

Thanks to crystal casting and the lost-wax casting method developed by Daum, reproducing the original is perfect and in accordance 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 been evolving for over a century, adapting to the whims of glassmaking masters’ imagination. It is through mastery and continuous research that world-renowned masterpieces are born.