Val Saint Lambert Crystal Cranberry Decanter with a Sterling Silver Collar, 1965

A beautiful, heavy, cranberry cut-to-clear crystal spirit or wine decanter with crystal stopper, is maybe by the luxury maker Val St. Lambert, circa mid to mid to late-20th century, Europe. Or it is in their style, there is no mark so I can't be sure. The decanter has a sterling silver collar. This is a beautiful piece for any bar, bar cart, or entertaining area. There is a tiny chip on the top of the stopper, please see  the pictures.

Val Saint Lambert was an area of countryside and woodland a few miles south west of Liege, given to the Cistercian monks in 1202 to enhance the abbey they had built at nearby Citaux. By the end of the 18th century the Abbey at Val St Lambert was abandoned and in disrepair, and in 1826 the Cristalleries du Val St Lambert was founded in the old converted monastery buildings by M. Kemlin, a chemist, and M. Lelièvre, from the Vonêche crystal works. They added new workshops and built houses (each one with a garden) for the Val St Lambert glassworkers.

Val St Lambert is still the major Belgian glassworks. It has always made a wide range of glass, the best Val St Lambert glass rivalling any in the world. They cooperated with other local glassworks when times were good, putting out orders for glass and sometimes buying up their neighbouring glassworks. By the mid 1920s Val St Lambert had four factories with some 4000 employees. It is very difficult to identify which Belgian factory made which glass, unless it is labelled. During the second half of the 19th century they made cut crystal glass and coloured Victorian styles, building on their reputation for art nouveau and art deco glass earlier in the century. More recently their reputation is high for cut and engraved glassware.

• Hallmarked: The silver collar was made by F and Son in London in 1965.
• Most likely made by Val Saint Lambert but I cannot be sure as I can’t see a hallmark from them.
• Total Weight: 1.9kg
• Size: 38cm tall including the stopper.
• The base has a 9cm diameter rising to 13cm.
• The stopper is 11.5cm long.

SMS6888