Elton John Music: is Love for Lalique

LALIQUE, the French crystal maker, is proud to unveil a new collaboration with Elton John. The Elton John Music is Love for Lalique includes seven exceptional crystal sculptures: three limited editions and four unique pieces. The three limited edition sculptures are available from today at Lalique boutiques worldwide, with 10% of the proceeds to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

"Words are completely inadequate to express how very much it means to me for a company like Lalique – with such a long, rich, and highly respected tradition of excellence and craftsmanship – to support the work of the Elton John AIDS Foundation in this highly visible and collaborative way. You could simply have written us a cheque. But instead, you wanted to work with us on a project that would help raise the visibility of the Foundation’s work and bring new people to our cause while also raising significant funds for our mission. You wanted to partner with us in a way that linked our two organisations together organically through a creative effort. That means more to me than I can possibly express." - Sir Elton John. 

Elton John. Courtesy Lalique. 

"Love is one of the primary forces that can unite us and bring us together despite our differences. Indeed, love shows us that the differences dividing us from each other are ultimately very superficial, that we have so much more in common than not. Music is a powerful medium for expressing all the many faces of love, and it is a participatory medium. Music draws us together. It is a universal language. We come together to make music, to listen to music, to share music. This is why I believe that music and love are synonymous, that music IS love."

MUSIC IS LOVE Ange / Angel —EXEMPLAIRE UNIQUE Cristal incolore tamponné or —UNIQUE PIECE Clear crystal and gold stamping H 28 cm - 11.02 inches 

In crystal making, the lost wax technique is inspired by a thousand-year-old process originally employed in the creation of bronze sculptures. René Lalique mastered this first in jewellery, by replacing gemstones with small glass motifs, and later for larger pieces. It is a complex, multi-stage technique: after a sculpture is modelled in wax it is covered with plaster to create a mould, then baked in the oven to harden the clay – it is at this point the wax is ‘lost’ through melting. Finally, molten crystal is poured into the empty mould. Lalique has invested in the artistic and technical training of its artists to master this extraordinary technique and a new workshop dedicated to the lost wax technique has been created. Every piece it produces is unique, with its own characteristics, and the method allows us to create majestic, one-of-a-kind sculptures with an unparalleled level of detail.

MUSIC IS LOVE Coeur / Heart — EXEMPLAIRE UNIQUE Cristal rouge émaillé platine — UNIQUE PIECE Red crystal and platinum enamel H 12 cm - 4.72 inches

MUSIC IS LOVE Coeur / Heart — EXEMPLAIRE UNIQUE Cristal incolore émaillé or — UNIQUE PIECE Clear crystal and gold enamel H 12 cm - 4.72 inches 

Four Special Editions (the Angel Cire Perdue, the Heart in platinum enamelled red crystal, the Heart in gold enamelled clear crystal and the Angel in gold-stamped clear crystal) each signed by Sir Elton John, will be auctioned during the 2016 Academy Awards, in partnership with Paddle8, to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

The four unique pieces will be auctioned off by Paddle8 on 28^thFebruary 2016 at the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s annual Academy Awards Viewing Party. All proceeds will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation.