Baccarat crystal’s beginnings date back to before the 19th century, but it had been from the mid-1800s when the firm expanded its offerings beyond France to become known for making everything from quality cologne bottles into barware and even paperweights. Since its early days, Baccarat marked its crystal pieces for proof of identification, but its own marks and marking methods have changed through recent years. In some cases, the business name is etched into the crystal, but ancient pieces may simply bear a letter “B” along with the year the piece was made.

Search for the Logo

Many Baccarat crystal pieces — from decanters to cologne bottles and stemware — are marked with a symbol which also includes the business name. Starting in the 1920s, several pieces were teeming with a symbol in a circle which included a sketch of a carafe, goblet and wine glass, in addition to the words “Baccarat” and “France.” The logo could be seen on the base of stemware or a carafe, or maybe even on a paper label somewhere on the piece, or about one piece of a group. Modern laser etchings don’t include the complete logo; instead, they comprise the phrase “Baccarat.” Antique paperweights made by Baccarat may not comprise a symbol, as the logo didn’t come along until the late 1800s. Instead, look somewhere about the weight for your letter “B” and a year.

Pinpointing Patterns

Baccarat crystal, like glassware, typically has a blueprint name which might be easy to forget if you don’t have the original packaging the crystal came in. Search a replacement-crystal site which has an image gallery until you find a pattern which resembles yours. Once you’re fairly sure you know the right pattern name, type the pattern name into a search engine to pull up even more images. The more images and the higher the detail which you see, the more specific you can be the pattern name is correct.

Contact the Company

In case the Baccarat piece on hand is fairly current, or if you are not completely sure it’s Baccarat, the company’s customer support department might be able to assist or even ascertain its approximate value. Search the organization’s online catalogue for an image very similar to your piece to find out its name. A Baccarat retail-store representative knowledgeable in recent offerings might also be able to tell you about your piece if you take it into the store.

When in Doubt

In case you have doubts as to whether the piece is really Baccarat, take it into a Baccarat retailer, if the piece is fairly current; or into an antique store specializing in crystal and fine antiques. Representatives at either sort of store may have years of experience gained from looking at numerous pieces to allow them to determine if it’s fake or legitimate. Crystal collector books filled with images may also help you determine whether the piece is true.