Baccarat is three things – a card game, a company manufacturing crystal, and a town in France.
Hervé Novelli, French Secretary of State for Trade, Crafts and SMEs, has initiated work to set up a cluster to promote the jewelry trades in Baccarat, in the Meurthe-Moselle area – 300km due east of Paris.
The project labelled as a “rural pole of excellence” provides € 2.1 million investment, of which 25% is financed by the State.
The aim is to “establish a synergy of development, creation, and partnerships” and to ensure the Meurthe-Moselle area, which is the birthplace of crystal glass-making in France, a “revitalization of the territory in terms of economy, employment and urban planning”.
As a first step, the renovation of two buildings will be undertaken to provide a home for craft works, design and creative agencies, production, as well as research, training and exhibition facilities to the general public.
(This is a model for others, especially Australia, with significant sums being spent on education and training infrastructure, but minimal thought to bringing companies together to leverage this expenditure – Editor)
