Franck Benito

Glass engraver

©Bruno Farat

A family affinity

Franck's father created the emblematic 32-point star motif
His clients are mainly interior decorators
He restores pieces for Daum, Baccarat and Lalique

The history of Franck Benito's company, Cristal Benito, is one worthy of its own book, which happens to have been written recently. The story started when his grandfather José Benito arrived in Paris from Spain in 1925 and, with his brother, set up a workshop in Paris making perfume bottle stoppers. He placed his two sons, 14 and 16 years of age, in a crystal-cutting workshop and they later taught the craft to their father, who opened the company in 1952, specialising in unique, hand-cut pieces in crystal. They later moved into their own workshop – the same one Franck Benito works in to this day. Benito continues to expand the range of Cristal Benito creations, designing new models or revisiting existing ones, using the techniques passed on by his father.

Interview

©Bruno Farat

©Bruno Farat

How did you decide to join your father’s company?: At around 18 years old I did a trial at my father’s workshop. Commercially it interested me right away and over the years it became a passion artistically too. My father passed the craft on to me, but it took me almost 15 years to achieve his level of skill.
How do you come up with new ideas?: It's a laboratory, we test and experiment all the time. We may have 30 years of experience or the title of “maître d'art”, but at the end of the day we have to stay humble and work very hard; the answer is that simple. We also develop new ideas by collaborating with other artisans.
Are your children interested in learning the craft?: For my two girls, I believe in letting them find their own path and if one day they decide to join me full-time, as I did, then they would be most welcome. But it has to come from them. You cannot impose a craft, it only works if they want to do it.
Who might take over the company?: I have had a few apprentices over the years and now I have one who has a real passion for the craft, maybe she will take over one day. The company has been passed down through family, but I am more in favour of handing it over to someone because they are passionate.

Franck Benito is a master artisan: he began his career in 1986 and he started teaching in 2004