 In 1836 he was sent to Vesoul as a mining engineer, and began studying the different ores at Franche-Comté, where his reputation grew, growing artificial crystals of a number of minerals including corundum, chrysoberyl and peridot.He stayed there for four years, before committing himself in 1841 as assistant secretary of Committee of the Annales des Mines and a lecturer of chemistry at École Polytechnique.In December 1845 he became Chief Engineer of Mines of the Sèvres porcelain manufactory and worked on improved methods of manufacturing ceramics.