Crystal Clear in Waterford

Last fall, we were in a group that traveled abroad on a Shades of Ireland tour, focused on that country. Befitting the trip name, a major portion of our travel was an 8-day motor coach tour through Ireland. A previous post highlighted a couple of Ireland's most notable features, its green colors and castles This one spotlights one of its best known imports — Waterford Crystal.

Waterford, an Irish brand dating back to 1783, is celebrated worldwide for its crystal products. Renowned for meticulous craftsmanship and innovative designs, its luxury crystal pieces are featured in the most prestigious events and households.

Waterford Crystal was first established in 1783 on land adjacent to Merchants' Quay in the heart of the harbor town of Waterford, near the present day House of Waterford Crystal. It was founded by brothers George and William Penrose, who opened the first glassmaking factory in Waterford, where their crystal was immediately recognized for its clarity and purity of color. They enjoyed success into the 1800s. In 1853 after 70 years of operating, the Penrose brothers' glass making factory was forced to close.

What most folks don't know is that Waterford Crystal isn't made mainly in Ireland, but has been outsourced to Eastern European countries. Most Waterford crystal is produced in countries including Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany. Waterford is still at the forefront of exquisitely designed, expertly crafted creations. 

The House of Waterford is Waterford’s flagship store, located in the heart of Waterford city in Ireland. It showcases the company's key values of craftsmanship and lets visitors to experience the beauty of Waterford from initial concept to final product.  

This location contains a manufacturing facility that melts over 750 tons of crystal a year and produces more than 45,000 pieces annually using traditional methods. The visitor center has the world's largest collection of Waterford Crystal. Since its June 2010 opening, over 1 million people have visited the facility on guided factory tours. This was one of the optional excursions on our tour.

The first stop on the tour was the mold room which highlighted the ancient art of mold making. Master Blowers shape molten crystal with the use of wooden molds and hand tools, a technique that has remained unchanged through centuries.

Waterford's Master Craftsmen possess exceptional talent. Each must complete an 8-year apprenticeship to learn each skill required for the production process before mastering these techniques through decades of perfection. (This video provides a detailed look at the process; you can skip the beginning ad.) The hand craftsmanship, precision skill and artistic excellence of these craftsmen are core components to transform raw materials into luxury crystal. Interestingly, all were male; no females were seen throughout the factory tour, aside from those in the retail showroom. (An online search failed to find information on whether any females were apprenticed.) 

After a display of molds, the tour continued to the blowing area, where crystal shapes were formed using molds. Master Blowers, as shown above, transformed glowing balls of crystal into shapes before putting them in a 1400-degree furnace. 

Crystal is inspected at each stage of production to ensure that each piece meets exacting standards. There are six inspection areas; only pieces meeting the standards advance to the next stage of production. Failed items are crushed and melted with other crystal making ingredients.

Next came the most interesting area, at least to myself, the marking department is where crystal was marked with a temporary geometric grid to assist a Master Cutter to cut the pattern onto the crystal. We learned that each crystal piece is cut strictly from memory, the lines act as a guideline for precision and accuracy. 

The cutting department is where Master Cutters apply many of the skills learned in their extensive apprenticeship. Amazingly, each pattern must not only be learned but memorized by the cutter during the training, no matter how detailed. Both skill and dexterity are needed to cut patterns. Exact pressure must be applied to make the cut without damaging the integrity of the piece. 

The sculpting department is where pieces of crystal created by the Master Sculptors start out as solid blocks of crystal. Here, Master Craftsmen add intricate detail onto the crystal with sculpting wheels, which transforms blocks of crystal into elegant shapes and figures.

Some examples of sculpting designs

The Master Engraver uses copper wheels to engrave intricate designs onto trophies and limited-edition pieces. This process can take days to complete dependent on the design size and complexity. The type of copper wheel engraving used at Waterford Crystal is called Intaglio, meaning reverse. The deeper the engraving on the crystal, the more prominent and pronounced the detail.

Crystal available for sale in the retail store

The tour ends, as most do, in a shopping area. This 12,000 square feet retail store gives visitors a chance to remember their visit by a purchase to take or ship home. The retail store represents Waterford's entire catalogue of luxury crystal, including an exhibition of world sports trophies. There was no special sales/discount display here.

No purchases made there; however, on another day, I bought this piece of Waterford made of glass instead of crystal, but much more affordable.

Waterford penguin in glass 

You can readily see why this piece held a certain appeal. It now has a prominent place on one of our living room bookcases.