Waterford Crystal workshop depends on tradition, craftsmanship
Bruce Meyer, Rubber & Plastics News
The House of Waterford Crystal workshop and showroom in Waterford, Ireland.
Bruce Meyer, Rubber & Plastics News
This wooden mold was used to make the trophy for a golf tournament hosted by Justin Timberlake.
Bruce Meyer, Rubber & Plastics News
The hollow in the crystal is still made by blowing through a pipe.
Bruce Meyer, Rubber & Plastics News
The glass cutters usually stay on the job for years and can choose whether or not they want to wear safety glasses.
Bruce Meyer, Rubber & Plastics News
A piece made in honor of a rescue worker who lost his life during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center.
The Waterford Crystal workshop in Waterford, Ireland, hasn't changed much over the years.
The mold department has both wooden molds made of beech and pear woods—designed for items where only a few would be produced, such as golf trophies—along with cast iron molds that could be used for years to produce more popular lines. The crystal glass in made from special ingredients, including silica sand mined in Belgium. This sand melts at extremely high temperatures, making the crystal strong and transparent.
The molten crystal is blown, Waterford said, because it needs a hollow in the crystal in which to hold water, wine or ice. It said blowing the shape through the use of a pipe is still found to give the best results.