Where: Waterford, Ireland
When: April 13, 2001
With: Loren, Doug, Jon, class trip
One of our last stops on our class road trip through the country of Ireland before heading back to Dublin was in the town of Waterford. The industry that has made this town and county famous needs no formal introduction: Waterford Crystal.
Waterford Crystal originated in 1783 when it started producing fine flint glass. Despite its world-renowned fame, the company then hit a few rough patches. It closed down in 1851, not to be reopened for 100 years. And then in 2010, it filed for bankruptcy and was forced to shut down its factory. It has since reopened its factory in the city center of Waterford.
Back when we visited, the tour was still in the old factory that was outside the city at the time. Thankfully, we got to see something! The tour of the factory started off with a bang, showcasing one of the most iconic products of Waterford Crystal: the New Year's Eve ball that drops in Times Square. The 12-foot ball is covered in 2,688 crystals.
When: April 13, 2001
With: Loren, Doug, Jon, class trip
One of our last stops on our class road trip through the country of Ireland before heading back to Dublin was in the town of Waterford. The industry that has made this town and county famous needs no formal introduction: Waterford Crystal.
Waterford Crystal originated in 1783 when it started producing fine flint glass. Despite its world-renowned fame, the company then hit a few rough patches. It closed down in 1851, not to be reopened for 100 years. And then in 2010, it filed for bankruptcy and was forced to shut down its factory. It has since reopened its factory in the city center of Waterford.
Back when we visited, the tour was still in the old factory that was outside the city at the time. Thankfully, we got to see something! The tour of the factory started off with a bang, showcasing one of the most iconic products of Waterford Crystal: the New Year's Eve ball that drops in Times Square. The 12-foot ball is covered in 2,688 crystals.
The other two products that get the most fame are the Waterford chandeliers (hanging in places like the White House, Westminster Abbey, and the Kennedy Center) and the trophies. Waterford creates the trophies for the winners of the major tennis championships, college football championship bowl, and Formula One races. They even made the trophy for Derek Jeter's last game with the Yankees.
So let's see how all this beautiful stuff is made. It was actually pretty cool to walk the floor of the factory that was in full operation.
First up is the glass blowing to create the shapes. This looks like one heck of a skill that requires a lot of patience.
Once the glass has its shape, it goes to get buffed and decorated. Still not entirely sure how they get all those precise etchings, but I do know these guys are insanely talented.
I feel like there's a lot more steps involved to get from that to this, but since this is an old craft, maybe not! It was fun to explore the factory and see some of these beautiful products. Hopefully, this time, they will stick around for many more years to come!
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