The Waterford Crystal Vase At A Closer Glance

Waterford is one of the most famous makers of crystal glassware. The factory was earlier set up in Waterford, Ireland, but in 2009, the company became a part of Waterford Wedgwood, the makers of world famous china.

It all began in 1783, when two brothers, George and William Penrose employed 70 people and started a crystal factory .In a short while, they became renowned and unmatched for the quality of crystal they produced. The company however didn’t thrive. The reasons were attributed to lack of funds and excessive taxation. Then, in 1947, after the Second World War, a few miles away from the site of the first factory, a small glass factory was set up. The new factory followed the same cutting practices, designs and quality levels that made the original company famous.

Waterford crystal gets its sparkle from its spectacular designs and from the unique formula used in blending the raw materials which makes refraction of light possible. Their quality standards are stringent: the crystal is inspected after each stage of production. The crystal goes through 6 stages of quality inspection in the process of production. The approved crystal receives The Seahorse Badge which is the quality stamp or the mark of excellence. The Seahorse design is also the brand’s logo. The various crystal cuts employed by Waterford are the Rosette, Blaze, Fine Diamonds, Wedge cut, Olive cut and flat cut.

Waterford has a complete line of crystal ware products- vases, bowls and centerpieces, collectibles, wedding gifts, baby gifts, frames, clocks, candles and chandeliers, barware, stemware, flatware, table accessories and so on. The many patterns of crystal stemware include lines such as Adare, Alana, Lismore, Colleen, Tamore, and Kincora among many others. Two very popular Waterford products for gift giving are the Wedding Heirloom Flutes and John Rocha Black Cut Champagne Flutes. The Waterford crystal vase makes for excellent and tasteful gift giving. The Lismore Waterford crystal vase has an elegant and solid look whereas the Balmoral Bud Vase, delicately and beautifully crafted, simply holds a single rose.

Some Waterford crystal vases are modern; in colored crystal. By collaborating with famous designers like Jasper Conran and John Rocha, Waterford has also expanded from the traditional range. Waterford chandeliers hang in many famous places like Windsor castle, Kennedy centre, Westminster abbey and Houses of parliament, Melbourne, Australia. Waterford crystal is sold in the most reputed stores from the Harrods of London to the Bloomingdales of New York. Waterford also crafts trophies for various sporting titles such as the player’s championship, the world tennis championship and the French and German formula one grand prix. They have made the crystal orbs that are dropped each year at the New York Times Square during the New Year’s Eve Ball.

One of the best things about Waterford crystal vases is that it never discontinues any glassware pattern. So, if you do happen to break a piece even ten to twelve years after you buy it, you can rest assured that you will always find a replacement.