Waterford's a lovely town, but most of its tourists come to see the Waterford crystal factory. Waterford actually closed some years ago, but was bought by American investors and is now back in operation, although on a smaller scale. Only special commissions and the legacy patterns are still made here. Most of Waterford's crystal production is being done elsewhere, primarily in the Czech Republic. It's such a pleasure to see skilled craftsmen do what they do best.
Glass molds:
Hot glass and the final product:
The piece above was ultimately judged defective and broken to be remelted for blowing again.
Paper patterns and the pattern marked directly on the glass for the cutter to follow:
Cutters in action (takes about 20 years' experience to get into this job):
Some of the special commissions (the first one, on the left, a trophy for the current London Olympics, and the one on the right, of course, is a Celtic harp):
Cinderella, anyone?
Glass molds:
Paper patterns and the pattern marked directly on the glass for the cutter to follow:
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