Waterford

After we left Cashel, we drove to Waterford. We visited the crystal factory to watch them make all sorts of crystal vases, bowls, and even clocks. It’s amazing. The first step is where they actually make the glass. They remove red-hot molten glass from the ovens and shape it in the molds. You can see a picture of that here (apologies for the grainy pictures. My digital camera was out of power and the regular camera had bad film.).

Next, they might shape it even further, blowing the glass to fit the size of whatever they need. There are rigorous inspections and the workers are only paid for the pieces that pass. After that, the pieces are marked with felt pens both horizontally and vertically.

Basically the machine holds the pen and they rotate the glass as needed. This gives them a pattern where they can start to cut. The cutters use a cutting wheel with a diamond tip to carve the patterns into the crystal. They must memorize over 80 patterns in their 8-year apprenticeship training before they can work in the factory. The vertical cutters make a different type of cut, but it’s just as complex. My favorite workers to watch were the engravers. Capable of engraving human faces and highly-detailed forms, the engravers are true artists who must attend two years of art school.

After watching the level of intense, intricate work, I can now understand why Waterford crystal is so expensive. But there’s something fascinating about seeing molten sand become crystal. This crystal horse was one of my favorites. And it could be yours for the bargain price of a few thousand Euros.