Waterford Donegal Cut Glass Crystal Bowl. Made In Poland?

When is a raven like a writing desk?

The enigmatic words of The Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland could not be more appropriate in describing the debacle that has befallen The Waterford Glass Company.

The truth is bizarre in the extreme and more curious than I could invent.

The collapse of the Waterford Glass business, as in Carrol's mad hatters riddle was not meant to have an answer.

It was just supposed to fade away into obscurity.

They have been making crystal cut glass and glassware in Waterford since the 18th century (Founded 1783 by George and William Penrose)

The Waterford townsfolk are duly proud of the towns glass making heritage and have benefited from a long period of sustained steady work.

Many families in Waterford had a member of their family either working directly for the factory on in supporting industries including packaging and transportation.

When the factory closed in 2009 it decimated the whole of Waterford.

This is the usual problem of relying on one industry and truly reflects the finance's that is the 3rd world status of the Irish Economy.

Although Ireland is just a few miles away from the mainland of the UK and Europe it may as well be a banana republic in the Caribbean sea.

Over the years the product range and materials used has changed.

In the early days the Waterford glass workers produced flint crystal which was used for making optical lenses and high quality diamond simulants.

It was only many years later that the Waterford factory, developed the methods and design that they became world renowned for.

The skills and techniques developed at the Waterford factory took many years to perfect and new glass-workers had to serve long apprenticeships. The manufacture of these beautiful products must go through several stages and each stage requires different skills. Skills not easily acquired.

The first company closed in 1851 and it was not until almost a 100 year later that a Czech immigrant Charles Bacik opened the new company in1947.

Waterford Crystal as a brand is associated with art glass, high end, quality products.

So high quality in fact that it is used in some of the most prestigious buildings in the world and also for making top of the line sports trophies.

There is a wide variety of art and designs types including Adare, Alana, Colleen, Kincora, Lismore, Maeve, Tramore, and many others. Click here to see samples.

Below is just a small selection of Waterford Crystal seen in a social context.

Chandeliers in Westminster Abbey to commemorate 900th anniversary of the Abbey.

Chandeliers hang in Windsor Castle, and the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.

The 2,668 Waterford crystals of the New Year's Eve Ball in New York City

Sporting trophies. The Masters Series crystal shield for professional tennis.

The AFCA National Championship Trophy for US college football

The trophies for the French and German Grand Prix in Formula One.

The end game for the Waterford factory has more twists and turns than a fiddlers elbow. To see the full shenanigans that went on click here but take my word for it. It will make your head spin.

Suffice it to say that the Waterford glass workers gradually lost ground to the changing ideas of the owners (WWRD Holdings Ltd)

Financially the economic tidal wave, that was destroying the buying power of the US dollar; which accounted for almost 50% of sales.

Added to the fact that tastes were changing and, there are only so many high end customers (Waterford crystal is not cheap).

Eventually all of these factors lead to the closure of the plant and manufacturing being transferred to?... Germany and the Czech Republic.(cheaper labour)

The workers did not take this lying down and fought a terrific rear guard action and managed to get a compensation package totaling 10 million Euro's.

For Waterford Glass it was a way out.

The curious thing is that under European Law many products can only be specifically named and sold if they come from a particular area or region.

For example Champagne can only be called Champagne if it was made in the Champagne region.

Any other wine manufactured using the champagne method can only be called sparkling white wine. The same applies to many such products.

Waterford crystal is still trading and being sold as "Waterford Glass". Recently I have heard of Waterford crystal being made in Poland?

There are a few craftsmen still producing small scale in Waterford and it keeps a few of them employed but the town has suffered massively from unemployment.

The odd thing about the Waterford glass fiasco is that the modern factory was created as we have seen by the Czech immigrant Charles Bacik.

Bacik opened the company that we know today in1947. And the fact that the glass is now manufactured in Czechoslovakia could be construed that it has returned to it's ancestral home. Yeah right!

But here's the thing. Czechoslovakian crystal glass just doesn't cut it in branding terms, or have the same cache' or ring to it as Waterford Crystal.

So "Why is a raven like a writing desk" Like Lewis Carroll said "there is no answer."

I would suggest. "When it appears to be something, it's not."

If you enjoyed this hub on Waterford please do the right thing and vote it up and give it a thumbs up.

If you would like to support Waterford Crystal, made in Waterford.

There are a few craftsmen that continue to produce these beautiful hand made products.

In it's original location.

Tours of the two working studios below can be arranged for visitors.

Check out the links below for the real McCoy.

http://www.theirishhandmadeglasscompany.com/

http://seaneganartglass.com/links.html