Let me walk you through the process. I'd have forgotten how it all went, but my trusty camera was there with me to help you see it all for yourself - from simple wooden mouldings to exquisite handcrafted work. Before you go into the factory, you get to wander about looking at the finished product. You think it's amazing now, just wait until you've seen how it all comes about!
There are dinner place settings so you can imagine how your own table might look...
...and chandeliers that sparkle like a million diamonds.
Now that you're ready to be impressed, we set off. First is the making of the moulds (from wood):
...then the shaping and blowing of the glass...
...which is then checked and put into the kiln.
If it's not absolutely perfect, it's flung into "the blue bin" (official title), smashed, and melted down to begin again. There are no 'seconds' of Waterford Crystal.
Some of the materials and implements:
Next comes the hand marking. The marks are made on the crystal so that those who cut it know exactly where to make the cuts.
I talked to a few of these workers, many of whom had been working in the Waterford Crystal factory for over 35 years.
And finally on to the Sculpting room. Here's where they make the most amazing works of art, many of which take hundreds of hours to complete.
The most amazing one I found was a depiction of a rescue scene at what is now Ground Zero in New York. It was created by one of the factory workers on his own time, spending over 200 hours to honour those who gave their lives to save others on 9/11.
Today is the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. I don't have the skills of this crystal sculptor, but with these photos and this blog post I honour all those who gave their energies, efforts, and even their lives on that day.Even if we don't know who they were.
"Not a day passes over the earth but men and women of no note do great deeds, speak great words, and suffer noble sorrows." - Charles Reade
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