Through almost 250 years of storied heritage, we’ve been harnessing the powerful natural elements of our Irish home to craft luxury crystal that dazzles and delights. We’re honored to hold such an illustrious and pivotal role in this industry, one which propelled primitive glass-making processes into the modern world of luxury crystal manufacture.
Waterford is at the heart of special moments enjoyed around the world, elevating celebratory stories of all kinds held by all kinds of people. Synonymous with luxury, unity and joy, Waterford is evolving its proud past to power an exciting future.
Waterford was established in 1783 on land adjacent to Merchants Quay in the heart of the Irish harbor town of Waterford. This location is just minutes from the present-day House of Waterford. Its founders were George and William Penrose, important developers and principal exporters in the city. Their vision was to "create the finest quality crystal for drinking vessels and objects of beauty for the home." More than two hundred years later, the reputation they forged for creating luxury crystal of unsurpassed beauty and quality has echoed down the ages.
The Penrose Family opened the first glassmaking factory in Waterford in 1783, where their crystal was immediately recognized for its clarity and purity of color. They enjoyed success well into the 1800s. However, in 1853 after 70 years of operation, the Penrose glass-making factory fell victim to events and was sadly forced to close.
After almost a century of dormancy, the Waterford story resumes in 1947, when glassmaker Karel Bacik hired fellow Czech Miroslav Havel as Chief Designer for his fledgling glassmaking operation in Ireland. Havel spent many hours at the National Museum of Ireland studying surviving Penrose crystal from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The traditional cutting patterns made famous by the artisans of Waterford became the design basis for the growing product range of the new company, and it is from these designs in 1952 that Havel created the now iconic Lismore - the world’s best-selling crystal pattern.
Today, we maintain very strong links with our renowned predecessors, striving for the same purity of color, design inspiration and highest quality levels. These core values have been carried over and maintained from the company’s earliest beginnings and are what position us at the pinnacle of luxury crystal manufacture.
Since our humble beginnings, we have expanded our offerings beyond traditional stemware and classic interior pieces to embrace and complete the luxury lifestyle experience. Today our range of luxury crystal pieces includes drinkware, lighting, interiors, holiday ornaments and gifts.
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