A Closer Look at Waterford Craftsmanship

A Closer Look at Waterford Craftsmanship

Waterford is synonymous with exquisite crystal craftsmanship. Their designs are a fusion of artistic inspiration and technical prowess, honed and perfected over nearly 250 years of expert practice.

Waterford are renowned for their skillful use of traditional techniques, a legacy passed down through generations. Each Master Craftsperson completes an eight-year apprenticeship to learn the intricate skills required, then spends decades mastering them. Yet they are constantly experimenting and innovating, refining modern methods that complement their historic expertise.

Put simply, whatever the piece, whatever the pattern, the same superlative Waterford standards apply, so you know you're always getting the best.

Elite Craft Across the Generations

Explore the detailed, multi-stage craft process that goes into creating Waterford's exquisite luxury designs.

Ideas Drive Design

With imagination and artistic vision, Waterford's design team captures the spirit of exciting new themes, modernizing classic Waterford aesthetics for the contemporary world through techniques both new and old. This includes sketching designs by hand and then rendering them in 3D to bring the aesthetic to life.

Crafted Wooden Moulds

They are one of the few crystal manufacturers that still practice the ancient craft of mould making, fashioning hand tools and moulds that can only be used for between 7–10 days due to the searing heat they must endure.

Sustainable Quality and Clarity

They use continuously melting furnaces, where the finest raw materials realize the clearest crystal in the world. They are also mindful of their responsibility to the environment—a commitment that led to the introduction of a new lead-free formula for their crystal in 2023. Buyers can rest assured, however, that their one-of-a-kind crystal formulation still provides the trademark sparkle and brilliance that Waterford is known for.

Shaping Molten Crystal

Working at temperatures that can reach 1,315°C (2,400°F), their hand- and machine-blowing processes are where luxury crystal begins to take on the elegant forms for which Waterford is renowned worldwide.

Maintaining the Highest Standards

They employ six stringent inspection stages. If at any point the crystal is not considered to meet the requisite quality, it is rejected, smashed, and sent back to the furnace for re-melting—part of their commitment to sustainability.

Patterns Marked from Memory

Before cutting, each piece is temporarily marked with a geometric grid to aid in transferring the pattern onto the crystal. Each individual pattern—of which there are hundreds—has been committed to memory by the cutter through decades of intense training.

Precise Cuts of Depth and Skill

Whether applied by hand or machine, their cuts ensure each piece is adorned with carefully crafted facets of outstanding brilliance.

Polished to a Radiant Shine

Once cutting is complete, each piece is thoroughly and carefully polished to remove any rough edges. This results in a beautifully smooth finish that enhances the trademark brilliance of their crystal.

Sculpting Special Shapes

Forms are cut and revealed from solid blocks of crystal and then etched with great patience and skill.

Gilded Finishing Touches

Beautiful finishing flourishes add a dash of gold or platinum luxury to select pieces.

Creating Complex Finishes

For certain designs, Waterford sandblasts specific elements before an additional polishing stage to soften the texture and create a satin finish.

Contrasting Textures

Grey cuts use a refined less-is-more approach, leaving select areas unpolished to create tactile and visually striking textural contrast.

An Exquisite Palette

They use an organic, water-based, high-performance color spray to introduce vibrant colorways to their crystal. This durable finish is free from heavy metals, formaldehydes, and other harmful substances.

Elite Mastercraft

Proudly made in Ireland, Waterford’s Mastercraft collections represent the pinnacle of luxury crystal, producing heirloom pieces that are proudly passed down through generations.

Committed to Their Craft

Whatever the collection, whatever the design, Waterford maintains the same sky-high standards of craft, skill, and innovation. A shining example is the iconic Lismore Collection, created by Chief Designer Miroslav Havel in 1952 to celebrate their elite craftsmanship and rich heritage. This design has continually evolved, reimagined through the decades with contemporary patterns and forms to inspire and delight across generations.