How Do I Know if My Chandelier Is Waterford?

Waterford glass is highly collectible.

Waterford crystal is a popular make of glassware produced intermittently in Waterford, Ireland, since 1783. The popular glassware designs are known for their famous style of glass cutting. Identifying a genuine Waterford crystal piece is important due to the highly collectible nature of the product. The quickest and easiest way of identifying genuine Waterford cut glass is to look for a maker's mark on the piece. Finding a mark on a genuine Waterford product should take only a few minutes.

Things You'll Need

• Stepladder
• Flashlight (optional)
• Magnifying glass (optional)

Instructions

1. Remove the chandelier from the ceiling, using the stepladder, if possible. If not, turn the light off and use the stepladder to get a closer look at the glass.

2. Carefully examine the glass in the chandelier. Look for a small watermark, roughly the size of a thumbnail. Use a magnifying glass if it helps. If you are examining the chandelier on the ceiling, use a flashlight to light up the glass.

3. Look in hidden or discreet places on the chandelier. Maker's marks are used to identify the manufacturer and are not generally meant to be seen. Check inside folds on the glass or hard-to-see places for the word "Waterford" pressed into the glass. The text is in a serif-type font with detailed lettering.

4. Call an antiques or glassware expert to look at the chandelier if you can't find any mark. A trained expert should be able to identify the chandelier as Waterford by the patterns in the glass cutting alone.

References

• Waterford Wedgwood: Waterford Crystal Heritage
• Writers Row: Waterford