Waterford Crystal Styles

Fine quality crystal is admired throughout the world. crystal glass image by Paul Moore from Fotolia.com

In 1783, George and William Penrose founded Waterford Crystal in the city of Waterford--the oldest city in Ireland. They were Quakers, along with their first manufacturing manager, John Hill. The Penrose brothers shipped their fine crystal from the Port of Waterford--the nearest major Irish port to mainland Europe--to the eastern seaboard of the United States, Newfoundland, Spain and the West Indies. The original company lasted for less than 100 years but was revived in 1947. The same standards for fine quality crystal exist today, in a variety of beautiful patterns.

Bar Ware and Stemware

Choose from the many styles and patterns of Waterford bar and stemware. For example, Ballet Icing Essence stemware features a cool, delicate frost on the the base of the glass portion, with light circular patterns around it. The Grafton Street Bolton stemware, on the other hand, has a strong, angular pattern, with arch-topped columns carved into the glass. The Marquis Rainfall style of bar ware is made of sturdy crystal glass, with thick raindrops etched into it. Their Brookside Flute style is long and narrow, with leaf-like patterns shooting up from the base.

Lighting

Imagine the radiance of the Lismore Five Arm Silver Luna Chandelier, each of its five elegant silver arms supporting a glass globe of light. Fastened to the ceiling by a delicate chain, this chandelier's oblong glass center also glimmers with light. Supporting the Blue Bell 16.5-inch Accent Lamp is a 5-inch diameter base. Topping off the piece is a sectioned, outward-sweeping bell shade in a beige tea-leaf color, joined to a shaft shaped and patterned like a bluebell flower. The Colleen 13.5-inch Hurricane Lamp is all-crystal except for its nickel base. Circling the middle is a band of diamond-shaped patterns.

Clocks

Clocks can be functional as well as beautiful art pieces, especially if they are made of Waterford crystal. The Small Mantle Clock, which is just over 2 inches high, has an arch with small, light-reflecting, diamond-cut patterns over the top of a round clock. Resembling a clear, light-reflecting sun, the Blaze Small Clock--3 inches high--features cut crystal radiating out from a round clock at its center. The Wave-Length 4-inch clock has a square clock set in a wavy, long, crystal rectangle. All clocks will fit on a mantle, night stand or even a window sill.

References

• Waterford Crystal
• Waterford Tourism
• Port of Waterford