Crystal Clear: Collecting Waterford Crystal

George III Waterford crystal chandelier

When you’re bundled up on the couch or out at a big celebration on New Year’s Eve and watching the ball drop, you’re likely to be focused on the mob of people in Times Square or how young Dick Clark still looks (or where all those people go to the bathroom).  Few people focus on the actual ball and the amazing craftsmanship it involves.  That celebrated sphere is about 12′ in diameter and weighs almost 12,000 pounds and a good bit of that mass is Waterford crystal.

Crystal is, by the way, a bit of a misnomer, as glass doesn’t have a crystalline structure.  What we call crystal is more accurately lead glass – sometimes lead crystal – where lead oxide replaces the calcium used in traditional glass and produces an exceptionally bright, clear glass.  This is why it lends itself to the beautiful stemware and chandeliers associated with both crystal and Waterford.  Waterford stemware is generally prolific enough (and often from the modern period) that prices typically run around $10-$20 per piece, but chandeliers are a different story.  Modern chandeliers generally bring less than $1,000, because after all, there are lots of beautiful chandeliers from the 20th century, but a Waterford chandelier from the first years of glass production there (like the one pictured above) can easily cost more than a new car!

The Waterford in question is Waterford, Ireland, a Viking settlement that has grown into one of the country’s largest cities.  Crystal has a long history in Waterford, starting with a glass company formed there in 1783, but while we think of it as a single industry that’s lasted generations, in reality, the company went broke in 1851 and wasn’t reestablished until 1947 when crystal-making was undertaken by a Czech immigrant.  While the factory in Waterford recently closed, Waterford crystal is still manufactured in several European countries, including Germany.  A product produced in a former Viking settlement in Ireland by Czechs – perfect choice for the Crossroads of the World!

Browse all Waterford Crystal in the Prices4Antiques database.

-Hollie Davis, Senior Editor, p4A.com