I had absolutely no idea what to expect from Waterford Crystal. In fact, I had never even heard of it until my mother-in-law (Hi Aletha!) told me about it a couple weeks before we left to Ireland. When we arrived to Waterford Crystal, I was surprised to see how modern and classy it all was.
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The Waterford Crystal showroom and offices on the left and the factory to the far right.
The first building held a little cafe (that had some amazing food) and a very impressive store/showroom. We had a lot of fun walking around and admiring all the pieces. My stress factor was turned up a couple notches as my little ones walked around these stunning FRAGILE pieces, but they did great and nothing was broken! Let’s face it, they’re rockstars.
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One of the MANY shelves of beautiful Waterford Crystal pieces.
The second building was the factory. We paid €30 for our family to take the 50-minute tour. Our tour guide used to work in the factory for 40 years, so he was very knowledgable. We began the tour in a little lobby where they described different cuts and they had an amazing grandfather clock on display.
Then, we went into a mirrored room where they showed a short video that was a little weird because it was basically a slide show of different crystal pieces and random bursts of fireworks on some big screens. The weirdest part was the obnoxious loud music during the slideshow. The cute old folks on the tour with us were covering their ears! haha It’s like Waterford Crystal is trying to be young and hip. It was weird. Not terrible, just weird.
After that, two large doors opened and let us see how the molds are cut. They use beech wood, which is what the founders used back in the 18th century! It was fascinating. Each mold only lasts about 7-10 days because of the searing hot crystal.
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Me teaching the big kids about the molds.
The next part was my favorite! We got to watch the Master Blowers meticulously work with the crystal to shape it to the molds. To become a Master Blower, you have to finish a 5 year training course. These guys were so intense and so focused. It was mesmerizing and pretty much the coolest skill I’ve witnessed. The furnaces they were using to soften the crystal were bright neon orange and they got up to 2,400 degree F! It really was an awesome experience to see it and explain it to my kids. Liberty and Justice couldn’t take their eyes off of them.
The next part was one guy who was taking crystal bowls and sanding the tops and bottoms to make them level and smooth. He used big round discs that were spinning kind of like a pottery wheel. His job wasn’t as fascinating but he stopped to wave at the kids, so he’s cool in my book!
Then, we saw how they actually draw on the crystal to show the cutters where to cut. It’s cool because they set the crystal piece on a slow spinning wheel and then have markers on levers to make even lines. It was in this room where our tour guide let us take a picture with a little crystal football! We thought our little Grayson was watching a show on my phone, but he was actually snapping pictures of our tour guide who was taking our picture! haha Well played, little dude!
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She’s marking the crystal with markers that are attached to stands. These stands ensure straight level lines.
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Our tour guide taking our picture…and Grayson taking his picture!
After they’re marked, they get cut and this was a really cool step to watch! Since there are several different types of cuts, there were lots of different tools and saws to make the cuts. Each cut has to be precise, so these men were in the zone. In this room was also where the design team was. They were creating designs on their computers.
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A Master Cutter following the lines.
I can’t believe how much work goes into each piece. Waterford Crystal is the real deal! Each piece has to go through six quality inspections and if there are any imperfections, they are rejected, smashed, and sent back to the furnace for melting.
So…
Was the Waterford Crystal Tour kid-friendly?
Absolutely!!! The staff was very nice and accommodating to all tour guests, including the munchkins. They had lifts throughout the tour for the stroller. They had safety railings throughout, so safety was never worried about. My older kids didn’t complain once of boredom and they were fascinated to learn the process just as we were.
Was the Wateford Crystal Tour worth the money?
Absolutely!!! We’d do it again! If you’d like to start planning your own visit, check out their website.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
I loved this post! I have a few pieces of Waterford crystal and my parents have a number of pieces. One that I will inherit is the apprentice bowl and it has every cut that Waterford does. It is one of the pieces that an apprentice has to do before becoming a master cutter. Loved seeing your pictures and hearing about the tour. So glad your kids enjoyed it too.
Wow, Jamie – that will be a great piece to have! When you go on your Ireland trip, make sure you go do the tour! It will make you appreciate the pieces that much more. 🙂