Waterford, Royal Dalton, and Wedgewood are all names that have a century or more of heritage…and all going bankrupt before an investment group purchased and resuscitated them and gave them new life. Those are the times we live in.
At Waterford in Ireland, hundreds lost their jobs when they closed their doors in ’09; devastating the region by the same name. But they ‘reorganized, sent much of their work to Eastern Europe, and reopened as a slimmed down plant in Ireland. This is where they do the specialty items such as the Peoples’ Choice Awards, trophies, chandeliers and the Times Square Ball. It’s a 7-10 year apprenticeship to become a crystal cutter and this fall they have 7 new apprentices hired; the first new employees in 5 years. And the crystal is so beautiful and alive with light!
I am back to catch up….now that I have your blog site again….Ok, so did you buy anything….it looks beautiful from the picture!