Dripping in Crystal

The last day that my family visited we headed to Waterford to tour the crystal factory. We were all so excited to visit the place where the infamous crystal products were crafted. The tour started with a fantastic video of the process that the crystal went through in order to become a beautiful piece of art. When the show ended, we headed straight to where the magic all started. The first stop was learning about the tools that the craftsmen use. The main material for their tools are wood, which I found surprising. About every other week the carpenter has new make tools because they wear out so quickly. Then we went to the station where we could actually see the guys molding and blowing the crystal. We watched the crystal go from a blob of shinny stuff into a vase. It was incredible! As we continued on the tour we learned about the designs cut into the crystal. Did you know that a craftsman has to go through 8 years of training and memorize over a hundred patterns to cut before he can actually work in the factory! That’s a lot of hard work and dedication! You can actually get face to face with a craftsmen and see what they are doing. They absolutely love it when you start talking to them. They love to brag about the work they have done J This one guy made a people’s choice award and showed us on Google Morgan Freeman receiving the award that he crafted! He was very very proud! Then the tour ended in the shop.  My dad was like a little kid in a candy shop when we were looking around the store. If he had the money he would buy every single piece in there! Instead of buying the whole store he bought my sister two wine glasses. Now she has the start of her Waterford crystal collection!