About Riedel Crystal   Riedel: The Wine Glass Company The Riedel family has been in the glass business for 300 years, with 11 generations keeping the family business intact. The Riedel story begins in 1678 in the northern part of Bohemia. The first Riedel in the trade of luxury glass goods was Johann Christoph Riedel, born in 1678. He journeyed all over Europe trading glass, traveling as far as Spain and Portugal. The next generation, Anton Leopold, 4th generation (1761-1821) radically changed his father's production from window panes to pure luxury goods, such as chandelier parts and ornate glassware. Franz Xaver, 5th generation (1786-1844) became a famous engraver in his youth. He signed his works of art, which are available at auctions even today. He later became an important entrepreneur, enjoying European demand for his goods. His main success derived from his addition of unknown colors to glass, using Uranium to produce the fluorescent colors, yellow and green. The 9th generation, Claus J. Riedel (1925-2004) had a vision. He changed stemware from traditional colored and cut glass to plain, unadorned, thin blown, long stemmed wine glasses. He gained immediate recognition from sophisticated customers and museums. Many design awards signaled that a new era had began. Museums bought pieces for their exhibition, like the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which today still has Riedel in their permanent collection. Based on his unique designs, Claus Riedel was first in history to recognize the effect of shapes on the perception of alcoholic beverages. His work has influenced and changed the appearance of stemware forever. About Waterford Crystal   Waterford Crystal Waterford Crystal designs, manufactures and markets an extensive range of crystal objets d'art, stemware and gifts for distribution throughout the world. In recent years, Waterford has built upon its reputation as a leading source of prestigious tabletop and gift products by expanding into several new businesses. The company of Waterford was first established in 1783 on land adjacent to Merchants' Quay in the heart of the Irish harbor town of Waterford. Its founders were two brothers, William and George Penrose, who were important developers and principal exporters in the city. Their vision was to "create the finest quality crystal for drinking vessels and objects of beauty for the home." More than two hundred years later, the reputation they established for creating glass of unsurpassed beauty and quality has transcended the intervening centuries. Waterford Crystal has become almost a synonym for the finest quality crystal sought after by collectors and connoisseurs around the world. Each piece of Waterford can be recognized by the signature on the base with the word "Waterford", the name of the finest crystal in the world.