The commitment to making crystal without compromise remains as exacting as ever, with each
piece being individually inspected before being given the Cumbria assay mark of First Quality.

Years with company: 10

Area of expertise: Before buying Cumbria Crystal in 1996 Ian had spent his career in Manufacturing industry with multi-national Companies. As Managing Director he has continued to operate Cumbria Crystal in it's home town of Ulverston using traditional methods whilst virtually all other crystal Companies in the UK and Ireland have closed down or moved their production to Eastern Europe.

Years with company: 30

Area of expertise: Our glassmaking team of 6 is led by David Sharp, masterglassmaker, who has been with Cumbria since its foundation in 1976. David “free-blows” all our larger pieces including bowls, vases and decanters. He is one of the few remaining glassmakers left in the UK capable of this kind of work and reckons his training took 9 years.

Years with company: 15    

Area of expertise: Steve is our Wine Servitor - the most skilled person in the team that produces wine glasses. His job is to form the legs and feet of the glasses, either completely by hand or by the use of "leg tools". Glass after glass, Steve has to ensure that any variations from piece to piece are not readily noticeable. His training took a painstaking 3 years before he succeeded our previous Wine Servitor who finally retired at age 70. 

Years with company: 28

Area of expertise: Our other Steve joined Cumbria Crystal from school shortly after it was founded and is our second longest serving employee. He mouth-blows the bowls of all our wine glasses and must maintain a uniform weight of gather from the furnaces to keep a consistent weight and thickness in each glass.

Years with company: 15

Area of expertise: Bev is our eagle-eyed Quality Controller who inspects all our products and ensures that only the finest quality crystal leaves the factory.