Our 50th Anniversary is not just a "one day" celebration . . .
We're making it a month plus long celebration.
On our 25th Anniversary in 1994,
Husband Jim gifted me with
A silver punch bowl
Probably a month or so after our wedding, I stated that for our
25th I wanted a silver punch bowl.
Of course, 25 years was eons away!!!!
But a silver punch bowl it was -- my present for our 25th
Alas, not engraved but just silver
Reed and Barton is the brand
And it has about 16 little silver punch cups to go with it.
I didn't have an "always wanted" for our 50th
In fact, I couldn't think of a thing I really did want.
I have my engagement ring and my wedding ring
(it is the "golden" anniversary after all)
And I didn't really want to replace them.
I don't need a gold necklace for I wear little jewelry
And then, we decided to get
The hock glasses in my Waterford pattern
Eight of them!
Hock is the shape for German wine -- think Riesling
I have wanted them "forever" but they were just too expensive.
But, alas, prices have tanked on crystal -- even "Waterford" crystal
And so we got 8 at a very good price
They arrived this week!
And I couldn't resist setting a table with the water, the hock and the wine!
The water glass was our first purchase. Husband Jim picked out the pattern -- Kylemore
Much less popular than Lismore which is what everyone seemed to be buying in 1972.
He bought two -- for me for Christmas!
And every monthly payday after for the following six months, I would go down
to the store and buy another one.
They started out $10 each but by the time I had bought the 8th one,
they were up to $12 or $13.
We purchased a lot of the Waterford in the same manner, a piece a month.
Then we got lucky, and found some at flea markets for a good price,
and so those pieces came home.
When Jim had annual training overseas, we could order from the
military catalogue and ordered some from there.
It was, by that time, way more than $12 a stem!
It rose to all of $100 per stem for those water goblets that we basically paid $10 each for
And those hocks, why they were close to $200 which is why we never bought any.
But, sadly, crystal isn't worth what it once was, although at $10 per stem, I'm thinking we could get our money back on those first few purchases!
I love my Waterford and I do use it.
It's home on the top shelf of the curved glass china cabinet
Waters in the middle, hocks on each side, then wine, then sherry, port and the funny little 4 3/8 inch stemmed glass that I can't figure out what it's for.
(Bought I am sure at an antique mall a long time ago -- it's marked Waterford on the stem, so it's the real deal!)
Whenever I use the hocks, I'll remember our 50th Anniversary
And how, 40 or so years ago, husband Jim surprised me one Christmas
with two goblets.
4 comments:
Hi, I had to sign in under Anonymous because I don't like Google following everything I do. I just wanted to agree with you wholeheartedly that now is the time to buy cut glass. I closed my shop but before that, I was selling 100 year old American cut glass bowls for 20.00 each. So, I quit selling them and now I'm going to use them. Oh, when the sun shines in, every color of the rainbow shoots off that glass. We don't care if people who don't know what it is say it is out of style, we know the artistry that goes into Waterford. I don't know how long it takes to learn that craft, but it must be a very long time. We will enjoy our beautiful, beautiful sparkly glass even if retailers try to get people to think that flat grey glass from China is the way to go. Good for you! You do not follow the herd!
What a lovely and loving way to collect your Waterford!
Best,
Bonnie
I understand what you are saying about so many of our collectables losing their value. We have unpacked boxes of Waterford items,hummel figurines, JohnsonBros china, chintz dishes, etc., that seem to have lost nearly all their value in the last several years. It is so disappointing.
What a lovely gift and remembrance of your 50th wedding anniversary. I cherish my Waterford as well and have hocks in red that I use at Christmas. Again, Happy Anniversary.
Carolyn
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