When Waterford native Anike Tyrrell founded J.HILL's Standard she had a view in mind to revive an industry that she had personally seen diminish over two decades. For many years, Waterford, Ireland, was synonymous with Waterford Crystal—the masterfully made glassware that stood as a symbol of handcrafted prestige. While Waterford the brand may have reached a fever pitch many years ago, Tyrrell did not want the legacy to cease, or the skill sets. J.HILL's Standard was born—and named after a master crystal worker for Waterford during the 18th century. We saw the two collections debut at this year's London Design Festival, but now they are available for purchase at NYC's Atelier Courbet. We spoke with Tyrrell for the fuller picture on saving a respected craft.
"I have worked for some time in enterprise and rural development in the Waterford region, and was interested in preserving the skill of glass-making in the area," Tyrrell shares with CH on the impetus of the company. "At one time over 3,000 craftworkers were employed in the region making glass, and this has dwindled to small numbers. As much of the industry globally has moved toward machine making (with some notable exceptions like Lobmeyr), it struck me that there was potential to revive mouth-blown and hand-cut glass for a new user who would appreciate the time and skill involved in making glass."
It is the glass-making process that wowed Tyrrell: "Blowing is hot and demands great speed to conquer both gravity and fragility to set a thing of beauty in a solid state. It struck me too that there was much to do in the area of re-imagining the embellishment of glass in ways that would push the medium. Making glass is fascinating."
There was a moment where Tyrrell realized that not only could she take matters into her own hands, but that she needed to do so. "It struck me in conversation with an engineer who had spent a lifetime in the industry that he and many others had a genuine feeling of 'Why would you make glass by hand when you can make it so much more perfect by machine?' It was an interesting view which challenges everything about what constitutes 'perfection'—the Japanese idea of Wabi Sabi or perfection in imperfection—and also, what constitutes the value in the end piece in terms of its beauty and utility, and the skill which goes to making it."