William Yeoward

William Yeoward Crystal grew out of a collector's frustration. Long before his name appeared on a single wine glass, William Yeoward was buying antique crystal, and he felt that very little contemporary glass could match the beauty of what he found. The company he co-founded set out to close that gap, bringing the spirit of Georgian glass back to tables that are used every day.

A Meeting of Two Collectors

By the early 1990s William Yeoward was already a noted designer of furniture, lighting, fabrics and interior accessories, with a shop on London's King's Road. Timothy Jenkins came from the other side of the trade: he was the third generation of John Jenkins, a family crystal business founded in 1901, and he knew the European crystal industry intimately, having spent years making reproductions of antique pieces.

The two met by chance in 1993 and quickly discovered a shared passion for the crystal of the 18th and 19th centuries. They decided to create a new collection that would combine the best design elements of the Georgian period with modern advances in crystal making. A key decision was to keep, wherever possible, the styles of cutting and hand engraving that make antique crystal so appealing, while designing shapes that are practical for the way people entertain now. The collection launched in 1995.

Recognition followed. In 2008 William Yeoward Crystal was granted a Royal Warrant of Appointment by HRH The Prince of Wales as a supplier of crystal glass, and the house's designs are often chosen by interior designers for fine contemporary homes.

Four Families of Glass

The original design inspiration came from antique pieces made in England and Ireland during the 18th and early 19th centuries, and every piece is still made by hand using many of the same methods glassmakers relied on more than 150 years ago. Today that heritage is expressed through several distinct families.

The Crystal collection is the formal heart of the house, known for unusual hand cutting and engraving. Its most extensive pattern, Fern, recalls the mid to late 19th century, when botanical designs were in fashion and the owners of England's great houses competed to grow plants from cuttings brought back from distant expeditions. Its cut fronds now run across more stemware, barware and gifts than any other pattern in the collection.

Country is the everyday counterpart: simple, honest shapes designed for breakfast, lunch on the terrace or dinner around the kitchen table. Patterns such as Classic and Jasmine belong here, and the drinking glasses are finished with antique-style handmade rims that are both more durable and better looking.

The American Bar range evokes the 1920s and 1930s, when cocktails and jazz were the new excitement. Corinne, Madison and Palmyra bring that era's glamour to tumblers, coupes and decanters.

Studio is the most colorful family, inspired by the vibrant tones of the Mediterranean. Bella Blue and Siena live here, and the decorative Circe pieces were inspired by the ceramics of ancient Crete. Because each Studio piece is made by an individual artisan, no two are exactly alike. Alongside these families, Scarlet offers wine glasses, barware and decanters in a deep red melted into the glass itself, so the color runs evenly through the whole body of each piece.

Beyond Crystal

The house extends its country-house look to the rest of the table. Its fine bone china, including the Leckford pattern, is made in Stoke-on-Trent, the traditional home of English bone china, with colors and patterns inspired by dinner services of the early 19th century and borders finished in burnished gold.

The photograph frames are made by hand from colorful rods set within a silver-plated outer frame. That frame is lacquered to resist tarnish, so it needs no polishing; in fact, metal polish would damage the lacquer, and an occasional wipe with a slightly damp soft cloth is all it asks.

Caring for Handmade Crystal

Handmade crystal is robust, but it rewards a little attention. The company recommends washing pieces by hand, one at a time, in a plastic bowl of warm water with a mild detergent, then drying them while still warm with a soft cloth. When drying a wine glass, hold the bowl rather than the foot, so the stem is never twisted. William Yeoward advises against regular dishwasher use, since heat and detergent can leave a permanent gray film over time.

Decanters and vases should be emptied and washed soon after use to avoid stains and lime scale, and decanters stored with their stoppers out. Glasses are best kept upright rather than resting on their rims, and crystal should never go from cold to hot, or into a refrigerator or freezer. Looked after this way, a set of Fern goblets or Corinne tumblers is ready to be handed down, still sparkling, to the next generation of hosts.

William Yeoward and Timothy Jenkins met in 1993, and their William Yeoward Crystal collection launched in 1995. Shop by piece: William Yeoward crystal vases, decanters, glasses, cake stands and hurricanes.