Royal Brierley has grown under the guidance of three families; the De Henzels, Honeybornes, and most recently, the Silvers. It was through Joseph Silver’s era of control that the company leased the Moor Lane Glasshouse at Brierley Hill and it was his daughters who married William Stevens and Samuel Cox. Williams took control of the business in 1847 and the company became known as the Steven and Williams Glassworks, a name synonymous throughout glassmaking history with quality, design, and innovation.
Over the years, the company attracted the brightest and best of creative artists and craftsmen; their skill and the beauty of the crystal they created, are appreciated throughout the world.
The trading name Stevens and Williams was used until the 1930s when the company became Royal Brierley Crystal to signify its appointment as the Royal British Glassmakers, a 300-year period of British handcrafted glass-making tradition.
Royal Brierley has the unique distinction of holding two Royal Warrants, by appointment to HM The Queen & HRH Prince of Wales.
The first such Warrant was bestowed by King George V in 1919 and has been renewed by each successive Monarch since. In 1985 the Company was bestowed with the Warrant of the then HRH The Prince of Wales.
Handcrafting Process
The Royal Brierley collection starts its life using the finest quality materials such as silver sand, potash, and cullet. These components are then heated to a temperature of 1350 degrees centigrade for 24 hours and allowed to cool ever so slightly to a workable condition.
Our expert team of craftspeople use their many years of experience to gather, shape, and mould each piece by hand, to fit the impeccable standards that Royal Brierley is known for worldwide.
Once formed these pieces are placed in a lehr, a temperature-controlled cooling process, allowing the product to cool slowly to avoid any stress and ensure high-quality finished crystal.
Each item is then hand inspected, polished, and smoothed to remove any impurities from the processes. The meticulous attention to detail behind every design is brought to life by a team of expert craftspeople whose skills have become recognised around the world.
As many as 32 pairs of hands are involved in the creation of a single piece of Royal Brierley crystal. The levels of specialist expertise are never compromised – a core value of the brand today.
The design, skill, and handcrafting knowledge of the Royal Brierley brand continues to thrive with contemporary cuts and shapes being added to the range to fit in with today’s trends and still today remains the only English manufacturer of fully hand-crafted and hand-cut crystal.
For more information on Royal Brierley please contact brand owner Dartington Crystal:
Linden Close
Great Torrington
EX38 7AN
Email: info@dartington.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1805 626262
Website: https://www.royalbrierley.co.uk/