Oh, noes! No Waterford no more?

We've already seen a lot of bankruptcy and general corporate collapse in this nasty economy we have right now. It should not be a surprise to read that Waterford Wedgwood has now also filed for bankruptcy. This is the blended corporate descendant of the English and Irish companies that manufactured Waterford crystal and Wedgwood china.

*sigh*

I own one tiny Wedgwood plate, souvenir of a trip to England. It looks something like this, only smaller.

Having that bit of Wedgwood was actually enough for my need to touch history. Had Wedgwood not been merged with Waterford, I would probably have done no more than have a moment of sadness at the passing of greatness. If they ever emerge from bankruptcy protection, I might not even notice.

The association with Waterford, however, and the situation in which both lines find themselves now hits me harder. Not that I have a heavy investment in Waterford crystal. If I had the money, I surely would have had a seriously heavy investment in it. "Waterford" has been synonymous with everything elegant and graceful and luxurious in my (admittedly) small world. To think of the passing of this company is almost to lose the very concepts of elegance and grace and, to my mind, luxury. It also touches a bit on my own mortality.

I did once want to own a full set of Waterford stems. I began my collection with a single stem, a champagne flute, in the Lismore pattern.

It cost me $32.50 over 20 years ago (today it would cost $69). Mama, ecstatic that I might at last have adopted her version of reality, promptly bought me a second stem.

And there my collection stopped. Owning such pieces of Beauty brought with it a whole set of responsibilities and obligations and expectations. We had just enough flutes with these two for My Prince and me to toast whatever occasion needed toasting. Were we to buy more, we would surely need to begin entertaining to the extent that others might be present to join us in such toasts. We would, between toasting occasions, need to display the collection rather than tucking it away in a cupboard. Moreover, we could certainly not set a table with only these flutes. We would need to broaden the collection to include other appropriate stems from the line. At that point, we would be talking about a real investment, one that would have to be properly maintained and then passed on.

To whom?

Waterford is not the same as a collection of Bama jelly glasses. A set of these stems would be an heirloom, a family treasure. My Prince and I have no one who would care to receive such a treasure.

And there the dream came to an end. I treasure my two Waterford stems. They are handled with loving care and brought out for special occasions shared by My Prince and me. I don't know who will treasure them after I am gone, but I hope someone does. Soon there may not be any more to treasure.