Emery powder and oils blacken the nail beds of Thomas Ashburner’s hands. A small spot of blood dots the side of his left forefinger. And as the gum chewing 22-year-old talks about his work, his green eyes widen with passion and excitement, sparkling as bright as the hand crafted crystal neatly displayed on the shelves surrounding his workbench.
Ashburner, one of only two engravers to work at the Edinburgh Crystal Glass Company, said: “It’s a brilliant craft. It’s a really rare craft. It’s not the kind of run of the mill mainstream art. It’s amazing. And you can really feel proud that you are one of few who can do it.”
And one of few he is. Engravers are a dying breed as the UK’s share of the crystal market falls victim to overseas influences.
Jessamy Kelly, a glass designer for the Edinburgh Crystal Glass Company said: “The crystal industry is dying in the UK. A lot of industrial glass making and design is being outsourced to the rest of Europe, because the costs of production are less there. So, there’s not really an industry in Scotland for young people to go into.”
Though the industry is waning, there are a select few who continue to enter into it and maintain it. These young professionals all share one fundamental thing in common: a love for the art. Ashburner and Kelly are two such young workers who share in this love. Both are employees of Edinburgh Crystal, and both have a passion for their work. Each plays a vital role in the crystal making process, but their jobs are very different, as are the ways in which they entered them.
Ashburner began his career as an apprentice. He left school at 16 aware that he wanted to work in a trade but unsure as to which one. He said: “To me sitting at a computer all day would have been a nightmare. My dad was an engineer, so I think that’s where my hands-on interest in crafts and design came from. I lived in Edinburgh, and the crystal factory was here [in Penicuik]... and I just kind of fell into it.”
Ashburner, who in the past has demonstrated the finer points of engraving to Prince Andrew and many other elite visitors to the crystal factory, said that he has reached his occupational zenith.
He said: “Basically I’ve advanced as far as I can go. Now, it’s all about the challenges I give myself with trying new things and my own designs.”
One way Ashburner challenges himself is through his masterpiece collection. Masterpiece collections are compiled of one of a kind pieces designed by the engravers and sold as such by the company. Ashburner’s past masterpieces include glass portraits of Noddy Holder of Slade and Slash from Guns and Roses.
But despite his expertise and talent at crystal portraits, Ashburner is hesitant to go into business for himself.
He said: “I kind of a considered it. But the thing with engraving is it’s really expensive, and it takes so long to churn out enough crystal to make a profit. So the designs have to be basic. The stable independent businesses, those are the ones that just put words on glass – engraving people’s names, dedications and anniversaries. That’s not for me.”
He added: “Here [at the Edinburgh Crystal Glass Company] the work is stable. The pay could be better, but it pays the bills. And, I enjoy it; that’s what matters.”
Unlike Ashburner, who entered the company as an apprentice, 27-year-old Kelly studied glass design at the Edinburgh College of Art and participated in a scholarship program offered by Edinburgh Crystal. The Edinburgh Crystal Masters Design Scholarship Program, which was created in the early 1990s, had two main objectives. It aimed to bridge the gap between the design theories studied in a university classroom and the grit and grime of the production factory. The program also hoped to revamp the crystal market, attracting a new wave of clientele by having a fresh generation of designers create looks that would appeal to a younger market.
In this programme, which is no longer in operation, participants had their tuition and living costs paid for by the Edinburgh Crystal Glass Company. They then divided their time between attending design lectures at university and working hands-on in the crystal factory.
As a student, Kelly’s work was already being recognised by master glassblowers. And, as her knowledge of the industry grew, so did her desire to enter into a career in glass design.
Kelly said: “I enjoyed it – the whole experience. I was given a wide breadth and scope of design. I managed my own projects and produced my own original body of work.”
At the end of the two year scholarship program, participating students had both a Master of Design degree and a position waiting for them in the design department at Edinburgh Crystal.
In contrast to Ashburner, who creates one-of-a-kind masterpieces sold individually by the company, Kelly’s job is to fashion new design themes that can be mass produced. She currently has two successful lines of crystal being sold by the company. Her first line is called ‘Infinity’, and her latest range, released just this spring, is called ‘Signet’.
In addition to designing new lines for the Edinburgh Crystal Glass Company, Kelly is also active as an independent glass artist. She travels throughout Europe and attends numerous international symposiums. She also creates sculptural glass work for exhibition and commissions.
Kelly said that her independent work is “less constraining, more artistic and not as commercial”.
She added: “It’s a different market, focusing on art galleries and art institutions. But, I don’t spend quite a lot of time on independent sales and commissions. If galleries invite me to show with them I will, but there’s really no guarantee that any of my work will sell. It’s not a very stable economic market. It’s more of a risk, and it’s quite a lot of investment. It’s a high end market with high end prices. I don’t do it for the money. I definitely do it for the love.”
She added: “I am a very sensual designer and constantly strive to reflect my emotions and passion into every piece I create.”
And, in the UK’s slowly decreasing crystal market, it is the love and passion for the art that keeps these young professionals entering the trade.
Kelly said: “It’s about finding a way to keep you stable financially and do what you want. You have to find a balance, a happy medium. As you get more established you can up your artistic end. It takes time though. It’s not going to happen over night. But, if glassblowing, engraving, designing is what you want to do, it’s worth it.”
Ashburner, one of only two engravers to work at the Edinburgh Crystal Glass Company, said: “It’s a brilliant craft. It’s a really rare craft. It’s not the kind of run of the mill mainstream art. It’s amazing. And you can really feel proud that you are one of few who can do it.”
And one of few he is. Engravers are a dying breed as the UK’s share of the crystal market falls victim to overseas influences.
Jessamy Kelly, a glass designer for the Edinburgh Crystal Glass Company said: “The crystal industry is dying in the UK. A lot of industrial glass making and design is being outsourced to the rest of Europe, because the costs of production are less there. So, there’s not really an industry in Scotland for young people to go into.”
Though the industry is waning, there are a select few who continue to enter into it and maintain it. These young professionals all share one fundamental thing in common: a love for the art. Ashburner and Kelly are two such young workers who share in this love. Both are employees of Edinburgh Crystal, and both have a passion for their work. Each plays a vital role in the crystal making process, but their jobs are very different, as are the ways in which they entered them.
Ashburner began his career as an apprentice. He left school at 16 aware that he wanted to work in a trade but unsure as to which one. He said: “To me sitting at a computer all day would have been a nightmare. My dad was an engineer, so I think that’s where my hands-on interest in crafts and design came from. I lived in Edinburgh, and the crystal factory was here [in Penicuik]... and I just kind of fell into it.”
Ashburner, who in the past has demonstrated the finer points of engraving to Prince Andrew and many other elite visitors to the crystal factory, said that he has reached his occupational zenith.
He said: “Basically I’ve advanced as far as I can go. Now, it’s all about the challenges I give myself with trying new things and my own designs.”
One way Ashburner challenges himself is through his masterpiece collection. Masterpiece collections are compiled of one of a kind pieces designed by the engravers and sold as such by the company. Ashburner’s past masterpieces include glass portraits of Noddy Holder of Slade and Slash from Guns and Roses.
But despite his expertise and talent at crystal portraits, Ashburner is hesitant to go into business for himself.
He said: “I kind of a considered it. But the thing with engraving is it’s really expensive, and it takes so long to churn out enough crystal to make a profit. So the designs have to be basic. The stable independent businesses, those are the ones that just put words on glass – engraving people’s names, dedications and anniversaries. That’s not for me.”
He added: “Here [at the Edinburgh Crystal Glass Company] the work is stable. The pay could be better, but it pays the bills. And, I enjoy it; that’s what matters.”
Unlike Ashburner, who entered the company as an apprentice, 27-year-old Kelly studied glass design at the Edinburgh College of Art and participated in a scholarship program offered by Edinburgh Crystal. The Edinburgh Crystal Masters Design Scholarship Program, which was created in the early 1990s, had two main objectives. It aimed to bridge the gap between the design theories studied in a university classroom and the grit and grime of the production factory. The program also hoped to revamp the crystal market, attracting a new wave of clientele by having a fresh generation of designers create looks that would appeal to a younger market.
In this programme, which is no longer in operation, participants had their tuition and living costs paid for by the Edinburgh Crystal Glass Company. They then divided their time between attending design lectures at university and working hands-on in the crystal factory.
As a student, Kelly’s work was already being recognised by master glassblowers. And, as her knowledge of the industry grew, so did her desire to enter into a career in glass design.
Kelly said: “I enjoyed it – the whole experience. I was given a wide breadth and scope of design. I managed my own projects and produced my own original body of work.”
At the end of the two year scholarship program, participating students had both a Master of Design degree and a position waiting for them in the design department at Edinburgh Crystal.
In contrast to Ashburner, who creates one-of-a-kind masterpieces sold individually by the company, Kelly’s job is to fashion new design themes that can be mass produced. She currently has two successful lines of crystal being sold by the company. Her first line is called ‘Infinity’, and her latest range, released just this spring, is called ‘Signet’.
In addition to designing new lines for the Edinburgh Crystal Glass Company, Kelly is also active as an independent glass artist. She travels throughout Europe and attends numerous international symposiums. She also creates sculptural glass work for exhibition and commissions.
Kelly said that her independent work is “less constraining, more artistic and not as commercial”.
She added: “It’s a different market, focusing on art galleries and art institutions. But, I don’t spend quite a lot of time on independent sales and commissions. If galleries invite me to show with them I will, but there’s really no guarantee that any of my work will sell. It’s not a very stable economic market. It’s more of a risk, and it’s quite a lot of investment. It’s a high end market with high end prices. I don’t do it for the money. I definitely do it for the love.”
She added: “I am a very sensual designer and constantly strive to reflect my emotions and passion into every piece I create.”
And, in the UK’s slowly decreasing crystal market, it is the love and passion for the art that keeps these young professionals entering the trade.
Kelly said: “It’s about finding a way to keep you stable financially and do what you want. You have to find a balance, a happy medium. As you get more established you can up your artistic end. It takes time though. It’s not going to happen over night. But, if glassblowing, engraving, designing is what you want to do, it’s worth it.”