NovaScotian Crystal

At NovaScotian Crystal, traditional mouth-blown, hand-cut glassware is not so much a craft as a way of life. When the idea came to Denis Ryan to establish a Canadian glassworks, there was no choice but to pursue it. Even more than desire, NovaScotian Crystal was born out of necessity.

“I was invited to attend the state dinner of a foreign dignitary,” is how Denis tells the story, “and needed to find a suitable gift. Of course, being of Irish descent, I naturally thought a piece of crystal would be appropriate. But as I was attending the dinner as a representative of Canada, I asked around to find a Canadian crystal maker. I found there were none!” And so NovaScotian Crystal was born.

In the majestic hills of Ireland, the art of making traditional mouth-blown, hand-cut crystal is part of some families’ blood. It’s a skill passed from father to son, an intuitive sense of heat and craft that takes years and years to develop. Some might even say generations! But even in Ireland, in this age of increased industrial mechanization, those numbers are dwindling. The artistic distinctions of hand-cut crystal are being replaced by machine-moulded mass production, the craftsmen replaced by machines. Not so at NovaScotian Crystal!

When you visit us at our glassworks in Halifax, you will see that the only modern machines we use are the computers we use to send e-mail, our cash register, and the microwave in the lounge. Everything else is done or guided by hand, using traditional tools and equipment: the way it was meant to be.

NovaScotian Crystal was created to bring part of the Old World to the New World, not the other way around. The company’s dedication to preserving the old ways of making crystal attracted the attention of several Old World craftsmen with the same ideals, including Philip Walsh and Jack Tebay. “I came over here with my son,” says Philip, “because it was an opportunity to preserve my craft, and build something of my own.”

“That’s exactly what we’ve done at NovaScotian Crystal, built something of our own, where we continue to preserve the art of fine crystal-making,” adds Jack. Along with preserving comes sharing, and our Canadian apprentices are learning the skills needed to become future master craftsmen. As well, Jack, Philip, and all our trained craftsmen are introducing a new audience of collectors to the value and beauty of traditionally mouth-blown, hand-cut crystal.

And we don’t mind telling you that NovaScotian Crystal does indeed make a great gift.

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