When holding a piece up to the light it should be perfectly clear a silvery white.
Is all waterford crystal marked.
All genuine waterford crystal made since 1947 features some form of authenticity mark.
Pieces made since 1999 have waterford crystal s seahorse emblem etched into the bottom.
The first way to tell an authentic piece of waterford is to look for the waterford acid mark.
You can also look for a gold sticker featuring waterford s green seahorse emblem.
Any marked penrose crystal would say penrose waterford so when anyone speaks of antique waterford crystal they are speaking of crystal made in waterford ireland by the penrose glass house.
Not only did the estate sale rep write waterford in black nonpermanent marker on their crystal she also circled the etched word.
Using a magnifying glass or holding the crystal up to the light search for the stamp.
Pieces made between 1947 and 1999 have the word waterford etched into the bottom.
Marquis crystal is a line of crystal stemware manufactured by the waterford crystal company in plants in waterford ireland and also in germany and slovenia in addition to the marquis line of stemware waterford produces china linens flatware silver gifts writing instruments holiday ornaments and jewelry.
But ironically with scores of fakes flooding the market most glassware experts base their judgment using waterford crystal catalogs.
These are pieces sneaked out by employees yes it does happen.
Now some of the reasons that it may not be there include rogue pieces.
Regular glass produces a yellow or green tint.
Waterford assures clients that their patterns will never expire.
If you had your magnifying glass and or a bright light and tipped the piece just so you might see this.
Unlike lightweight glass lead crystal is heavy.
It will most likely appear on the stem s base but can also be found in the grooves as well.
From the waterford catalog produced by waterford themselves not some ebay guide.
Under normal circumstances the acid mark or etch mark with the name waterford is on the base or bottom side of all crystal pieces produced by waterford crystal ireland.
Getting the design checked by an expert may be needed in some cases.
The bases of most waterford crystal have the word waterford etched on the underside.
To identify waterford crystal hold the item up the light and use a magnifying glass to locate an acid stamp that says waterford alternatively if the item was made after 2000 look for an acid stamp in the shape of a seahorse.