continued. . . 

O’Leary’s life is spent shuttling back and forth over the pond between the U.S. and Waterford. It’s this life that breeds inspiration, particularly store appearances which genuinely fuel his excitement. O’Leary loves the throngs as much as they love him, making his exhaustive schedule bearable. It’s often when he’s on the road that design concepts take shape. Take the mega-hit Ballet, for instance. “I was daydreaming about how hard objects, like crystal and china, could be softened without changing them,” O’Leary allows. The multi-piece, multi-material collection has been a phenomenal hit since its debut two years ago as it continues to expand. (Araglin, Waterford’s number two best-seller is an O’Leary design.) Another key component to his position – and one which he views as vital as design – is acting as the brand’s goodwill ambassador across the globe. “It’s one of my favorite parts of the job,” he says. “I’ve been doing appearances for many years and I love seeing familiar faces from state to state.”

O’Leary’s brilliant blue eyes seem to take on extra sparkle when he reminisces about his road trips. “It’s such an honor for me to represent Waterford,” he says. “Our company makes things for the house. We’re at the heart of the home. We’re on the table for Thanksgiving, for birthdays, for holidays, and we’re a part of many new brides’ homes. Everything is centered around the table and Waterford gets to be there. How blessed is that?”

It’s a rhetorical question to be sure, but one which traces its roots to the Waterford cutting floor where O’Leary’s love for crystal began. “It’s a long time ago,” he gently smiles, “but my memory of the floor is long.” This long memory explains why O’Leary works so well with others, particularly his ten-person design team who clearly respect and like the boss. It could explain, too, why O’Leary is the only person to have a Waterford collection named in his honor. And it further explains why O’Leary’s Star of Hope is undoubtedly the most famous crystal design in the world. Lowered for the first time when it rang in the Millennium, Star of Hope is 504 sparkling crystal triangles representing the past, present, and future. A medallion at the center represents Mother Earth wreathed in a seven-pointed star which, in turn, represents the seven continents. “A triumphant burst of wedge cuts surrounding the star pays homage to humanity in all its diversity, especially children who are its hope for the future,” says O’Leary, who refers to his finished work as a “great celestial chandelier of hope, dropping from the Heavens on that greatest of New York nights.” Like many an Irishman, there’s often poetry in O’Leary’s words.

Jim O’Leary’s faithful servitude for almost half-a-century has, no doubt, served both employer and employee. At one point, reflective of the milestone anniversary looming, O’Leary muses aloud if he’ll have to retire when he turns 65, three years down the road. “I sure hope not,” he says. “I don’t want to. There’s so much left that I want to do, that I have to do, that retirement is not even a real possibility.”