The Irish crystal maker also owns Wedgewood, the English china producer.

Each was hand blown and numbered by Lalique, the French crystal maker, and no two are alike.

To encourage crystal makers to take early retirement, Waterford began in 1987 to offer generous financial incentives, hoping that one-fourth of its work force would accept.

In addition, management wanted to change some working practices, which tradition-loving crystal makers regarded as heresy.

One of the first crystal makers to form a club was Swarovski.

The rehabilitation of the troubled fine china and crystal maker is likely to continue to be slow and painful.

Waterford, the Irish crystal maker, shipped about half its foreign visitors' purchases from its factory store in Ireland last year.

And while as a practice the crystal makers don't disclose their sales, Ms. Carr said that 1987 set a record and that 1988 will too.

Aside from the crystal maker and the airlock controls, the ship was as great and as fascinating an enigma as ever.

The company, which also handles discontinued china and flatware, stocks hard-to-get patterns by more than 30 crystal makers.