Belleek Pottery is a porcelain company that began trading in 1884 as the Belleek Pottery Works Company Ltd in Belleek, County Fermanagh, in Northern Ireland.
The factory produces porcelain that is characterised by its thin and slightly iridescent surface and that the body is formulated with a significant proportion of frit which contains small amounts of the Parian porcelain for which Belleek is famous for.
- In 1990 it was taken over by Dundalk-born and US-based Dr. George G. Moore though the company is run locally by four Directors.
- Since then Belleek Pottery has expanded its size in terms of factory space, acquisitions of other companies, staff and turnover. It employs more than six hundred people and enjoys an annual turnover of around £30 million
- Subsidiary companies now include Galway Crystal, Aynsley China and Donegal Parian China.
For those who collect Belleek, you can join the Belleek Collectors International Society which was founded in 1979. The Society has several thousand members from the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zeland. You can obtain more information about the Society from their official website The Belleek Collectors International Society.
Alternatively, you can find out more about your Belleek items and date them by accessing their Belleek Trademarks page.
- Image above is of Neptune Cup and Saucer from the Third Black Mark series (1926-1946)
- Overall image shows the pink-tinged Belleek iridescent mother of pearl glaze Tridacna Cup and Saucer tea-set from the Second Black Mark series (1891-1926) derived fro marine forms. Generally the most common colours used by Belleek were either pink or green.
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