Maker of fine crystal awards, gifts says customizing is a key marketing point

Peter Yenawine, owner of Crystal Signatures in South Bethlehem, has been commissioned to make crystal awards and gifts for four White House administrations running.

President Reagan was so impressed with the piece commissioned for Berlin’s 750th anniversary that he sent him a personal thank-you note.

It was at the Berlin event that Reagan famously demanded, "Mr. Gorbechev, tear down this wall!"

Afterward, Reagan told Yenawine in a letter, dated 1987, "Your work exemplifies the vast creative talent extant in the United States."

At that time, Yenawine’s business was still based in Swarthmore, Delaware County, where he lives. But in 1997, he set up shop in a South Bethlehem building, at the intersection of E. Third and New streets, that had been abandoned for 15 years. He made the move on the advice of a local developer.

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Crystal Signatures was the pioneering business in the redevelopment of the old industrial district once dominated by Bethlehem Steel Corp. By the late 1990s, the steel era was in its final stages, giving way to Rust Belt-style urban decay.

But the turnaround since Crystal Signature’s relocation has been dramatic. A three-block stretch of E. Third Street has blossomed into an upscale shopping district, with art dealers, furniture stores and a spa.

New businesses, such as rapid HIV-test maker OraSure Technologies, have planted roots under the shadow of Bethlehem Steel’s long-idled blast furnaces. Nearby, the old Johnson Machinery building is being converted into luxury condominiums for sale between $160,000 and $495,000.

"It’s exciting to see it," Yenawine said. "It’s a real nice feeling to walk outside and feel like you’re making a difference."

Inside, a hallway from Crystal Signature’s Third Street entrance leads past an office to the workshop where crystal slabs, bars and rods are cut, ground and polished by artisans. Some of the work involves machines and processes patented by Yenawine.

Crystal Signatures has five permanent, full-time employees, including Yenawine’s wife and son, who take care of marketing and other business needs.

When a surge in demand has necessitated an increase in production, the payroll has temporarily expanded to as many as 12 employees.

Yenawine’s specialty is conceptualization and design, which often takes on the shape of its subject. His National Hockey League MVP All-Star award is an inverted star. Sitting on a shelf in his shop is a statuette of a bottle; it’s a commission for The Coca-Cola Co.

When President Bush toured the Limerick nuclear plant near Pottstown last month, he was presented with a commemorative gift a crystal cooling tower made by Crystal Signatures.

Yenawine’s passion for crystal is as clear as the leaded glass itself. "It’s a material that captures light in motion," he explained.

His career in crystal began with his first job out of college, at the venerable Steuben Glass division of Corning Inc. in western New York. He later worked for the Franklin Mint in suburban Philadelphia before going into business for himself.

While presidents and athletes are among his best-known customers and recipients, his biggest contracts come from corporate clients. Crystal Signature’s annual revenues are in excess of $1 million, according to Yenawine.

Stueben Glass, the place where Yenawine got his start, is now one of his biggest competitors. He said his key selling point is customization.

For example, a corporate customer wanted a series of motivational awards. So, Yenawine designed a summit statuette comprised of five crystal components to be awarded one at a time, upon achieving certain goals, until the statuette has grown into a fully formed summit.

"We ask, ’What are you trying to do?’" he said. "And then we go and design that."

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