William Manson was born in the small town of Wick, Caithness, in the far north of Scotland. Growing up, he watched his father –William Manson Sr. – create extraordinary works of art from glass. At the age of 14 William tried his hand at lampwork and paperweight making for the first time. Like his father glassmaking was in his blood, and it was at this early age he realized this would become his career. William left high school in 1996 to work at his parent’s glass studio, where he began an intensive apprenticeship under the watchful eye of his father.

Working 12 hours a day, seven days a week, to perfect his skills, William started making unique designs under his own name, which were soon sought after by galleries and private collectors worldwide. In 2002 William Sr. decided to downsize his business which prompted William to spend some time traveling around Australia. On his return, William pursued a different career but always knew he would return to glassmaking and have a studio of his own.

William now lives in Stirling, Scotland, with his wife and two children and has opened his own studio. After 19 years away from glassmaking, William is excited to return to the art form and is looking forward to creating exquisite paperweights for collectors worldwide to enjoy.