Being nearly 400 years old, Zildjian is one of the oldest companies in the world. Zildjian also sells drum-related accessories, such as drum sticks and cymbal carriers. It is the largest cymbal manufacturer in the world.
On December 20, 2010, it was announced that Avedis Zildjian Company had merged with Vic Firth, Inc. According to the announcement, both companies will continue to run autonomously.
The first Zildjian cymbals were created in 1618 by Avedis Zildjian, an Armenian alchemist who was looking for a way to turn base metal into gold. He made an alloy of tin, copper, and silver into a sheet of metal, which could make musical sounds without shattering. The Sultan Osman II the Young gave Avedis the name Zildjian, and in 1623 granted him permission to leave the palace to start his own business in a suburb of Constantinople named Psamatia.
Zildjian's shop manufactured cymbals for the mehter, Ottoman military bands consisting of wind and percussion instruments, which belonged to the Janissaries. Mehter ensembles, which were known in the West primarily for playing in battle, also performed courtly music for Ottoman rulers.The Zildjians likely also produced instruments for Greek and Armenian churches, Sufi dervishes and belly dancers of the Ottoman harem, who wore finger cymbals.
In 1850 Avedis II built a 25-foot schooner, in order to sail cymbals produced in Contsantinople to trade exhibitions such as the Great Exhibition in London, and to supply musicians in Europe.
In 1865 Avedis II died, and his brother Kerope II took over the company. He introduced a line of instruments called K Zildjian, which are used by classical musicians to this day. Avedis II died in 1909 in Constantinople.
In the late nineteenth century, Aram Zildjian, who was then head of the family, was forced by political conditions to flee to Bucharest. There, he set up a second Zildjian factory, while Kerope I's daughter Victoria ran the Constantinople factory. This situation continued until about 1927.
In 2003, Armand died at age 83. The Zildjian alloy recipe passed to his daughters, Craigie and Debbie (14th generation), both of whom continue to run the family business from the current factory in Norwell, Massachusetts.
Other than cymbals, the Avedis Zildjian Company produces products such as drum sticks and other drum accessories. In 2012, the Avedis Zildjian Company celebrated their 390th anniversary. In 2016, Avedis Zildjian Company promoted Neil Larrivee to vice president.
According to wikipedia
