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The grandeur of cut glass is back in style but with a thoroughly modern aesthetic that shatters time-worn traditions. Here are five gleaming examples of the revival

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As the U.K.’s last remaining producer of hand-blown, hand-cut crystal, Cumbria is singlehandedly upholding a deep tradition of craftsmanship. But its new collection of vases and candleholders is entirely contemporary. Rustic wine bottles from Bordeaux and Burgundy inspired the shapes. The patterning is stripped down yet playful.

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Whether covered by a shade or obscured by some kind of casing, the bulbs are almost always the unsung hero of a light fixture. In an ostentatious statement of luxury, British designer Lee Broom blings out the humble filament with a gleaming, cut-crystal shell.

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After Nick Chase hand blows and carves out his “Saw Cut” bowl, he softens out any jagged edges by putting the dish back into the fire. It gives the whole thing an organic, forged-by-lightning look.

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Versailles meets Vivienne Westwood in Lisa Whatmough’s cut-crystal chandeliers. The London-based designer takes ready-made light fixtures – the classic kind with garlands of shimmering glass – and wraps most of the bobbles in a punk patchwork of silks and velvet.

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Montreal-based designer Tat Chao scours vintage stores for odds and ends of old glassware sets. By stacking up the cups, and gluing them together with an invisible adhesive, he gives new life to traditional cut glass by turning the pieces into light fixtures, candlesticks and tables.

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