Brilliant cutting

The craft of brilliant cutting originated in the mid 19th century as an evolution of traditional stone cutting techniques applied to heavy lead crystal. Reaching its peak during the ‘Brilliant period’ (approximately 1876-1920), the craft was characterised by deeply incised and light-refracting geometric patterns, creating a ‘sparkling’ effect. Influenced by earlier European and American glassmaking traditions, brilliant cut glass became popular in the UK during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Most towns would have had cut glass craftsmen, gilders and signwriters.

Within the UK, Stourbridge and London became a global hub for this craft due to the high quality of English full-lead crystal. The repeal of the Glass Excise Act in 1845 and the window tax 1851 sparked a creative explosion, as glass became more affordable to produce. British artisans pioneered the use of ‘steam-driven’ lathes, allowing for the production of deeper and more complex patterns than manual foot-treadle machines.

In the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, brilliant cutting reached its height, moving beyond tableware into architectural glass, with interior mirrors and windows intricately cut and silvered to increase privacy without sacrificing daylight.

While the industry declined after World War I due to the rise of cheaper moulded glass and changing tastes, a small number of specialist studios in the UK continue to preserve these techniques for high-end restoration and bespoke interior design.

Brilliant cut glass is associated with traveller and fairground culture and communities. It is also synonymous with the British pub and pub culture.

Brilliant cutting involves cutting a pattern into glass with a rotating stone wheel, usually made from carborundum stone and then smoothed with polishing powders using a felt wheel. Various shaped stone wheels produce different cuts. For example; a Puntie (convex circle), Olive/Oval, V cut and edge cut.

These three types of cutting wheels produce distinct effects: 

• Mitre Profiled Wheels – create a sharp V shaped cut, commonly used for geometric patterns.
• Round Profiled Wheels – produce a concave effect, often used to create circular or elliptical depressions in the glass known as a ‘punt’.
• Square Profiled Wheels – mainly used for line work and leaf forms, by creating a groove that is deep on one side and gradually slopes off on the other. This makes Ogee curves particularly challenging, as the craftsperson must skillfully ‘splice’ cuts from different sides of the wheel.

Processes include: 

• Cutting – water-lubricated wheels (made from carboniferous sandstone) ranging from 5cm to 90cm in diameter are used. Small sheets are hand-held over the wheel, while larger architectural sheets are supported by a counter-balanced ceiling sling to allow the craftsperson to manage the weight while engraving.
• Smoothing – once the depth is achieved, the cuts are smoothed using willow wheels and ground pumice.
• Polishing – the final high-gloss finish is achieved using a revolving fibre brush with a polishing compound, typically rouge. This technique is often combined with acid embossing, etching or toning (to create frosted backgrounds), gilding, or silvering to produce decorative effects.

Large glass panels would be suspended by a counter balance, which helps take the weight and provide manoeuvring with ease.

Dave Smith provides some step by step details of making a Victorian brilliant cut window here

• Crystal glass
• Sign painting / signwriting
• Reverse glass sign painting
• French embossing / acid etching
• Silvering
• Glass engraving
• Ornamental mirror making

• Skills issues: The craft is labour intensive which puts people off learning it. It takes dedication and a lot of time to hone your skills.
• Sourcing raw materials and equipment: The grindstones used to brilliant cut glass are principally of Carborundum and Alexcite materials although historically they were made of sandstone from Craigleith in Edinburgh. Diamond impregnated wheels can be useful for roughing out. For some years it was difficult to source the wheels, however, there is now a source of new grinding wheels in the UK which is making the craft more accessible again.
• Market issues: The hard to find materials and high labour compared to the low cost and high speed of computer designed vinyl graphics reduces the number of clients willing to commission work.

The Brilliant Cutting Consortium

This is a training project set up by three skilled brilliant cutters in England, Latvia and the US, with the aim of increasing skills levels in the craft and passing on skills to the next generation. The course provides three days of training in either of the three locations:

• Torquay, England with Dave Smith
• Riga, Latvia with Tits Rinkis
• Littleton, Colorado with Pat Minervini

Short courses

Master brilliant cutting and glass artist, Dave Smith, offers a range of courses both in person and online. Find more details here

Individual craftspeople:

• David A Smith MBE
• S Taylor and Sons 
• Cheshire Stained Glass 
• Monkseaton Glaziers and Stained glass studio 
• Stuart Reddy, RS Glass Design 
• James Witchell
• John Williamson, Ellison Art Glass
• Stuart Owen Norton
• Simon Norton
• Steve Robey
• Dave Thomas
• Aaron Stephens
• Eddy Bennett
• Tobias Newbigin

• Dreiser, P, and Matcham, J, (1982) The Techniques of Glass Engraving (London: Batsford)
• Duthie, Arthur Louis, (1982) Decorative Glass Processes, 1908 (London: Dover reprint)
• Frost, AC, and McGrath, R, (1961) Glass in Architecture and Decoration (London: The Architectural Press)
• M Girouard, M, (1984) Victorian Pubs (Yale University Press)
• B Stewart, B, (1983) Signwriting; a craftsman’s manual (Wiley-Blackwell)
• https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/glass98/cut-glass.htm 
• https://stainedglassmuseum.com/

Our thanks go to our 2025 reviewers:

• Ellison Art Glass
• Simon Norton, Stuart Owen Norton Glass & sign Ltd
• David A Smith
• Eddy Bennett

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