Designer creates limited-edition uranium glass tumblers

Martin Jakobsen, a Czech-born designer, has created a limited-edition series of drinking glasses called Tumblers in the Gem, made with uranium treated with ultraviolet light, making them radioactive. The glasses feature a fluorescent green color and glow in the dark. Jakobsen obtained special permits from the State Office for Nuclear Safety to produce them. The emission levels are reportedly negligible and harmless. The design revives a 19th-century trend of uranium glass, once a collector's curiosity, now reimagined with a minimalist aesthetic. Jakobsen founded his studio in 2010 after studying at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen and the Faculty of Architecture in Prague, specializing in glass collections that combine transparency and elegance. His clients include famous cocktail bars, hotel chains, and restaurants worldwide. The article poses the question of whether one would drink from a glass containing uranium.