Antique Chandelier Crystals
If you appreciate sparkly things, and delicate things, and/or historical things, then perhaps the idea of chandelier crystals (sans the chandelier), is of interest. They are similar to picking up a stone as a souvenir while traveling, if you do that. The stone holds within it thousands of years from where it is, to take its current form. If a favored object on your desk is a rock from the streets of Paris, or London, or Tokyo, or anywhere, then perhaps you understand. So, there can never be too many stones, just as there can never be too many crystals. Just like rocks, the history of the crystal is what makes it coveted, and you can’t spell history without ‘story’. It’s true. Antique crystals are far more rare than street stones, and take much less time to create, but their journey is what makes them unique. If they are antique or even vintage, they are hand-cut, hand-blown, or molded into vessels - created by humans to refract, reflect, bend, and separate light into its constituent colors. As prisms they become ephemeral, almost mystical, esoteric creatures.
With many years of hunting and gathering, what accumulated became a collection of not just rocks, but crystals. The rocks tend to be replaced, or forgotten, or returned back to the outside - but not the crystals. There are probably about a hundred or so loose crystals and some chains that remain from previous grand fixtures, and two smaller, more modest chandeliers that were most recently installed in an apartment at the Hotel Chelsea in New York. Some of the crystals were part of those two fixtures - one in the kitchen, the other in the the main room. The other pieces were previously part of historic fixtures that became singular garden or window ornaments. When the hotel was sold the fixtures and ornaments were placed into storage. The chandeliers were mostly left intact aside from those with bits and babbles that would be safer if removed. Sadly, much of what was in storage fell victim to multiple ceiling leaks and floods and were ultimately destroyed or lost. The small crate marked ‘loose crystals’ - the elements removed for safety, or used as ornaments - was recovered. They are now all designated as ornament, or window prisms.
They are crystal, which is a type of glass that contains lead oxide, making them more dense, more refractive, and sparkle a lot more than glass. The lead also makes them heavier, and more delicate. As is typical with antiques, many have developed character over time - not just the crystals, but also the pins, if there are pins. A good example is a small graduated chain with oxidized pins, hung from cotton twine and a waxed cotton cord (001.012). The patina and vitality of this one makes it a favorite. It is one of the first items to be offered in our store, along with about twenty others crystals. A link is below -
