Chandeliers are a stunning lighting choice for any room. They can create a focal point of your space and provide an excellent opportunity to show off your personal style. With a wide variety of chandelier styles available, finding the perfect fit for your home may seem challenging at first. However, once you understand the basics of what a chandelier is and how it is designed, you can easily find a fixture that will add the finishing touch to your home decor.
A chandelier is a decorative hanging light that has multiple arms holding lights or candles. It can be made out of a variety of materials including brass, bronze, wrought iron and crystal. It can also be a mix of materials like alabaster, glass and timber.
There are two main types of chandeliers, branched and non-branched. Branched chandeliers typically have a shaped frame while non-branched chandeliers are simply a chain with a single shade or light. However, many people use the term “chandelier” to describe any large hanging lamp regardless of its shape or number of light sources. This often leads to confusion with a similar style of light, the pendant light.
In addition, there are a number of terms associated with chandeliers that can be confusing to the novice. To help you understand these terms, we will take a look at the definitions and pronunciation of some of the most common components found in a chandelier.
Arms: The curved or straight pieces of metal that extend from the body of a chandelier to hold the lights. The arm can be straight, octagonal or triangular in shape. The base of a chandelier, commonly referred to as the frustum, is the flat surface on which the arms are mounted. It can be smooth or ornately carved depending on the design.
Crystal: A type of glass that is renowned for its beauty and refraction. Bohemian and Venetian glassmakers are known for their mastery in crafting crystal prisms that amplify the light passing through them.
Spruce: A form of spruce or pine used for decorative purposes. Normally polished to a high sheen and adorned with ornate carvings and gilding.
Bobeche: A dish fitted just below the candle nozzle designed to catch drips of wax. Frequently used in crystal chandeliers.
Soda glass: A type of glass that remains “plastic” for longer when heated and can be molded into shapes to form delicate patterns. It is used extensively in Venetian chandeliers.
To pronounce the word “chandelier,” start by putting your tongue against the inside corner of your upper front teeth. Then bring your jaw forward and outward slightly. The back part of your tongue should stay forward and press against the ridge behind the top teeth while the front part moves down towards the bottom. As you do this, the sides of your mouth should flare out as if you were licking your lips. At the same time, the corners of your tongue should push down against your bottom front teeth. The front of your mouth should not touch anything in the back of your mouth.
