Thursday, April 24, 2008
I was browsing a Schonbek catalog of rock crystal chandeliers just now, and I came across a perfect mini chandelier. It’s a rendition of Versailles, and oddly enough, you won’t find it on this website under mini crystal chandeliers or rock crystal chandeliers.
This is because we don’t put every existing Schonbek crystal chandelier design online, but only show a representative selection. Schonbek is a manufacturer, not a retailer, so this website is for dreaming, planning and gathering ideas, rather than for shopping.
A crystal chandelier is not generally an impulse purchase. (Although if you have the impulse, and that’s how you want to proceed, go for it!) In most cases, you’ll want to experiment in your mind’s eye with different chandelier styles and crystal types, have deep discussions with your interior designer or best friend, think about what frame finish would go with your color scheme, work out the sizing of the chandelier with a lighting consultant at the retail store and so forth. Unless you hate shopping, this can be a very enjoyable process, and so your crystal chandelier is giving you pleasure even before you live with it.
Premium lighting showrooms have all the Schonbek catalogs and literature, as well as expansive displays of the actual chandeliers, so you have everything you need for your selection process. You can call Schonbek at 800-836-1892 for a reference to a quality showroom near you. And rock crystal dealers are listed right on this website.
Getting back to that mini rock crystal chandelier, I really can’t say why I find it so charming. Perhaps it’s the heavy load of rock crystal gemstones on the tiny frame. The chandelier is just a little over 14 inches in diameter. And the Heirloom Bronze finish is one of my favorite Schonbek finishes. Then there’s something about the daintiness of the clear crystal candle cups and rosettes that touches me.
Crystal chandeliers have a lot of emotional appeal that’s purely personal and somewhat ineffable! A glitzy chandelier afire with dazzling prismatic crystal can be highly stimulating and exhilarating to look at. A rock crystal chandelier has a quieter effect. You feel yourself in the presence of a mystery, and you are. After all, rock crystal dates back to the early days of the Earth. Happily most residences have more than one room, so you can design different rooms with different emotional tonalities. Why not have it all?
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
I just heard today via the email grapevine that some people are renting or hoping to rent the big Da Vinci™ LED crystal chandelier for parties and events. A dealer or individual who owns one of these chandeliers is of course free to rent it out. There’s no official way for this to happen, but it’s happening.
To me this demonstrates not only the general popularity of the design, but also the degree to which this massive round crystal chandelier, and the light show it emits, can contribute to the festive mood of a gathering.
People want their parties to be unforgettable. A huge and dazzling Da Vinci™ LED chandelier turning colors is almost guaranteed to flabbergast everyone. My only contention is, why save all that fun for a so-called special occasion? Why not make every day a celebration?
A large Da Vinci™ LED also has a halogen mode, so when you’re not feeling especially jovial, you can switch to white light. Gazing at a huge, moon-like sphere of shimmering white light can be quite contemplative.
A Da Vinci™ LED is not for everyone. It’s high end. It’s big. It doesn’t really work with a strictly traditional décor (although it can work amazingly well in an eclectic setting). But if you can afford it, and your home can accommodate it, Da Vinci™ LED will transform your home life. It offers a whole new definition of home entertainment.
If a full-sized Da Vinci™ LED is too rich for your blood, there are Da Vinci™ LED chandeliers as small as 10, 12 and 15 inches in diameter. These compact LED chandeliers only come with the LED mode, however.
If you want the dazzling white full-moon look in a smaller size, you can order a Da Vinci™ chandelier with halogen lighting.
Monday, April 21, 2008
A perfect spring day makes me think of the leafy and flowery decorative elements of so many Schonbek crystal chandeliers.
Although Nature comes back to life but once a year in temperate climes, the flowers, leaves and buds appearing on a Schonbek crystal chandelier are in perpetual bloom. This is auspicious imagery, symbolizing growth, happiness and prosperity, if you choose to see it that way.
Genesis comes to mind, with its entire framework taking the form of a tree, specifically the Tree of Life. Its fruit is symbolized by the crystal droplets in many colors dripping from the stylized leaves. The use of rock crystal in this design is unexpected and compelling. A turbulent chapter in the life of the planet is written within this dense quartz, forever captured for your personal contemplation.
Rivendell is a wildly successful crystal chandelier design in the floral mode. Again the entire structure is devoted to the poetic conceit of leaves and flowers unfurling. The crystal is interwoven within organic shapes suggestive of vines, buds and petals. Those who love flowers need never be without them in spirit, if they live with a Rivendell crystal chandelier.
These designs are totally devoted to the idea of eternal springtime. But even quite traditional Schonbek crystal chandeliers benefit from natural imagery.
The richly cast arms and scrolls of La Scala, for example, have a quality of luscious fronds uncurling. And the castings of the new Milano crystal chandelier design present a riot of flowery ornamentation.
These details are best appreciated up close. Call 800-836-1892 for a showroom near you with an extensive Schonbek display.
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