Friday, June 29, 2007
Some women devour fashion magazines, drooling over the clothes. I peruse the Schonbek catalog going ga ga over crystal chandeliers.

In my opinion, one of the most perfect new chandeliers in the new Schonbek catalog is Hamilton with Jet Black crystal and rock crystal. There’s also some clear crystal, but the more exotic crystal predominates.

Most striking is the abundance of oversized crystal pendants. The Jet Black crystal pendants are handcut in a highly stylized manner that I find especially chic. The large rock crystal drops are mesmerizing, as rock crystal always is, each gemstone unique in its internal markings. Schonbek rock crystal is handcut and polished to the point of  intense silkiness.

If I had this chandelier (how I wish!) I would hang it low over a table so I could handle the rock crystal now and then, feeling the mysterious coolness of it (a natural phenomenon). I would have to wipe down these pendants occasionally to take off the skin oil, but even handling rock crystal through a glove or cloth is enjoyable.

Other things I love about this crystal chandelier are the plumpness of the center column pieces, which are entirely Jet Black crystal, and the glossy beauty of the Jet Black crystal arms. If ever black qualifies as a rich color, it does in this crystal chandelier.

The Jet Black crystal arms swoop in a way that’s both graceful and extravagant. This is a crystal chandelier that somehow seems proud of itself, as well it might be.

A black and white crystal chandelier need not be limited to a black and white room. If I possessed this chandelier, I’d fill the room where it presided with Oriental carpets and plush furniture in tones of red and gold. But then I’m very fond of deep, rich colors. Of course you could also put your Hamilton in a contemporary setting with black leather chairs and marble floors. The design is supremely elegant, and not glitzy, because of the preponderance of black and rock crystal. So you really have a lot of freedom in designing a setting for this exceptional crystal chandelier.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Symbols have great power, and this is yet another reason to choose a crystal chandelier over some less imaginative light source.

I’m not talking about the crystal chandelier as status symbol, though it is that, but rather about symbols and motifs in crystal chandelier design that speak to deeper things.

Most obviously a traditional crystal chandelier is a tree. Perhaps the clearest example of this is Genesis, a crystal chandelier by Schonbek directly inspired by the Tree of Life. But the form of any classic chandelier is suggestive of a tree. The arms reach towards an imaginary sun and are richly laden with fruit, in this case crystal ornaments.

From that point of view, with a crystal chandelier you are bringing into your home a symbol of the mysteries of Nature and the amazing energy of the life force.

Schonbek loves to work with Nature motifs. Rivendell, for example, is a glorious tangle of vines and buds with crystal beads inset throughout. I always think of the early morning dew atremble on flowers when I look at  a Rivendell crystal chandelier.

One of my favorite chandelier details is the crystal rosette. This small flower-shaped crystal may be seen in a variety of Schonbek chandeliers. It joins the crystal listels cladding the frame of Maria Theresa. It makes frequent appearances on Versailles style chandeliers.

And then we have The Rose, with dainty roses mini sculptures entwined in its scrollwork. Nature’s rose is a symbol of love, sacred and human, and a heraldic emblem as well. All sorts of people, from alchemists to politicians, have made the rose their symbol. Cleopatra loved roses, as did Charlemagne and Alexander. You tune into the resonance of all this history and romance when you bring The Rose by Schonbek into your life.