Friday, September 19, 2008
Angles and curves seem to determine whether a crystal chandelier should be considered contemporary or traditional.

A chandelier like the new Sophia is wildly curvaceous. Scrolls, loops and scallops are everywhere, and the castings are elaborately incised with sinuous floral and leaf patterns. Everywhere the eye rests it is treated to extreme embellishment, which involves all sorts of curly, wavy design elements. The crystal ornaments are stylized – a bit of a postmodern surprise – but they still maintain the fanciness of faceting.

By contrast, the new Quantum crystal chandelier, a contemporary design, is uncompromisingly angular. Square and rectangular crystal jewels form square and rectangular chandeliers. There are also crystal octagons in the mix – a more traditional crystal shape – but they come together to form sheets of crystal fabric that are invariably square or rectangular.

Geometrix®, Schonbek’s high tech lighting collection, offers an amazingly varied assortment of geometric shapes. Euclid would be dazzled.

The one crystal chandelier that seems to form its own category is Da Vinci™, from the Geometrix® collection. Being perfectly round, this chandelier is all curves. At the same time, a sphere must be considered a form in geometry. Perhaps that’s why we see Da Vinci™ appearing in rooms of so many different styles – contemporary, traditional and eclectic.

Thursday, September 18, 2008
I was just admiring a photo of a mirrored hallway at Paris Las Vegas resort, an allusion to the magnificent “Hall of Mirrors” in the Château de Versailles.

What’s interesting about these crystal chandeliers is that the styling is Maria Theresa, rather than the style Louis XIV actually chose for his château, and which is now referred to as “Versailles.” Still, there’s an undeniable air of authenticity to the setting. King Louis XIV would not have looked out of place in this interior.

So that brings up various thoughts about authenticity. Which is more authentic – a meticulous reproduction of an antique interior, or a creative mixing of styles to achieve an historic feeling?

I vote for the mixing of styles. An interior in a museum is, of course, another matter. Here it makes sense to stick to your period. But there’s always a somewhat musty feeling about such settings. You’re happy to see how the beautiful people once lived, yet you feel sure no one could live in these rooms today.

It’s fun to evoke the past by means of inspired interior design, which is what Paris Las Vegas has done in its historic settings. People lived gloriously in past centuries. But to achieve a genuine aura of the past, you need to be creative. Imagination is what made the interiors of bygone eras beautiful, and imagination has to come into play again to bring those times back to life. It’s the spirit not the facts of history that we want to recapture when we play with traditional themes.

Schonbek is particularly gifted at this. Note, for example, Maria Theresa and Versailles chandeliers by Schonbek. Here you see a plethora of details authentic to the periods concerned, while at the same time these designs are rendered emotionally authentic by the free exercise of imagination.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008
In times of financial crisis, rock crystal invites contemplation.

This natural quartz owes its beauty to the traumas it’s been subjected to over billions of years. Tremendous pressures and unthinkable temperatures brought about the unique density of rock crystal. These turbulent events also left their traces in the form of inclusions and constellations within the quartz. The mysterious internal markings are perhaps what fascinate us most about rock crystal.

Rock crystal is astonishingly cool to the touch. Good or bad weather has no effect on it.

Obviously the lesson to be learned is that a crisis can leave us stronger than ever, if we can take the long view.

Schonbek offers a varied collection of rock crystal chandeliers.

You can’t go wrong with La Scala. This rock crystal chandelier looks like an heirloom that’s been in the family for a couple of centuries. And speaking of family history, the arms and scrolls of La Scala are cast from antique molds from the Schonbek family archives. So when you own a La Scala, you share in that tradition.

La Scala is generously trimmed with oversized rock crystal gemstones, each beautifully hand cut and hand polished. There’s a perfect balance to the ornamentation – lots of rock crystal, and yet not too much.

La Scala is regal. For a somewhat softer presentation, you might like a Hamilton chandelier with a quite different display of semi-precious quartzes. In this chandelier, the warm purple and pink hues of amethyst quartz and rose quartz ornaments contrast with the icy fire of the STRASS® Swarovski® crystal.

You have many other choices as well. See the landing page for Schonbek rock crystal chandeliers.

If you have an interest in rock crystal chandeliers, I’d strongly recommend a visit to a Schonbek rock crystal dealer. Every rock crystal chandelier is unique, by virtue of the fact that each of its quartz ornaments is one of a kind in the universe. So you’ll want to appreciate this up close and in person.