Friday, December 8, 2006

One of the first crystal chandeliers I fell in love with while writing copy for Schonbek catalogs was Hamilton.

I was told by the Schonbeks that the design was inspired by high life under high ceilings in previous centuries. The body of this elegant crystal chandelier is unusually elongated.

Hamilton has undulating crystal arms heavily laden with oversized crystal pendants in classic shapes. The slender central column is composed of several hollow, fluted crystal vases and globes. The crystal arms are individualy formed by hand. Swags of crystal octagons add to the graceful quality of the design. Hamilton will be a delight to live with for any serious lover of crystal. You are really looking at a lot of crystal with this chandelier, and the pendants are handcut crystal of the finest quality.

Hamilton is so deeply satisfying in its classicism that recently Schonbek has given this crystal chandelier two new personalities.

As perfectly lovely as Hamilton is composed entirely of clear crystal, it becomes phenomenal in black crystal. Black Hamilton is so remarkable that I can easily imagine redesigning a whole room   to showcase this crystal chandelier. It would be well worth repainting your walls, re-treating your windows and getting all new furniture to give Black Hamilton an environment worthy of it.

And as stunning as Black Hamilton is, Hamilton trimmed with amethyst and rose quartz is yet another extraordinary entity.   The oversized gemstones so prominently displayed on this version of Hamilton are truly mesmerizing.

So if you’re captivated by the stately charm of Hamilton, as I am, you have three renditions of this crystal chandelier to consider. I’m glad I have no room for another crystal chandelier in my home, so I don’t have to face such a decision.

Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Nature and Art are both nobly represented in a rock crystal chandelier.

Just think for a minute about the Earth and how it came into being. Picture continents floating and shifting, mountains rising and falling. For eons our planet was subjected to tremendous pressures and unimaginably hot temperatures, which resulted, among other things, in the formation of rock crystal.

It’s mind-boggling that you can own a rock crystal gemstone, a primordial souvenir from an era before life could exist, before even time could be said to exist. Yet more amazing, you can own a rock crystal chandelier bearing exquisite examples of this ancient and mysterious quartz.

There’s a movement in design and architecture to use natural materials inside the home. Rock crystal works beautifully with this idea. At the same time, a rock crystal chandelier is very much an expression of human artistry. Each chunk of quartz has to be laboriously cut and polished by hand. One unskillful movement and the gemstone in the making will be spoiled. And the chandelier displaying the rock crystal gemstones is likewise a thing of beauty, and a fascinating product of civilization. Humankind has spent centuries exploring the crystal chandelier in all its forms.

I just took a look at our website page on Schonbek rock crystal chandeliers. It’s hard for me to choose a favorite. If pressed, I might pick the Renaissance that’s a medley of rock crystal, olivine and smoke topaz colored crystal and clear crystal. But each chandelier has its own particular appeal. And each is unique. No two pieces of rock crystal are ever alike. And so, by extension, no two rock crystal chandeliers can ever be identical.

The two best places to view rock crystal chandeliers are in a world class museum full of old masters and period furnishings, and in a major lighting showroom that carries Schonbek. The advantage of the showroom is that the chandeliers are for sale! You can find a rock crystal showroom near you right on this website.

Monday, December 4, 2006
Wonderful trip to New York. At the Americans in Paris exhibit at the Metropolitan, I discovered artists who were new to me, like Charles Sprague Pearce, Willard Metcalf and Ellen Day Hale. Now I’m on a mission to see more of their work. Since they were Americans, this shouldn’t be difficult. I hope to find them in large and small American museums.

The American impressionists must have seen a lot of crystal chandeliers in the salons and public buildings of Paris, contributing to the dazzling quality of their experience in the City of Light. Perhaps they even came upon some Schonbek crystal chandeliers. After all, Adolf Schonbek started making crystal chandeliers in Bohemia in 1870, around the same time that the Impressionist were getting started. By the turn of the century, Schonbek was enjoying an international market for its crystal chandeliers, and Impressionism was a force to be reckoned with in the art world.

American Impressionists were wild about Paris, and deeply influenced by French artists, yet they remained American, and most returned to America. I’m reminded a little of Schonbek crystal chandeliers, which are created in America, while expressing authentic European styling. American ingenuity and imagination mixed with European heritage is a rich combination.

I spent most of my long weekend in New York in museums, so naturally I saw a number of crystal chandeliers. But I wasn’t in the Old Masters exhibit areas, so it’s not surprising that I didn’t see any rock crystal chandeliers. Still, I saw some unusual crystal shapes.

And on the way to dinner, strolling on the upper East Side, I saw a Schonbek crystal chandelier. It was a gorgeous Versailles with a dark finish, perhaps French Antique, in the window of a store that sells jewelry safes. I admired the wisdom of the shop keeper. Safes are not especially beautiful, so the crystal chandelier supplied the element of beauty. And the impressiveness of the chandelier seemed to reinforce the value of one’s jewelry and the importance of safeguarding it.

Personally I have no jewelry of value. But still I enjoyed the association of ideas.

An important characteristic that crystal chandeliers and Impressionist paintings have in common is how poorly they photograph and how important it is to see them in person. The immediate and thrilling experience of color and light is the point. So it’s important to visit art galleries as much as possible. And you can call Schonbek at 800-836-1892 for the best place near you to view Schonbek crystal chandeliers.