Resurrecting Glamour & Glitter
I purchased this chandelier online. It was photographed sitting on a bunch of tires, and was described as not being used since 1980. At first I did not pay attention to it. Then I realized that it might be from the 1930s. Possibly 1940s. Well, this captured my special attention. But, also, look at the glass ball on the very bottom…
…well, my eyes bugged out. Because only one company made that specific finial. And that company was the fabulous Lightolier Company! I love Lightolier. This discovery was akin to looking at an old car described at a Chevy, but then realizing that it was by Rolls-Royce. You see, Lightolier was the Rolls of lighting for many decades. So, without any hesitation suddenly, I purchased the chandelier.
This is how it looked upon arrival. I had requested that the seller remove all the glass arms, as experience has taught me that, without doing so, broken arms will be the result.
The ceiling canopy looked so bad that it seemed unlikely that I could do anything with it.
Would you like to see the After? Please scroll away down.
Whoee! Zounds! Geez!
The gorgeous Lightolier finial.
Remember that awful-looking ceiling canopy? No more! Under all the dirt and old lacquer was silver-plate! Who knew?
I never get over the thrill of taking something which does not look like much, and by simply restoring what has been lost, the original beauty is resurrected.
Alas, I could not save everything. The original chain was corroded. I replaced it with period-correct chain, and nickel-plated.
Originally, the chandelier had glass hurricane shades. These were long gone. In the Before images, you can see the metal cups they once sat in. The likelihood of finding the original shades is about as good as winning the lottery. So I removed the cups, and converted the sockets to accept off-white candles. This is actually OK as Lightolier almost always offered their chandeliers with or without hurricane shades. If one chose the latter, the chandelier would have arrived at your home looking just like the After image, above (many buyers preferred silk shades rather than glass).
Well, it is late, and I am exhausted, but feeling a deep sense of satisfaction. After thirty-five years of being banished to a musty box in a basement, a beautiful Lightolier chandelier is once again dazzling.
My online store.
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Hey Ross! I am currently living in The Netherlands and plan to move back to The States next year. My question is about buying vintage lights and shipping them home. Do you have any tips on what to look for with voltage and watts?
I love the Cross House!
You cannot use European bulbs in US-made fixtures, and vice versa. So, if you buy a light fixture in the US, but plan to use it in Europe, you will need to buy European bulbs. And vice versa. Does this make sense?