2009年6月25日星期四

The Class and Prestige of Antique Tiffany Lamps

To be rich and have a most luxurious house in the 19th century, was to have Tiffany lamps within the walls of that house. During this time, these lamps had wealth stamped all over them because of the appearance they gave. It has been said that Tiffany lamps were created for royalty with the vivid colors of stained glass.

Tiffany & Company were the creators of this style of lamps and the company is still around and going strong today as they ever have. But in today’s world, they mainly focus on beautiful pieces of jewelry instead of creating lamps. The lamps are still a favorite collector item and there are still many enthusiasts that are in search of certain antique Tiffany lamps in order to add to their collection. Charles Lewis Tiffany was the founder of the Tiffany & Company and their creator and designer. He was a very creative soul and searched around the world for a unique and different creative way to show off the beauty of light.

He developed a technique, after all of his research, which involved a process of exposing hot glass in with metallic oxides in order to create fumes that would seep into the molten glass and cause color shades and hues to form within it. In today’s world, we know this as “iridescent glass” but most people know of it as something like a stained-glass window.

These Tiffany lamps had beautiful stained glass lamp shades and all of them were made in 1895 and on through to 1920 when the production of Tiffany lamps ceased. This is what makes them such a collector’s item because between these years, only so many Tiffany lamps were made. There were no more after that! There are a lot of lamp makers today that try to replicate antique Tiffany lamps but none of them can seem to ever get the authentic look of the lamp. The look always still seems more “modern” than antique — no matter how much they try to disguise the fact. But one thing that has not changed about antique Tiffany lamps, is that they still give off the impression of wealth.

And you really need to be wealthy in order to purchase one of the genuine antique Tiffany glass lamps — sometimes even if you just want to buy a reproduction! These lamps can cost an individual anywhere from hundreds of dollars into the thousands of dollars and sometimes even a lot more if it is truly one of the original antique lighting.

Your wisest policy? Buy only from a reputable and knowledgeable dealer/seller. If you are being asked to pay a large sum, do not hesitate to get an independent, objective appraisal before finalizing your purchase.

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