Chandelier Parts Names and Sources

Happy Tuesday Friends!  Today I want to share with you a few of my favorite sources for chandelier parts.  More specifically, chandelier prisms or crystals.  If you know the names of the crystals, they are much easier to search for! 

I have been busy taking down a few of my favorite crystal chandeliers in preparation for our move.  As I was taking down each crystal, one by one, I realized just how many prisms it takes per chandelier.  A LOT.  Take this chandelier for instance.  It’s probably my all time favorite.  I bought it for just $40 and painted it Heirloom White.  I had all of these crystals from an antique chandelier I bought years ago so I was fortunate I didn’t need to buy any for this fixture.   Can you guess how many crystals are on this one fixture?

The answer is 80 crystals!  Plus the smooth crystal ball on the bottom.  That’s a lot of bling!

As you can imagine it’s hard to clean that many crystals well while they are hanging on the chandelier.   So, while they are down, I’ll take the opportunity to clean them individually and pack them safely away for the move.  I was sure to label each batch of crystals so it will be easy to reassemble them on the other end.  (I can’t wait to hang these beauties in our new house!)  This shape crystal is called a U-drop and comes in different sizes and lengths.  You can usually find nice quality glass crystals for about $1 each.  Or sometimes if you are lucky, you can buy an entire lot of prisms at a good price.  Even at $1 per crystal, $80 is expensive!  You can search for crystal prism lots on eBay and find some good deals.

I bought two lots of these lovely pink crystals.  After some research I found they are called French Pendalogue Crystals. Usually you find them in clear glass but I love the muted pink of these crystals.  Future closet chandelier for me with pink French Pendalogue crystals?  Future granddaughter’s room?  Hmmm.  It could happen!  I actually don’t know how many I have as they are already packed and ready for the move.

And this lovely thing is called a Bobeche.  And apparently I’ve been saying it wrong for years!  It’s pronounced either bob-ish or bo-besh.  They are cupped rings that are placed over the socket of a lamp or chandelier arm and were originally intended to catch dripping wax from candles.  They can be made of many materials but the crystal ones are by far the prettiest.  (I think).  These can be found on Antique Lamp Supply.com or eBay.

These days they are merely decorative and used on the outside of a candle socket and sleeve to hold crystals.  Some come with crystals attached like this one.  Other times they are just plain or have built in hooks for crystals.  Usually you need to slip the bobeche over the socket without the light bulb or socket sleeve.  Then replace the socket cover or sleeve and screw in the bulb.

Then it looks like this:  Any opportunity for more crystals is always a plus in my book!  And the drippy candle looking thing?  It’s called a candle cover or chandelier socket sleeve.   They come in a variety of colors and materials too.  These are plastic and have a dripped wax look I love.  Most of the ones I find are made of a cardboard like material.  Some have the candle wax drips and some don’t.  It all depends on what you like.  Me?  I love the candle drips.

Below are a few examples of different sizes and shapes of crystals.  These can vary in price greatly.  Now I know the large crystal like the one below on the far left is called a French Pendalogue, I can Google Large French Pendalogue and usually it routes you to eBay.  The cheapest ones I’ve found so far come from China.  And you know the saying “a slow boat to China”?  Well, they must use a slow boat to ship them.  So, just know if you order anything from China it can take weeks!  Note:  these aren’t fine crystals like Swarovski, but they are nice, heavy and glass.  And they are very inexpensive so if you need a lot and aren’t in a hurry, this is your place!

Here is some glass jewel chain, usually sold by the foot or yard.  Again, eBay is a great resource.  Make sure to read the fine print.  Sometimes you think you are getting a glass chain and it’s actually acrylic.  (Yuck)

These little things  are connectors.  They really come in handy when you are re-doing a chandelier.  They are very pliable and you can hook a glass connector piece on one end and the larger crystal on the other and attach it to your fixture using just two connectors.  Usually they come in brass, like this one, or in silver.  And they are very inexpensive.

This is a crystal cut glass ball.  These are pretty as a sun catcher or make a pretty bauble for the bottom of a chandelier.  This one is about 2″ or 40mm.  I bought two of these from China and they were less than $5 each.  Plus free, albeit painfully slow shipping.  It took 3 weeks to arrive.  No worries.  At least we haven’t moved yet!

These tiny little French Pendalogues are double sided.  Sometimes they are flat on one side and angled cut glass on the other.  I think they are so pretty!  What’s not to love?

Other than eBay, another resource is chandelierparts.com.  Here you can find an array of different styles and shapes of crystals.  They offer 15 different colors of crystals so you can customize any light fixture to suit your taste and color scheme!  Recently I did a make-over on a chandelier for our dining room.  The fixture came with amber colored crystals that I wasn’t that crazy about at first, but once I finished painting and gold leafing it, the amber colors really gave it a nice finishing touch!  Don’t you agree?

I’m quickly becoming a fan of amber colored crystals!  And I love their pretty pear shape too.   The amber crystals are used sparingly amongst the clear glass bead so it gives the chandelier some nice dimension.  (I am really tempted to keep this one…)

This is the petite chandelier I put in my closet.  One could easily switch out the clear crystals for colored ones. Or use different sizes and shapes for a completely different look.   I could have used a crystal cut ball on the bottom as a statement piece and a little extra bling!  For a few dollars it can make a big difference.

So, if you love crystal chandeliers like I do, keep an eye out for one that needs a little TLC and put your own spin on it!  Paint it a fun color and mix and match your crystals.  If it doesn’t turn out quite like you planned, all it takes is a different color paint!  So, check eBay, Amazon or your favorite antique stores and snatch up those crystals when you find a great deal.  You will find a great project to use them with, I promise!

I hope you have a lovely evening.  xoxo Dell