How to Care for your Crystal

The last several posts have discussed crystal. Today we will offer you tips on how to care for your crystal once you have placed it in your home lighting design.

Full lead crystal is much clearer than common glass and because it is somewhat “softer” the surface of the crystal is more easily scratched. You should never handle the crystal with your bare hands, as the oils of your hand will dull the finish requiring you to clean the crystal. Instead the crystal should be handled only while wearing a pair of soft cotton gloves.

You should avoid use of harsh detergents, chemicals or abrasives. Special crystal care products are available to clean and protect your crystal investment. We always recommend these products to our customers so the luxuriousness of your crystal will last for years to come.




Item shown is a 6-Light Chandelier w/Rosaline Colored STRASS (R) Swarovski Crystals, available at Lighting One showrooms. Visit http://www.lighting-one.com/ to find your closest retailer.

Making & Cutting Crystal

Over the last couple of postings, we have been discussing crystal for your home lighting design. We will continue on that topic and explore the process of making and cutting crystal.

Making crystal involves heating a mixture of sand, potash, (potassium carbonate) and lead oxide to at least 4,352 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the crystal is formed, smoothed and beveled, the crystal is polished to a smooth, brilliant finish. The act of "polishing" is actually accomplished by dipping the crystal into an acid bath to strip away the outside layer of crystal.

Special cutting wheels can be used to cut intricate designs in the crystal. Sandblasting can also be used to cut a design into the crystal. The sandblasting method produces a frosted design, while leaving the rest of the crystal piece clear. When you see the frosted design, it means the crystal was never brought back to the acid bath to be polished.

While any piece of glass can be called crystal, it can only be called "lead crystal" when there is at least 24% lead oxide in the glass. Usually 30% is the maximum amount of lead oxide used in crystal.

It should be noted that each piece of true, hand cut, lead crystal is a unique product. Even though a specific pattern may be used, there will still be very slight variations in pattern size and spacing of the elements. This only adds more charm to the fixture. Absolute product consistency can only achieved by a fully mechanized production system, not by a craftsperson.

Next posting - How to Care for your Crystal

Item shown is a table lamp #6304-AB, excluisvely available at Lighting One showrooms with an exclusive cut from Waterford Crystal Lighting. Visit http://www.lighting-one.com/ to find your closest retailer so you may see the entire Waterford for Lighting One (TM) collection.

What is Crystal?

Last posting, we touched on the elegance of crystal. Today, we will explore that topic further. First, exactly what is crystal?

The art of glassmaking has been practiced for over 2000 years. But in 1676, this art was changed when an English glassmaker, George Ravenscroft, discovered that he could make a product harder and clearer by adding lead oxide to the melted glass. The new glass had a higher luster, was dramatically heavier, had an increase in the index of refraction, and was easier to cut without fracturing. This allowed the glassmaker to make more elaborate designs in the face of the crystal.

By the dawn of the 20th century the production of cut lead crystal was slowly declining as lower cost imitation molded and pressed glass became routinely produced for the masses. However molded glass cannot compare to real cut leaded crystal. Crystal is so much more detailed, with a brilliant luster and it’s sharpness and clarity cannot be compared with these lower cost imitations. Also these imitations often have rough surfaces and mold lines that would never be found on true cut lead crystal.

Properly cut lead crystal has the magnificent ability to disperse light with almost a diamond like brilliance. The brilliant colors of refracted sunlight passing through a fine piece of deep cut lead crystal are simply captivating!

Next posting - Making & Cutting Crystal

Item shown is a semi-flush crystal basket #30204S22, excluisvely available at Lighting One showrooms. Visit http://www.lighting-one.com/ to find your closest retailer.

The Elegance of Crystal

Now that we have looked at lighting for your home design and other home soultions, it’s important to look at crystal chandeliers for a moment.

Be careful, while crystal has been commonly used in foyers and dining rooms in the past, today there are crystal fixtures suitable for all areas of the home. Since crystal can be an integral part of any room fixture; it is really important that we understand some of the basics of crystal.

Below are topics that will be covered in upcoming blog postings. Stayed "tuned" for more information. In the meantime, feel free to contact your local Lighting One retailer for more tips and ideas for your home. To locate your near showroom, visit http://www.lighting-one.com/.

Upcoming Blog Posting Topics:

• What is Crystal?


• Making and Cutting the Crystal


• Care of Crystal

The item shown in the picture is 30238S22 and is available at your local Lighting One showroom.

Tips for your Showroom Visit to Create your Unique Home Design

So you are enthusiastically shopping for lighting and you enter your local specialty lighting retailer (you know, the ones with all of the expertise). Your expectation is that you will walk out with your new lighting on order... and then the helpful lighting expert starts asking you all of these relevant questions... unfortunately, you are not prepared for them and these are questions you just can't answer. Well, now you can arrive at your destination with the knowledge needed to create your tailored home design plan. Read on for a list of questions that you may be asked. Print this out, and have your answers prepared in advance. This will assist the process tremendously and expedite your unique plan.

For inside lighting:

What is the size of the room?
What is the décor of the room?
What color is the wall covering used in the room?
What other colors are used in the room?
Are the furnishings light or dark?
What kinds of furnishings are in the room?
How will the room be used?
What are you trying to create with the lighting?
What decorative items do you want to emphasize or de-emphasize in the room?

What is the height of your ceiling? {Editors Note: Added 6/16/08}

For outside lighting:

What is the house like?
What style is the house?
Is it a Ranch, Colonial, or perhaps a Cape Cod?
How big is the house?
What is needed for safety and security?
What is the layout of the landscaping?
What do you want to emphasize or de-emphasize?

There may be other questions of course, but these will cover the basics and allow the design expert to start a plan that is designed to fit your individual needs. If you need assistance, the lighting design experts at Lighting One showrooms are a terrific source. Lighting is what they know best. To locate a showroom in your area, visit http://www.lighting-one.com/ and you are off to a new design for your home.

Item shown is 8015-CM and available at Lighting One showrooms.

Proper Lighting for your Home Design

Proper lighting gives form and texture to a room by warming a dark corner, highlighting a favorite piece of art or creating just the right mood. With proper lighting your customer can experience a quiet evening curled up with a good book, or tell a great story at an exciting party. Lighting gives a small child the security to sleep at night, while allowing a young mother to tuck her angel in before she lies down. Yet lighting can provide so much more. Studies have shown that bright rooms can energize people while darker rooms cause people’s moods to be more depressed.

So then, what is proper lighting? Proper lighting for one person may not be proper for another. There are many things to consider when determining your lighting needs.

Lighting is used throughout the day, not only after the sun goes down. So, you need a well-designed lighting plan to balance and augment natural sunlight while providing the right light for family activities at night. It is important to seek the help of a lighting design expert to create the best plan for you. While you feel this is not cost-effective for you, in the long-run it will pay off in an optimal design. Most specialty lighting showrooms, like those that are part of Lighting One, offer these services with professionals on hand to help you make the most of your home. If you still choose not to use those services, please do as much research on your own as you can. You will be surprised by how much you do not know. A lighting showroom usually has better quality products that will last a long time and provide the best overall value. If you need assistance locating one in your area, go to the Lighting One website http://www.lighting-one.com/ and search for your closest location. Also, subscribe to this blog to have lighting design tips sent to your email inbox on a regular basis.

Product shown is 0411-RD, available at Lighting One showrooms.

Important Consideration For All Dimmers

It is important to understand what type of fixture and bulbs you will be dimming. Most incandescent fixtures can be dimmed.

However, you must be careful when trying to dim low voltage devices, as most of the time, they will require a special dimmer. If you have a fixture that uses an electronic transformer, you must use a dimmer specified for that application. Likewise, if you have a fixture with a magnetic transformer, a special type of dimmer should be used.

Remember too, when dimming fluorescents you will need to know about the type of ballast used by the fixture to determine the correct type of dimmer.

I don't mean to be repetitive but always be sure to have a licensed electrician install any new dimmers. For more information on dimmers, or for recommendations on local electricians, you may contact your local Lighting One showroom. Use the locator listed at http://www.lighting-one.com/ to locate your closest showroom.

As a reminder, you may access previous Lighting One Design Tips postings on lighting, color, design, and other tips by viewing our blog at http://www.iluciolighting.blogspot.com/.

Feel free to leave any comments you may have.

Item shown is 5655-TB and is available exclusively at a Lighting One showroom.