Antique and Vintage Crystal Chandeliers

I just love crystal chandeliers - the more ornate, blinged-out and fancy the better in my mind. So I go traditional. If you also love tricked-out home decor, then I wouldn't consider anything below an 8-armed chandelier. An arm is the spoke that comes out from from the center of the chandelier and and holds the light at the end. I've seen them with as few as 2 and as many as 20. I'm not rich enough for a 20, but I've found some great 10-arm chandeliers.

Once you've decided on the number of arms you need to decide on the size. I admit it I fell in love with a crystal chandelier and then had to find a place for it. I'd recommend doing it the other way around. So if you want to hang a crystal chandelier in your foyer start by measuring the diameter of your foyer AND it's height. The second measurement can be crucial if you have a very vertical chandelier.

Then decide on the metal that you want silver, brass, or oh Dear Heaven gold! Even thought it's hanging from the ceiling and not usually near anything, it's really good to coordinate your crystal chandelier with your sterling silver tea set or Waterford Crystal.

There is indeed a crystal chandelier for every mood and home decor. My only problem is that you have to pick one and let it stay there for years. Even my saint of a husband isn't going to change out a sparkling crystal chandelier to a black chandelier because I want to change the mood in the dining room.

You also need to check out how much crystal is actually on the chandelier. Some chandeliers are actually mostly simple metal lines while others are embellished with all sorts of crystal. If you see one that you like but it's just not fancy enough. You could consider adding your own crystal decorations. If you're feeling artsy then string your own crystal beads and hang them on your chandelier. The one advantage of this is that if you're considering selling your home and would leave the chandelier, the new homeowners could remove the embellishments if they have quieter or simpler taste. I think of it as putting jewelry on my home lighting!

If you've never been in a room with a huge chandelier it's quite impressive when you turn down all of the other lights. It really does create a sparkling halo over our dinner table.

For ultra chic home lighting take a look at vintage French chandeliers. In my mind, the French create more stylized and geometric chandeliers, while other designs have more organic and free-flowing forms. But French chandeliers do sparkle as much as any other and they create quite a splash.

My husband and I bought a huge fixer-upper on the northern coast of Maine. I figure it will be done in about 30 years - if ever. But I wanted a place that would hold lots of interesting furniture and designs. So I'm in no hurry to find pieces. I love to take the truck and go for a ride throughout New England and see what's what. Fun but not very efficient. Often I find stuff for a song that needs to be refurbished. But every so often I really want to find a piece for the living room or kitchen. I'll quickly call a few antique stores, but if I can't find something at the right price, I do often turn to ebay sellers.

Yes you can buy expensive and important pieces on ebay, you just have to take a look at the ebay seller's Positive Feedback Rating and the comments left by previous shoppers. If you ever have any questions about any item (large or small) just email the seller and ask.