Old Glass Table lamp Shades As Expanded Investment

Glass light shades are noted for their decorative value in modern home decor

. They first rose to prominence as an art form in the early 1800s when gas lighting was first invented. In addition, in recent years the antique business has burgeoned online through the introduction of sites like iGavel and eBay. These sites duplicate the function of big auction houses but are much more accessible to small time sellers and buyers. These facts are an indication of how buying an antique shade for one's shade is both a good aesthetic investment as well as a financial one.

Unlike many other kinds of furniture, buying a valuable antique lamp shade may accrue returns over time as the antique ages. The two best examples are the Victorian gas shades that have been popular since the early 1800s, as well as the stained glass shades made by the Tiffany design company. An understanding of these and other styles will help one pick out the best investment that is also most compatible with one's existing home decor.

Victorian style shades can be traced back to the late 1700s when gas was first harnessed for its ability to power a light source steadily and continuously. Simultaneously across Europe (England, France and Germany) several inventors came up with designs and prototypes that featured working gas lights. Quickly following they were incorporated into street, factory and home lighting. The gas shade style was characterized by a dome structure enclosing the flame and a venting hole or cylindrical structure to release heat and errant gases.

At that time a real gas flame provided lighting. A popular kind of shade was the chimney lamp shade. The hurricane shade may have descended from it directly. Both are characterized by tall glass enclosures which helped shield the flame from draft or wind, but at the same time helped funnel fresh air in for the flame and stale air out the top.

Victorian shades also came in other shapes such as the hurricane shade or the dome shade. The exterior surface of the glass lamp shades were invariably decorated with ornate and intricate designs, oftentimes acid etched to produce a frosty appearance. The one constant is that the gas shades had a top opening for dissipating the gas and heat. Nowadays of course, the shade would be used with electrical bulbs making the hole merely decorative.

In the early 1900s, glass lamp shades designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany became a sensation in the design world. Tiffany came from a long family of designers, his father having started the famous jewelry store that now bears their name. He was claimed to have been inspired by the craftsmanship of old church windows that blended scenes outlined with iron rods and then colored with stained glass panes.

Although Tiffany's own home design firm churned out a number of stained glass lamp shades, imitators soon flooded the market with replicas that were often clearly marked "Tiffany-style" shades. The quality was much more spotty, and many prefer an authentic antique glass lamp shade that can be traced to Tiffany's workshops.

The impressive quality of glass shades is that they can hold the center of attention for an entire room. The problem of course is to find one. Bidding on and acquiring an antique shade will be expensive and require a lot of patience. The benefit is that they will retain or increase in value as evidenced by the price history. Furthermore, unlike other types of collectibles, shades are immediately useful for both lighting and beautifying one's home.

Old Glass Table lamp Shades As Expanded Investment

By: Carla Wise

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