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New Illuminations on this Old Crystal Chandelier Market

Are you looking for an antique crystal chandelier powered by electricity?

You should be fully informed as you shop and make a purchasing decision, so please read the following consumer’s guide information carefully.  A commonly accepted definition of “antique” requires that the object be at least one hundred years old.  That means that a genuinely antique crystal chandelier would need to have been manufactured, at the latest, in the first decade of the twentieth century.  Remember, however, that electricity was not available for popular consumption in the United States until the 1930s and 1940s.  So, you can see the reason why there are not many truly definitive antique crystal chandeliers in existence at present:  the demand and power source to support them in American homes simply did not exist one hundred years ago.

Of course, there are some crystal chandeliers still in existence from the early 1900s.  As you would guess, only a small percentage of these are electric.  It is amazing to think that there are any of these early models still surviving, as they were made of glass and, of course, highly prone to damage and breakage.  Of those remaining in the marketplace today, many of the crystal chandelier parts are missing, broken, or replaced.  The newly replaced parts may often be of better quality, sparkling more than the original pieces of crystal, particularly if they were substituted with something similar to Swarovski crystal. This obviously drives down the value of these pieces.  A true, original antique model is a very rare – and expensive – find.  A word to the wise:  be cautious of chandelier dealers specializing in “antiques.”