Tiffany Lamp

The name of the lamp comes from the designer, Mr. Louis Comfort Tiffany.  Louis Comfort Tiffany started off painting with watercolors and oils, and then he made some pottery and designed jewellery, before he made the well known lamp.  It was while he was in his twenties that he started to experiment with glass by combining colored glass with chemicals and metals developing a range of colors never seen before in glass.  He started off by designing and installing glass windows, and then he wanted to make it possible for more people to afford and have his wonderful art in their homes. 

Because the traditional art of stained glass used heavy metals to hold together the glass pieces, it made it hard to design lampshades.  So Louis Comfort Tiffany started making lampshades using copper foil.  To hold the various pieces of glass together he would melt the copper foil in between the glass pieces.  As copper foil was a lighter choice than the traditional lead, Louis was able to create his famous lamps and lampshades.  The first production of the tiffany lamp was in 1899.  Louis also designed a few chandeliers, vases, and light covers, however he was well known for his lamps.

When purchasing one of these fabulous lamps, you will notice that the lamps come in several designs.  A lot of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s lamps had a design inspired by nature.  His lamp designs ranged from a dragonfly, a dogwood, peacock, water lily and more.  A tiffany lamp is known for its quality and intricate design.  It is common in the design to have the base or the stand of the lamp to light up along with the rest of the lamp.  There are several people who collect these lamps and depending on the design and the date of the lamp, it can range in price.  A tiffany lamp can be found at a reasonable price, or an outrageous price.  Be aware of fakes though, as they can be sold at rather large sums claiming to be an original.  An original lamp is always signed, stamped, or engraved with the model number and initials “LCT”, or the factory name where it was produced.  Be sure that you are purchasing an original piece when you are paying a large price for a collector’s item. 

Whether you want to purchase a tiffany lamp to add to your collection, or to add uniqueness to your room, you will want to make sure that it is the real deal.  If purchasing the product on-line you will want to ask for proof that it’s a real tiffany product.  However tiffany lamps are becoming a popular product, so you can easily find one at a nearby lighting store, or speciality store.