Chandelier is a word of the French language coming from chandelle, which translated, into candle. The first chandeliers were candle light of two or more hanging from wooden branches holding the candles above for light. It was in the 14th century that the wooden chandeliers holding candles, but since the candle grease would eventually ruin the wooden branches. It was at this time that the wood was replaced by metal, iron, copper, brass and silver. Eventually gas lightening or electrictricity would replace the candles.
By the 17th and the 18th centuries chandeliers were becoming better known and popular. By the 19th century, chandeliers were becoming more and more elaborated with beautiful crystals and ropes. But it was not until well into the 20th century that there was enough mass spreading of electrical supplied through out the country. So between Edison’s very limited uses of electrical functions of the 1880’s and the first official 1891 electrical plant opening, Electrical chandeliers are rare to none before the 20th century.
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As far as the pre-dated gas chandeliers they are rare, but around. Very few of them though are completely original because of broken pieces that have replaced the original cracked or broken pieces. So if the there are too many replacements on the chandelier it then cannot be considered antique. A very true antique chandelier of the 1800’s is very rare but possible to find. The handcrafted crystal of the Europeans is some of the finest hand crafted crystals of the past and present.
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