Contemporary Pendant Lighting For Your Home

The right lighting accents can create the perfect ambiance to any room, on any budget, for any style. These are so unique and specific that professional decorators always start with lighting in order to bring out the attributes in a room and to draw a room together. Using the right kind can add a sense of joy and peace to a room. Obviously, darker rooms fair well with brighter rooms work well together. In general these can often be overlooked by amateurs and a floor lamp might be added as a last minute thought to the importance of lighting. If you are starting to decorate a room. If you are looking to accent an already decorated room, your task may be a bit harder.

This kind of piece gives a décor a freedom that others don’t. In reality, it can be more flexible and more decorative than almost any other style. Chandeliers tend to overpower a room while they provide enough where it is most needed but doesn’t detract attention from the rest of the room. In the center of the room is the most important piece in the room, then placing a more highly decorative piece in the middle of the room will accomplish this. The use can work in almost any room, provided that the style of the light compliments the rest of room. Naturally, high ceilings are most appropriate for pendant lighting while lower ceilings can use a limited styling when it comes to these kinds of ideas. Hitting your head every time you pass under the light will only detract from the room.

Simple and stylish pendant lighting can work well in simple living rooms, high ceiling bathrooms, and even some kitchens, depending on the style of the lighting and the kitchen. They can also get more exotic as the size of the room increases. Pendant lighting in the master bedroom nearly always leaves room for significant creativity and open ended styles. Home offices and rec rooms also have potential for pendant lighting. The most important key to using pendant lighting is using the light to draw the room together while considering how well it will light certain areas of the room.

In offices and living rooms, glare can be reduced through the use of pendant lighting. A glare on a computer screen or television screen can be highly annoying. Using appropriately placed fixtures can reduce this glare and create even lighting for more specified spaces. Since these are not easy to move around once it is installed, this consideration should be addressed prior to hanging the light.

Pendant lighting can be very expensive, and many people will opt for a $50 floor lamp over the cost of a pendant light However, the specialized world of pendant lighting allows for a higher level of creativity and personalization and is worth every penny of its higher than average price.

Des Smalls is the founder of SNSLamps.com which is a division of SNS Designs,Inc. They carry wide selection of unique table lamps. They offer the most popular housewarming ideas, such as tiffany style lamps, table lamps, buffet lamps for everyone.

Selecting the Right Ceiling Pendant Lighting Fixture

Pendant lighting is a relative newcomer to the market of home lighting fixtures. Although it has been around since the 1940’s, this type of lighting is just coming into its own as homes are built with higher ceilings. Although there is no evidence of this, the development of the pendant light was probably a reaction to finding a form of lighting that was less elaborate than the chandelier but that served basically the same function and purpose.

The description of the typical pendant light is a single fixture that hangs from the ceiling from a chain or other kind of supporting device such as a metal rod. They are far less elaborate than the chandelier and rather than having its lights exposed (like a chandelier), the pendant employs a shade of sorts at the end which, in fact, is described as the pendant.

One of the appealing factors of the pendant is its versatility. Pendants can often be found in hallways, small foyers, kitchens, bathrooms and hallways. Narrow areas that need lighting are ideal candidates for a pendant light. The pendant itself is generally completely enclosed, hiding the light fixture itself to avoid glare. Because of its simplicity, the pendant is usually made of a neutral substance employing white or opaque glass.

A slight contradiction in design is worth noting here. One of the more appealing uses of the pendant during the past decade, is in the kitchen. These fixtures are often suspended over a kitchen island or other food preparation area and feature an open-ended bottom through which a soft light is emitted. This is a very attractive feature in the right kind of kitchen because of the even lighting it provides. This type of pendant fixture is also finding its way into other areas of the home.

During its earliest days, the pendant featured a blown glass shell, which eventually evolved into a wide variety of styles. Today, the variety of styles used in pendant lighting is as varied as the styles used in other forms of lighting fixtures. Take a look online or at a fine lighting store or even in a home and garden periodical to see the extent to which this type of lighting has evolved.

One of the mistakes some homeowners make is to try and use a Tiffany style lampshade on a pendant fixture. Don’t get me wrong; Tiffany definitely has its place. Floor lamps and table lamps often add a dramatic flair when used with a Tiffany lampshade. The pendant, on the other hand, is designed to be slim and sleek and putting a Tiffany fixture on the end of one defeats the purpose, in my opinion, because you are really mismatching functional styles. I suggest that you stay with the more traditional style of pendant lighting such as something called the Colonial. This impressive fixture features a shade that gives one the appearance of a lantern with a candle inside.

Unlike the chandelier, the pendant doesn’t need a long lampshade and an understated look is what to go for.

With all of its advantages and eye appeal, you may be ready to head out to buy one. They are stylish, have a simple elegance, are functional and provide illumination in hard to light areas. There are some things to think about, however, before you make that purchase.

First and foremost, it is essential that you consider what you are planning in terms of the overall decorating of the home’s lighting. Pendants can be used as stand alone lighting for a particular area or can be used in combination with other lighting fixtures, particularly in larger areas. Many stores and online dealers offer other lighting fixtures that coordinate with a pendant. These include wall sconces, ceiling fixtures and decorative table lamps.

Pendants are an eye catcher in it’s not something you want to cut corners on when considering a purchase. There are tons of styles and configurations available today and with a little persistence, you can find just the right fixture for both your décor and your budget. An inexpensive pendant gives you what you pay for and if it wears out, replacing it can be a chore that you won’t relish.

Because of their increased popularity, the pendant can be seen in many modern homes. Don’t hesitate to pay a visit to the neighbors or to the model homes, etc. in the area (trust me, many of these model units will use the pendant in a variety of attractive and ingenious ways).

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Spot Lights and Pendant Lights for Art Galleries

As a budding and yet to be discovered artist of the 21st century, I'm always on the look out for galleries that will house my fine works of art for a reasonable amount of time and for a reasonable housing fee. One of the qualifications that I always look for is whether the gallery has proper lighting. Without the right kind of lighting, patrons wouldn't be able to fully appreciate my works and understand how much blood, sweat and tears I put into each piece.

But back to what I was talking about earlier; lighting is imperative in show casing my works. With that said, I look for galleries that include spot lights and perhaps even some directional pendant lighting. Spot lights are especially important and I'm not talking about the really big ones they use in Hollywood, I'm talking about the ones that use the small LED bulbs or even compact fluorescent bulbs. The spot lights have to be placed at least six inches away from the wall so that they properly light up my work. The six inches will ensure that the patrons will be able to view the finer details in my work without the light burning any holes through them.

Directional pendant lights are superb for lighting up sculptural pieces and installation art and can work just as well if not better than spot lights depending on the scenario. For instance, if an artist decides to showcase an installation art piece in the middle of a gallery, spot lights alongside the walls probably won't be able to illuminate it, unless the gallery has spot lights installed along the middle of the ceiling. Pendant lights with adjustable directional fixtures will easily solve this dilemma, especially if track pendant lighting is used.

When you work as a professional artist, your work is always being scrutinized, top to bottom. Without the proper lighting, you run the risk of getting a bad review (I speak from experience). But as long as you find a gallery that includes all the essentials you require, then every patron will be able to see all the blood, sweat and tears that you've put into your work (or is that just me).

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How To Energise Your Moonstone Pendant

Moonstone is one type of popular gemstone and is also a nature's wonder. Millions of years of formation have made Moonstone having strong healing properties and energies that can benefit the wearer spiritually. Personally I have some moonstone pendants and I wear them often to soothe my mood.

But before using a moonstone accessory for spiritual healing, it is good to purify it as they may have passed through different hands like money, travelled through different environments and filled with various magnetic fields. All these are imprinted within the stones and stored in their "crystalline" memory. It is always advisable to erase any "memory" recorded in the stone structure before they are worn.

In order to do so, Maria Duval advises you to immerse the moonstone pendant in a glass of receptable containing spring water (mineral water) for 24 hours. After that, do so regularly (about every second month) in order to discharge the gemstone of any negative energies it may possibly have accumulated in its structure.

To "recharge" your gemstone with lunar fluid, all you need to do is to expose your moonstone pendant to the moonlight overnight, preferably when the moon is in the Ascendant (the period extending from the New Moon to the Full Moon), on a window sill just to take an example.

Do this every two months too, after first purifying your stone in spring water. That way you will always have available a moonstone accessory capable of working at the best of its magic potentials.

Mere T is a spiritual researcher, blogger, and conservationist. She has benefited a lot from the guidance of psychic Maria Duval in the topic of spirituality. She lives in New Zealand with her family and she enjoys the serenity of her country as it helps her to build up on her spiritual bonding with the environment. Her Maria Duval blog is Maria Duval | Psychic | Clairvoyant.

Custom Jewelry And Enhancer Bails Work For Your Pendant

Enhancer Bails Work. Generally, an enhancer is a bail which opens to allow the necklace, pearls, for instance, to be inserted and the enhancer is closed to secure it to the necklace. The types of closures are an important consideration. Some only "snap" shut. Others only have a small "figure 8" shaped safety that folds from one side over a small bead on the other to make the closure.

The "figure 8" safety is one commonly seen on bangle bracelets, gold necklaces with box or cylindrical clasps and on bracelets. The most secure type of enhancer both "snaps" shut and has the "figure 8" safety for added assurance the enhancer will not come open while being worn on the necklace.

Generally, a 14k gold enhancer bail will run from about $50 to $90 in the most common sizes. Fancier ones and added stones will certainly increase the price. If the pendant you have will need a loop soldered on to fit the enhancer, or if the enhancer must be soldered to the pendant, the cost will rise a little. A simple loop soldered on will be about $14 to $18 in my neck of the woods. Solder directly to the enhancer will run from $10 to perhaps $15, including soldering and refinishing. This is added to the cost of the enhancer.

Prices certainly may vary from location to location. Keep in mind, in the usa most jewelers can get the findings, parts, like enhancer bails, for essentially the same prices, regardless of location. For any pendant, and enhancer of the right size is needed to maintain balance in the look of the jewelry. The enancer should fit the necklace and not overpower or look too small for the pendant.

Then again, a necklace of pearls should also balance in size with the pendant. I have seen some enhancers which are much too large for the pendant part of the jewelry and detract from the beauty. If the necklace requires a larger opening, you might choose a longer and more "slim" enhancer which can accommodate a larger necklace but is narrow enough to look in balance with the pendant.

The best thing I can suggest is to go to a jewelry shop and ask to see enhancers. Generally, not many are kept in stock since it is very difficult to predict what a particular customer may need. You can generally see life sized images in catalogs from suppliers. At this time, the store should be able to tell you what labor or modifications to your pendant are needed to fit the enhancer.

There is alot of people that are looking for a some custom jewelery like a gold jerusalem cross pendant with small diamonds or cz at the center of each cross. This unusual form of cross is not likely to be found in stock in jewelry stores. Sometimes these stores will have cross jewelry but most will not be made in gold.

My suggsent is, you will likely have to go to jewelry stores and ask if they can special order the cross for you. At this time of the year, the sooner you can do this the better. Once you get the cross, any competent jeweler should be able to add a stone to the cross.

I did find one jewelry supplier who has a Jerusalem Cross in their religious jewelry catalog. This company is Stuller Findings. The company sells only to businesses but so many jewelry stores use Stuller for supplies and various jewelry items it should not be too difficult to find a store with a Stuller account. The cross could then be ordered. The order would need to specify white gold.

Alternative suggestion. There are many of these crosses listed on Internet sellers sites along with other jewelry that you might like. I do not know if white gold is available or not and that will take a search and perhaps an inquiry to the seller. If you can get the cross that way, still, a local jeweler should have little problem setting a stone in the cross. Whether stones may be set in the side crosses will depend on how the cross is made in the first place. Center should be no problem in the larger cross.

Custom Work: A jewelry store who advertises "custom work" should be able to make the cross if you cannot find one. This approach will be more expensive and it might be pushing to get this custom work done by the time that you need it at. If you try the custom direction, please download and print or otherwise get pictures of the cross for the jeweler to see. This will be needed to get the cross done properly and initially to work up and estimate of cost.

There are certainly some other suppliers that jewelry stores use who will have a Jerusalem cross available. When checking stores, I recommend local stores first and not mall chain stores. Local stores often have a lot more flexibility for special ordered items such as the cross. Local stores are often more eager to place a special order than some chain stores appear to be.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for http://www.DiamondGems.info/. DiamondGems.info carries the best selection of loose diamonds, diamond rings, and diamond jewelry on the market. Browse through our selection of loose diamonds by size, cut, shape, type, and other features here: http://www.DiamondGems.info/subcategory/loose-diamond.html.

Circle Cubic Zirconia Pendant- Why Is This A Timeless Trend?

As you might expect, the circle cubic zirconia pendant is still around as one of the most important jewelry items. With many retailers expanding their selections to include matching earrings, rings and bracelets, the innovative variations of the circle theme continue to dazzle the fashion world…Why is that?

There is no better way to give a gift that expresses your love or gratitude to another person than to present them with a dazzling circle cubic zirconia pendant.

Instead of paying hundreds, or even thousands of dollars for a diamond pendant, many shoppers are turning toward cubic zirconia and sterling silver with rhodium plating (which all together, replaces the look of diamond in platinum metal setting).

With this said, the circle cubic zirconia pendant has been a very popular design for shoppers because it possesses a deeper meaning than meets the eye.

You see, a complete circle often symbolizes love or eternity; there is no beginning and no end. The same is said about real love; it is complete, has no definite beginning and no end.

A circle cubic zirconia pendant can have many meanings to different people. Perhaps a circle inspires a feeling that life has come full circle, or that everything is connected in some way or another.

Whatever your reason for wearing it, the many sizes of the circle cubic zirconia pendant remain popular and versatile. This means you can wear it with most outfits (whatever the style or color), and for most occasions—out with friends, at parties, or even at the office.

Even though it is a very fashionable trend, this simple design works for everyone—teens, young adults and women of all ages. Much like the design itself, there seems to be no visible end to the popularity of the circle cubic zirconia pendant.

This is one of the most dazzling and timeless looks you will want to own for a lifetime. Its graceful design will do nothing less than to scintillate loveliness while hanging from your neck, showing off its dramatic and dazzling diamond brilliance.

Although current trends seem to center around the elegance and femininity of the circle cubic zirconia pendant, the symbolic meaning of the circle combined with its simple, sleek appeal will no doubt make this jewelry item a timeless treasure you can wear your whole lifetime.

Penny Best Jewelry provides you with fine cubic zirconia jewelry and timeless designs, at an affordable price. The online store at http://www.pennybest.com offers you top quality cz jewelry including beautiful rings, earrings, stunning necklaces, dazzling bracelets, bridal sets, free shipping, free jewelry box and a 30-day money back guarantee.

Why Pendant Lighting Can Work Wonders For Your Home

Sometimes it is easy to overlook pendant lighting as an effective and decorative way of lighting your home. Perhaps its because we are so used to just thinking of the three most popular indoor lighting fixtures available: the lamp, the flush-mounted ceiling fixture or the chandelier.

In fact, pendant lighting is one of the most versatile of the light fixtures. Pendant lighting can be used to provide the three main types of lighting: ambient, task, and even accent lighting and is not limited in placement options like other lighting such as table, desk, or even floor lamps.

Pendants are mounted to the ceiling, and they can be placed anywhere in the room as long as you run power to them during fixing. Normally, your home already has wiring in place for ceiling fixtures and without wiring restrictions, you can let your imagination run wild when choosing pendant fixtures for every room in your home.

If you want to give an elegant look to your kitchen, you can hang an elegant pendant with ornate glass shades, which will create plenty of ambient lighting for you. You can also try placing a kitchen pendant light above your dining area and this will provide the area additional task lighting.

Kitchen pendant lights are highly popular these days and there are some beautiful Tiffany style lamps around, bearing gorgeous, luscious images of fruit - which are used in pendant lighting fixtures for home kitchens and restaurants to create an intimate and cosy ambience. For a more compelling enhancing effect it can also be coordinated with the primary pendant fixture. The sink area would also benefit from a small overhead pendant to provide additional task lighting for dishes while also serving as accent lighting.

In the living room this type of lighting should be considered as a serious option as the primary source of ambient lighting and when a chandelier may come across as being slightly too ostentatious, the right pendant will brighten the room with great effect. In fact, a simple yet effective piece of pendant lighting can give your décor a classiness it had been lacking.

For hallways and stairways Pendant lighting fixtures work especially well as the sources of illumination. You can hang a simple ceiling fixture at the top of the stairs and though too far away, it can provide enough illumination to navigate securely. A hanging pendant can bring the source of illumination closer to the stairs and thus eliminate dark spots created by flush-mounted ceiling fittings. The other places for pendants are foyers and entrance ways. They should be used to set the tone of your décor as people first enter your house.

Pendant lights come in a variety of shapes and sizes and there are many unlimited designs to choose from. As mentioned earlier, kitchen pendant lighting is becoming increasingly popular as an effective way of creating a cosy and intimate mood in dining areas.

Lauren Tyler is a writer for LampLightWorld.com

Turning Your Home On to Pendant Lights

Sure, pendant lights are a great way to light up your living room or kitchen, but did you ever consider styling your living space around them? Sounds absurd, but hear me out. If your place lacks furniture, the proper amount of lighting will turn your pad into a livable social haven perfect for celebrity style soirees. (However, if you have an overabundance of furniture, no amount of lighting will save you, but that's another story we'll work on later).

Consider the following scenarios: let's say you live in a place that happens to have cathedral ceilings (lucky you!) and you're looking to add some vibrant but not overly dramatic lighting into your home. Stick with contemporary styles that work in a variety of rooms and homes, preferably something with scavo vintage glass or with marblesque glass diffusers and finished in either a chrome or non-patina bronzes. Stay away from narrow, coniferous-shaped, and boxy shades unless you're looking to give your home a mod, Frank Lloyd Wright prairie-inspired ambiance.

If you live in a smaller space like a high-rise loft in the city or a studio apartment, and you're looking to jazz up your place with an urban-contemporary/artsy edge, I suggest going for anything with bold color and unusual shapes. Glass, PVC, silk shades in a variety of styles will truly transform your home. A word of advice if you're taking this route - less is more. Granted, there's a lot more versatility when it comes to choosing the perfect pendant light for your place, but don't go too over-the-top, honey; there's a fine line between edgy and kitsch, and trust me, you don't want to go kitsch!

What's great about pendant lights is that if you hang them in corner spaces or skewed from the absolute center of any room, your space automatically turns into a living art exhibit. Group about three or four ceiling pendants together, or line them up in a curvilinear fashion and, bam! Glorious light in your life (and home, of course)!

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Pendant Lighting

 

Pendant lighting fixtures are suspended from the ceiling and get their name from the jewelry accessory of the same name. Pendant lighting has a distinctive appeal and is considered perfect for places like kitchen islands, desks, breakfast nooks and the like. Pendant lighting can be either a single pendant lighting fixture or two or three different ones teamed up to provide a dramatic effect. Generally when two or three pendant lighting fixtures are teamed up, mini pendant lighting fixtures are used. The area of pendant lighting provides a lot of scope for the use of creative designs and ideas.

It is advisable to mount pendant lighting fixtures at least 24" to 30" above the area to be lit. When mini pendants are used, the ideal height would be 18" to 24" above the surface area to be lighted. When two or three pendants are used, an adjustable pendant bar can be used to fix them at different heights. This makes it possible to adjust heights from time to time, varying the overall lighting effect in the process.

Pendant lighting fixtures are available in various styles. Some of the commonly seen styles are sleek clean designs, reflective stained glass and crinkle glass designs. Pendant lighting fixtures are task oriented and provide necessary lighting for specific areas. The intensity of light needed can be dictated by the choice of bulb used inside the pendant lighting fixture.

Most pendant lighting fixtures are available with chains and rods that enable adaptation for different heights. Multiple pendant lights in a single fixture at staggered heights create a dramatic effect and are ideal for use little corners of large rooms. This kind of lighting creates an interesting area in an otherwise ordinary room.

Pendant lighting fixtures made of hand blown glass are available starting around $30, with some costing $500 and above.

Differing budgets and lighting needs can be catered to efficiently by the imaginative use of pendant lighting.

Lighting provides detailed information on Lighting, Home Lighting, Outdoor Lighting, Landscape Lighting and more. Lighting is affiliated with Ceiling Lighting Fixtures

Pendant Lighting - Fun & Versatile!

 

Pendant lighting is not seen as a genuine lighting alternative for many of us because we have been brainwashed into thinking there are the three basics: the lamp, the flush-mounted ceiling fixture, and when you want to get fancy—the chandelier. Most of us even think of wall sconces before the word pendant will ever come to mind.

The pendant is actually one of the most versatile of the light fixtures and can be used to provide the three main types of lighting: ambient, task, and even accent lighting. Unlike table, desk, or even floor lamps, the pendant light fixture is not limited in placement options. A table or desk lamp always needs some sort of furniture or desk to place them upon. Unless you want to place furniture in the middle of your room in order to set the lamp upon, table and desk lamps are not good sources of ambient lighting. Although great for task lighting such as reading, lamps—including floor models—are limited by their placement restrictions and in the types of lighting they are able to provide (great task lighting, poor ambient, no accent).

Because pendants are mounted to the ceiling, they can be placed anywhere in the room so long as you run power to them during installation. In most cases, your home already has wiring in place for ceiling fixtures. Without wiring restrictions, you can let your imagination run wild when choosing pendant fixtures for each room.

In the kitchen, an elegant pendant with ornate glass shades will create plenty of ambient lighting while adding some flare and subtle elegance to the room. If you have a center island or breakfast nook, try placing a 3-bulb pendant overhead. This will provide these work/eating areas with additional task lighting and can be coordinated with the primary pendant fixture for a more compelling decorative effect. Even the sink area would benefit from a small overhead pendant to provide additional task lighting for dishes while also serving as accent lighting when the other lights are turned off.

The living room is another area when pendant lighting should be considered as a serious option as the primary source of ambient lighting. While a chandelier may be overbearing in the space, the right pendant will brighten the room and give the décor the added class and sophistication it had been lacking when a simple ceiling fixture was in place. Pendants come in such a wide variety of shapes and sizes, there is literally no limit to the number of options they bring to your lighting blueprint.

Pendant lighting fixtures work especially well as sources of illumination for hallways and stairways. A simple ceiling fixture at the top of the stairs can be too far away to provide enough illumination for everyone in your family to navigate safely. However, a hanging pendant can bring the source of illumination closer to the stairs and thus eliminate dark spots created by flush-mounted ceiling fixtures. Foyers and entranceways are other great places for pendants and they should be used to set the tone of your décor as people first enter your home.

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Boulder Opal A Great Choice for Pendant Jewelry

Boulder opal is a great alternative to the other two main types of opal: Black opal and White opal. Boulder opal is mostly sold in opal shops as a free form piece of gemstone. That means that the stone has its own individual shape rather than an oval or a circle or a pear shape which black and white opals are normally cut into.

A free form shape will not look like any shape that you recognize but will still be pleasing. Another major difference is that boulder opal will often not be smooth and domed on the top. We call this a cabochon from an old French word which translates to the English word hat. We cut most opals into cabochons because it enhances their color characteristics by allowing the light to enter and exit the stone for maximum effect.

Boulder opal will mostly have an undulating surface of the opal material sitting on a bed or dark brown ironstone. This means that the stone will need to have a jeweler make a special setting for the stone because ready made settings or castings generally come in oval shapes which are made for cabochon cuts of stones and not free form stones.

There are two sub types of boulder opal: seam and matrix. Seam opal is found where the opal material invades cracks in the ironstone rock. When the ironstone boulder is broken apart of by running a bulldozer across it or hitting it with a big hammer the rock will split into two parts. The opal will be in each part.

Matrix opal is where the opal runs in a haphazard fashion throughout the rock. So the actual stone is cut and polished with the opal matrix within it. It makes great opal pendants.

Boulder opal is heavier than black opal or white opal because it often has the ironstone with it so it makes it a little more difficult to make into some kinds of opal jewelry such as an opal ring or opal earrings. Certainly not impossible to make into anything but for pendants it is ideal and it makes up into large opal pendants as well.

Gary Hocking makes custom jewellery specializing in Australian opals. He has his own website http://www.opaljewelryexpress.com Feel free to use this article as long as you keep the bio and the live link to his website.