A Buying Guide for Crystal Chandeliers

Crystal chandeliers are popular for their dazzling appearance and can enhance the beauty of any room. These ornate lighting fixtures come in an assortment of shapes and sizes, so you can find one to fit your home. You need to keep your budget in mind when going out to purchase one for your living room, dining room or hallway.  

Here are a few points to consider before venturing out to purchase a crystal chandelier.  

Size of the Room and Chandelier

Keep the size of the room in mind when buying a crystal chandelier. Use a large fixture in a big space and a smaller one if your space is small. If you install a huge fixture in a small place it will look too crowded. Similarly, hanging a small chandelier in a large room will give it a dwarfed appearance.

In a dining room there should ideally be 30 inches between the table and the last crystal of the chandelier. If your fixture is for the hallway, hang it so there is at least 7 feet from the base of the chandelier to the floor.

Architectural Design and Decor

The design and lighting of your chandelier should compliment the style and décor of the room. It should blend in easily, instead of standing apart. 

Lighting Used in the Chandelier

Determine whether your purchase uses specialty bulbs that are harder to find (and usually more expensive), or standard ones.

Try to keep the total wattage of all the bulbs in the chandelier to no more than 200 or 400 watts. Remember, a chandelier is more of a decoration than a typical light fixture. If your room is big, supplement the chandelier with other sources of light.  

Quality of Crystals

The price of a crystal chandelier is greatly affected by crystal quality. There are four types of crystals used in these fixtures.

• Strass Crystals: Strass Crystals are considered to be the finest crystal in the world, because they are flawless and as clear as spring water. Swarovski AG in the Austrian Alps manufactures these. Each crystal is over 12 mm and bears the distinct STRASS signature.
• Swarovski Spectra Crystals: This is a new alternative quality crystal created by the manufacturers of Strass Crystals, providing quality at an affordable price.
• Imperial Crystals: Imperial Crystals are cut by precision, sourced from Turkey, Austria, Czech Republic and Egypt.
• Regal Crystals: These are cut by hand in two stages by a process that dates back centuries.

Italian Crystals

These are not cut but molded and make ideal budget crystals for heavy dressed chandeliers.

You can get a chandelier made from clear crystals, colored crystals or a combination of both. The crystal color should depend on the color scheme of the room.  

Chandelier Frame

The frame of the chandelier can enhance its beauty and appearance, so make sure your frame is nice. Imagine how the frame alone would look when choosing a good frame.