1930s French Art Deco Chandelier With Five "Tops" Opalescent Shades

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And what to our wondering eyes should appear but this flock of five AMAZING opalescent shades on a 1920s French … Read more And what to our wondering eyes should appear but this flock of five AMAZING opalescent shades on a 1920s French slender, "barely there" fixture -- its minimal presence allowing the beauty of the opalescent glass shades to shine in their full glory. The 34-inch long fixture (about 20 across) has its original two-tone nickel plating, but that plating has been dulled, darkened, and otherwise compromised by time and the elements.

I've left intact the original French bayonet sockets (don't dismay, bayonet bulbs are readily available on our all-wonderful Internet). Changing the four outside sockets out to American candelabra bulbs would take endless hours and basically prove pointless — for among other reasons, no American socket can compare to one made by the French!  There's an American candelabra socket at the bottom, inside the fifth shade.  And, you can use physically smaller bulbs than I have in these photos (my inventory of bayonet bulbs is slender) and due to the unusual depth of these shades, the tops of the bulbs won't show.

You aficionados of opalescent glass know at a glance that these shades are at the apex of the genre.  And this set of five is in flawless condition.  They're every bit as gorgeous unlit as when lit!  When unlit they show a hint of blue; and depending on other light inside the room, some fiery gold.  That fiery opalescence comes fully roaring into play when they're lit.  

Disassembling the fixture to have it re-plated would be easy enough; but the re-plating is something you'll have to explore on your own (I would recommend brushed nickel; the entire apparatus is solid brass).  Prices for plating have gone way through the roof here in California, but there are people in less strictly governed areas who can perform their magic at more reasonable prices.

People won't be looking at the metal components of this fixture, they'll be gawking at the five shades and asking "Wherever did you get THAT?!"

Dimensions: about 20 across, 34 long. See less