eBay Find of the Day: Capiz Shell Chandelier

Go for the glam.

Current bid: $50

(Psst -- click here for lots more capiz shell chandeliers.)

Low to High: Capiz Shell Chandeliers

So I was clicking around on the amazing Emmerson Troop site the other day, drooling at all the gorgeousness that I will never, ever be able to afford.

Then I spotted the capiz shell chandelier above. "Oh," I thought, "that's just like the one from West Elm that we hung over the staircase." Then I looked at the price: $3,360. (Yes, you read that right: Three thousand three hundred and sixty dollars.)

Now, I'm sure that Emmerson Troop's chandelier is handmade by skilled artisans over the course of three years in an endangered rain forest in the South Pacific and that each delicate, iridescent shell is backed in solid gold or something. But $3,360? The West Elm version is $99.

Then I did a little Googling, and quickly found five other variations of this pretty light. Turns out that West Elm's isn't even the cheapest, and there are a few versions that cost a few hundred bucks apiece.

Lets take a look at them all side-by-side, shall we?

Top left to right: Gwen Carlton Hydromedusa #4 Pendant, $3,360, at Emmerson Troop; Tiered Capiz Chandelier, $645, from BeachDwelling; middle left to right: Ballard Designs' Capiz Shell Pendant, $349; Capiz Shell Chandelier, $318, at The Well Appointed House; Capiz Chandelier, $128, from SeaCrest Trading Company; bottom left to right: West Elm Capiz Circles Pendant Lamp, $99; Capiz Hanging Pendant, $70, at Cost Plus World Market

Granted, the Emmerson Troop-version has a designer name attached -- plus, it's triple-tiered, larger, and clearly has a lot more shells than the others. But is that worth the $3K price difference?

You decide.

Objects of Lust: Found It!

I feel a bit like Monika in Domino magazine ...

Soon after I blogged about the seemingly unattainable lotus ball chandeliers and lamps from London's Graham & Green, I got an email from Jim B. alerting me to a virtually identical chandelier from our very own shopping-mall staple, Z Gallerie.

Z's 16-inch version, which costs $279, is currently out of stock -- but it sounds like more will be arriving soon. (Somehow, knowing that one of these can be had at my local home decor chain makes it a little less swoon-worthy. But it's still a gorgeous light fixture at a reasonable price. Wish they had the black, though!)

Check it out here.

(Thanks for the tip, Jim!)

Objects of Lust: Lotus Flower Lights

When my family and I visited London a few months ago, we rented a flat in Notting Hill, a half-block from the legendary Portobello Road Market and right around the corner from a wonderful shop called Graham & Green.

Every day, either on our way out to explore the city or as we made our weary way home, I'd peer in the window and admire the absolute loveliness of these lights. Crafted from hundreds of fragile, iridescent capiz shells, the lights take the form of delicate lotus flowers and are truly breathtaking when lit. (They're even more dramatic in lustrous black.)


I wanted so badly to cart one back to California with me, but the trip alone basically cleared out our bank account. Plus, the whole two-dollars-to-the-pound thing pretty much put the kibosh on any major shopping sprees.

And these beauties do not come cheap: The lamps run 111 to 375 pounds sterling (about $222 to $750), and the chandeliers are 275 to 395 pounds (about $550 to $790), depending on size.


Still, I dream about these lights. If anyone knows of a more affordable stateside source, please let me know!

(Update: I just received an email from Graham & Greene noting that the capiz shell lights are deeply discounted -- but only until Sunday, June 3. The lamps start at 92.50 pounds -- $185 -- and the chandeliers are on sale for 192.50 to 276.50 pounds -- or $385 to $553.)