CHAPTER
- 6
CHANDELIERS
STUDDED WITH
GEMSTONES
AND THEIR
SIGNIFICANCE
BACKGROUND
Throughout history, gems have been a
much sought after commodity. Their beauty, rarity, and inherent
magical powers have made them the symbol of kings, the symbol of
power, the symbol of wealth, and in more recent history the symbol
of love. Every civilization, every society gladly exhibits man’s
fascination with the desire to posses these beautiful gifts of
nature.
In various cultures
throughout history, certain preferences have developed for one kind
of gemstone over another. These preferences, reflected in commercial
price levels for gems, are based on several factors, viz. beauty,
durability, rarity, and the current fashion. The beauty of a
gemstone is usually revealed in its entirety only after it has been
cut and polished. It may depend on the natural colour, transparency
or some other more unusual optical effects.
Refraction, dispersion,
diffraction, and reflection are some of the important optical
effects that produce not only beauty but occult utility also.
Different colour rays or wave lengths or lights are bent, or
refracted by different amounts as they travel from the air into a
cut gemstone. Simple reflection of light from internal flaws and
inclusion in gems can also cause some remarkable and beautiful
effects. Star sapphires and rubies, for example, contain thousands
of needle like foreign particles that line up uniformly in the three
major directions of atomic structure of these species. Light
reflecting from these three sets of needles produces asterism, a
bright six-rayed star like reflection.
Gems have been used not
only as medicines, symbols of wealth or the objects of worship, but
their uses in jewellery, ornaments and crowns etc. have also been
very well noted since primitive time. As early as 300 B.C., the use
of gems was recorded by the Greeks and the Romans. The references in
the Bible, in the Puranas and other sacred books of various
countries stand witness that gems have been the source of attraction
for the people. Their fabulous colours, beauty and splendour have
generated numerous magnificient works of art. The charm of
magnificient colours, sparkling lustre and luminous effects bear
witness to an interior harmony to which everybody feels attracted.
Sages and philosophers have
established a correlation between human emotions and the effects of
colours (rays) upon them and emphasized the need to strike a correct
balance between the two in every one’s life. Such a balance is
supposed to be the harbinger of health and happiness. Gemstones
symbolize various planets or in other words are the miniature
representatives of various planets and their proximity to human body
enhances the beneficial aspects of the governing planets. Inspired
by these virtues gemstones were perhaps first worn as amulets, and
later as ornaments. During the 13 th century A.D. splendid
Chandeliers, suspended from the roofs of royal palaces, were made of
gold or silver set with jewels. It was, perhaps, for the simple
reason that the reflected lights and the cosmic rays poured down and
spread out in the chambers in which the gem chandelier was
present.
WHAT IS A CHANDELIER ?
As mentioned in the
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chandelier is a frame of metal, wood,
crystal or glass suspended from the roof or ceiling for the purpose
of holding lights… The 13 th century coronas or hoops made of iron
had spikes for candles or cups for oil and in royal palaces they
were often made of gold and silver, sometimes set with jewels.
In the 17 th century the
designs of Chandeliers became more elaborate … The vase-shaped
pattern succeeded the ‘globe chandeliers’ soon after the
Restoration, when the idea of using rock-crystal came to England
from France.
New designs appeared in the
early 19 th century based on a series of concentric metal
rings, sometimes very extravagant in decoration. In the 20 th
century, after electric lighting had become prevalent, chandeliers
were mostly of glass, brass or other metal, the electric bulbs being
hidden by glass drops or by small glass or other shades.
According to the
Encyclopaedia Americana: Vol 6; pp. 283-285: the Chandelier may be
said to have originated in the ancient suspended oil lamps (lychnus)
of several wicks (polymixos) used by the Romans … Most of the
elaborate crown lights were constructed in the 11 th and 12 th
centuries, and while many carry candles, others were for oil lamps.
Their construction was, for the most part of metal (copper, iron,
silver, even gold) and ornamented with enamels etc.
During 16 th century
Flanders produced lovely Chandeliers which are much admired even
today. To that century belongs the famous historic ‘Galileo’
Chandelier in the Cathedral of Pisa, a magnificient work of bronze
of the Italian Renaissance, whose swinging is said to have led to
the creation of pendulum in horology.
Very elaborate chandeliers
were produced in the 17 th century, wrought in iron, bronze and
copper. Silver was used to some extent by royalty, nobility and the
church. The crystal ornament was becoming a part of it in the
establishments of the wealthy. The furnishing of civic homes with
luxurious decoration was a new growth, and by the second half of 18
th century, practically all chandeliers had crystal ornament. Some
chandeliers of the Louis XVI period had faceted beads made of strass,
some of polished steel.
During the early years of
19 th century one style prevailed in the construction of
chandeliers: bronze-gilt frames so swarming with crystal decoration
as to make the chandelier body a mere accessory hidden in the
garlands of crystal beads.
During the present times
strikingly artistic forms have been evolved, some reverting to the
classic Gracco-Roman LY-CHNUS, others showing modern originality.
‘KALPARATNA’ AND
‘NANDAN-VAN’
Inspired by the ancient art
of the construction of.magnificient chandeliers, the present author,
a jeweller of the Pink City of Jaipur has visualized the creation of
some unique chandeliers. He has not only furnished his art pieces
with luxurious decoration but has used rare gemstone beads on a
silver frame with gold verme.
‘KALPARATNA’ is a five
feet long gemstone chandelier made from over 1,29,000 beads of
precious Burma rubies, Srilankan blue and yellow sapphires and
Zambian emeralds weighing about 33,000 carats. The frame of the
chandelier is a mere accessory hidden in the garlands of precious
gemstones. The light and rays of seven colours when spread below
from the rotating ‘Kalparatna’, really fill the environs with
the splendour and charm of a rainbow evoking sublime emotions.
‘NANDAN-VAN’ is another
creation which he has constructed by using about 2,20,000 Zambian
faceted deep green emerald-beads weighing 50,000 carats. Endowed
with esthetic grace of form along with the benefactions of planet
mercury, the six feet long emerald – chandelier has been decorated
with beautifully designed 36 large sized rubies of Kenya
artistically engraved and arranged in a pendant form.
THE SAPPHIRE-STUDDED
CHANDELIER
To fill one's living
chamber with the grace and the beneficent aspects of Blue Sapphire,
the author is planning to construct one more gemstone chandelier
studded with the faceted beads of blue sapphire alike
‘Nandan-Van’ which has been made of emerald beads.
Blue Sapphire reflects
violet rays which are soothing and harmonious for human body and
mind. The Chandelier being designed by him will possess a unique
balming and soothing effects on the nerves at all times and thus
spread out the various bounties of mother nature and augment the
blessings of the powerful planet Saturn which bestows health and
happiness by keeping away the malefic effects of other stars. The
cosmic rays of this virtuous gem also heal and cure so many diseases
as discussed earlier.