25" Mandarin Lotus Lamp, Part 2

Soldering on a 25" Mandarin Lotus shade takes quite a bit of time and patience. Due to the accordion pleat surface of the shade and the fact that 800 degree molten solder runs downhill, the shade must be constantly repositioned to ensure a proper bead line.


This shade has hand applied wires on the peak of every fold to accentuate the three dimensional aspect of the design. The shade is being removed from the form so that the soldering can be completed on the underside of the lamp. The undulating irregular lower edge is finished with a half round copper wire.

The completed shade was mated with the Mandarin Lotus base (or Ribbed Lotus base), which was specifically designed for this shade by Tiffany Studios. We create the base at Century Studios using molds taken from an original Tiffany example. An overhead photo of the completed shade can be seen at the top of the post.