Happy New Year

Century Studios is closed through Tuesday, January 5th. We will resume regular business hours on Wdnesday, January 6th.

16" Banded Daffodil

As we have mentioned in the past, Louis Comfort Tiffany's favorite flower was the daffodil. It is not surprising then that there are many different daffodil shade patterns in a wide variety of sizes which were created by Tiffany Studios. The 16" Banded Daffodil shade is a lovely reminder of the flowers that bloom in springtime.

Contained by, yet spilling over a pair of horizontal border rows, the multitude of daffodils on this shade are in full bloom. Recently commissioned by an Ohio couple, we have completed this 16" Banded Daffodil shade in tones of yellow, amber, spring greens and peach, giving the shade a rich, blended coloration. The heavily mottled flowers contrast with the streaky background glass in the shade. The tones of the shade are perfectly complimented by the 7 Handled Pottery Base that we created (with Ephraim Faience Pottery) for the lamp.

Upon receiving the shade, the clients emailed, "The lamp arrived yesterday in good order and we are very pleased/thrilled with every aspect of your superior workmanship... the lamp looks so great setting on a Gustav Stickley table in our modest Arts & Crafts bungalow....I wish you could see it! You have been very knowledgeable and helpful to work with. Naturally, we will recommend your products to friends and associates, Thank you very much."

Almost Christmas

Here are our Holiday Hours for the next week:

Fri Dec 18 10 - 6
Sat Dec 19 10 - 4
Sun Dec 20 12 - 4
Mon Dec 21 CLOSED
Tues Dec 22 10 - 6
Wed Dec 23 10 - 6
Thurs Dec 24 through Tues Jan 5 CLOSED
Wed Jan 6 Regular Business Hours Resume

Still Need a Gift for Someone?

In addition to our reproduction Tiffany lamps and hand made pottery, we still have several holiday themed stained glass panels available in a variety of price ranges. These make perfect hostess or holiday gifts, whether you are looking for a home accent for yourself or for someone on your gift list. Our selection includes hand made stained glass Santa and angel panels, as well as smaller "moon face" stars and hearts, and bevel snowflakes.

Our showroom also has a nice selection of Christmas ornaments and small holiday decorations. Stop in before Christmas - we will be closed from December 24th through January 5th!

28" Poinsettia Completed

We have completed the 28" Poinsettia shade (see our posting from November 30, 2009).

After the soldering of the shade was finished, several vertical reinforcing wires were soldered along the lead lines on the interior of the piece. When in place these wires provide the structural stability that will keep the shade stable well into the 22nd century. Because the reinforcement follows the contours of the lead lines, the wires are not seen when the shade is lit. In the photo to the right, Irwin is seen attaching the bottom rim onto the shade. After the rim was completely held in place, bead chain was added to the lower edge of the shade.

28" cone shades were traditionally created by Tiffany Studios for use as chandelier fixtures. They were also mated with Jr. Floor bases and on large table bases. This shade is currently being used on the impressive Eiffel Tower base, a beautifully intricate casting that has a lightness despite its large size.

Favrile Ornaments

If you are looking for an affordable, unique blown glass ornament for your Christmas tree or to give as a gift, stop by our studio and check out our Favrile Ball Ornaments. Each American-made ornament is individually mouth blown by our master glass blower and finished with a lustre surface. Our ornaments come smooth or ribbed and feature a gold and blue lustre surface. We also have multi-colored blown glass ornaments created by our same craftsman.

28" Poinsettia

Recently, we have been busy laying out a 28" Poinsettia shade. This unusual Tiffany Studios design has an allover pattern of poinsettia plants in full bloom. For more information on the other styles of Tiffany reproduction Poinsettia shade patterns we offer, see our postings from December 8 & 19, 2008.

Considered a holiday plant today, poinsettias are flowering perennial shrubs native to Mexico, where they can grow to ten feet tall in natural settings. According to the University of Illinois "Poinsettia Pages", the plant is named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first ambassador to Mexico in the 1820's. Mr. Poinsett found the distinctive plant growing along a roadside and took cuttings back to his South Carolina greenhouse, where he cultivated the plant.

The 28" cone shape provides a generous surface for the plants to blossom across. A portion of the lamp is pictured (above right) showing how we check colors on our light table. A glass easel is used to support the individual pieces of glass that have been cut and fit to the pattern.

Once we are satisfied with our color selections, the individual pieces of glass are wrapped by hand in copper foil. To hold the pieces in place for soldering, the fiberglass form is waxed with a "tacky wax" which we mix at our studio. Irwin is brushing the hot tacky wax onto the form in the photo to the left.

The tacky wax allows us to position the individual pieces of glass in position on the form so the pieces can be soldered together. Below is a photo of Irwin transferring the foiled pieces from the glass easel onto the waxed form. We will show the completed lamp in a future posting.