What Do You Know About a Candle Holder

You know candle holders come in all shapes and sizes. I have some candle holders that I love and thought I would find out some more about them to share it with you.

Traditionally the candle holder was used to just hold the candle and stop the molten wax (tallow at the beginning) from running away. The candle was the main source of light, but wax was expensive, so any left over was kept and melted down and remade into more candles. In more recent times the candle holder has become an item of interior design and they come in all materials, colors and styles. From the simple votive candle holders to more elaborate wrought iron candle holders, and from hurricane candle holders to a crystal candle holder. There is a shape and style to please everyone. Nothing says Wow! I love U like a candlelit meal for 2.

A votive is a spiritual offering or devotion. A votive candle is one that was made specifically for the purpose and was made to be left burning as part of the offering. This tradition dates back to the Romans and earlier. A votive was originally made of beeswax and was small. More recently votive candles have become popular for use in mood lighting and home decoration. This kind of candle holder is the basic simple cup often made from glass, it takes a small candle that lasts about 8 hours and contains it. The glass is sometimes colored, many different colored votive candle holders around a room can make a stimulating effect. There are available ones with patterns on the glass, a frosted effect that adds a pleasing, also ones with a mosaic effect.. There is a myriad of different colors and style available. Just visiting the local dollar store will give you a large choice, or a specialist candle store for more complicated designs for interior design.

Wrought iron is a metal that is strong and long lasting, and comes in a number of finishes that can enhance any home decor. Iron candle holders date back to Medieval times when they were used for castle lighting.Wrought iron candle holders come in many forms from floor standing chandeliers ones to wall mounted elegant ones and smaller ones for table centerpieces. The wrought iron can be finished in black, or silver and is often lacquered to prevent rusting and ease of handling. Floor standing candle holders can be for a single large candle of many smaller candles. the chandelier effect can be obtained by using tea lights or votive candles. the candles can be supported by a metal plate or suspended in glass cups, free to move in the breeze. The effect from glass suspended from wrought iron is a sturdy stand and a soft illuminating light.

In their very basic form a hurricane candle holder is an enclosure around the candle to protect it from the wind and elements. Originally hurricane candles would have been used, but this would have given way to oil lamps which are much easier to keep alight. These days a hurricane candle holder is one that has a glass open topped enclosure around it to enable the candle to stay alight in the wind. The glass can be simply cylindrical or more traditional shaped with a bulb at the base and narrowing to the top, the glass is removable and can be decorated or frosted. Another variety of hurricane candle is one that has dried flowers or leaves or shells placed in the wax around the outer edge of the candle. The candle is designed to burn down leaving the outside edge intact. Then a tea light candle can be used to illuminate the design in the candle shell . Often the candle is scented. These types of candle holders produce a lovely soft light dependant upon the color of the wax used.

These kind of candle holders became very popular in the 18th Century, around the time crystal became easier to work with). In Eastern Europe ( Czechoslovakia in particular developed a higher lead content for their crystal which was easier to work on).This lead to craftsmen experimenting with complex designs. The lustre of the crystal lead to it becoming a popular medium for household use by the wealthy of the time. The uses of crystal extended to crystal candle holders. There are many different types of glass candle holders, the crystal could be cut, stencilled, engraved or painted to give subtle effects. We most often think of crystal as cut, and there are numerous examples of cut lass candle holder around. Glass candle holders can be the single stem candelabra or floating candle holders.