How to distinguish the quality of crystals when selecting crystal chandeliers?

The crystal chandelier market has always been full of tricks. Many consumers are always confused when facing to the professional terms, such as K9 crystal, Egyptian crystal, Czech crystal, Swarovski crystal, and lead content issues. It's no wonder this is the case. The reason is that there is lacked of a formal standard for the crystal chandelier industry, which leads to uneven product quality and a mix of good and bad products.

1. Types of Crystal Chandelier

① Simple Modern Style Crystal Chandelier

Composed of curves and asymmetric lines, such as flower stems, flower buds, grape vines, insect wings, and various beautiful and wavy body patterns in nature.

② Chinese Style Crystal Chandelier

The design of modern Chinese style has also become the new Chinese style. Modern Chinese style refers to the organic combination of tradition and modernity, which is a reasonable inheritance and development of traditional architectural culture.

③ Postmodern Crystal Chandelier

This style has improved the traditional European crystal chandelier by incorporating modern style, making it more colorful in color and simpler in style.

④ European Crystal Chandelier

European lighting fixtures emphasize symmetrical spatial aesthetics. The reason why it has stood the test of time is firstly due to its emphasis on reasonable and symmetrical proportions, and its attention to detail is a classic that has been tempered by history. Therefore, it has a strong humanistic atmosphere.

⑤ American Rural Crystal Chandelier

The American countryside style abandons complexity and luxury, and integrates excellent elements from different styles, with a focus on comfort and functionality, emphasizing "returning to nature", making this style more relaxed and comfortable.

2. Crystal Chandelier classified by function

① Crystal Table Lamp:

A table lamp made of crystal material with the characteristics of luxury and nobility. Generally, it has a unique shape and high aesthetic value.

② Crystal Ceiling Light:

A ceiling light made of crystal. Inhale or embed into the roof and ceiling. Characterized by grandeur and nobility.

③ Crystal Wall Lamp:

Crystal wall lamps are usually used in narrow spaces such as corridors, hallways, doorways, etc.

④ Crystal Floor Lamp:

Crystal made floor lamps are usually installed in living rooms and rest areas, and are used in conjunction with sofas and coffee tables.

⑤ Crystal Staircase Light:

It is not a crystal staircase light installed in the stairs, but because its shape is mostly spiral, resembling the shape of a staircase, it is called a crystal staircase light.

⑥ Crystal Candle Lamp:

The earliest light source for crystal chandelier was candles. With the development of technology, the light source has become LED lamps. However, in order to maintain the continuity of style, the shape of the lamp is generally modeled after candles.

More and more crystal chandeliers are entering ordinary people's homes. The price difference of this type of lamp is quite large, and many consumers only focus on its model and are not familiar with its material. In fact, there is still a lot of knowledge involved here.

Five hidden rules in the crystal industry that you need to know

1. The 'natural crystal lamp' is completely non-existent

The earliest crystal lamps used metal brackets, candles, natural crystals, or quartz pendants. However, natural crystals generally contain cotton wool, which can affect the beauty of the lamp, while flawless crystal resources are limited and have very high value, making them unsuitable for large-scale market investment. So it was gradually replaced by artificial crystals. Most of the crystal lights sold on the market now are made of artificial crystal glass material. And if a salesperson introduces that this crystal lamp is made of pure natural crystal. Then you need to be more discerning.

2. The price difference between local crystal lamps and imported crystal lamps is significant 

① Diameter of 1 meter

Domestic crystal lamps are priced between 3000-5000 RMB, Egyptian imported crystal lamps are priced between 5000-10000 RMB, and Swarovski crystal lamps are priced between 10000-15000 RMB.

② Diameter 0.8 meters

The price of domestically produced crystal lamps is around 3000 RMB, the price of imported crystal lamps from Egypt is around 5000 RMB, and the price of Swarovski crystal lamps is around 10000 RMB.

PS: Comparatively speaking, Swarovski crystal lamps are generally sold at around three times the price of imported crystal lamps from Egypt.

3. Lead content determines the quality of artificial crystal glass

Artificial crystal glass, which is made by adding 24% lead oxide to ordinary glass (composed of silicon dioxide). The higher the lead content, the higher the brightness and transparency of artificial crystal glass. Glass with a lead content greater than or equal to 24% can be called crystal after removing the word "glass". From then on, lead glass with a lead oxide content greater than or equal to 24% is allowed to be called lead crystal, and glass with a lead oxide content greater than or equal to 30% is allowed to be called full lead crystal without the need to add the word "glass".

4. Grade of artificial crystal glass

① High end crystal lamp

If the lead content of the crystal is above 35%, the crystal cutting surface should be above 200, represented by high-end crystals such as Swarovski crystals.

② Mid range crystal lamp

The lead content reaches 30%, and its cutting surface can reach more than 100, represented by crystals produced in countries such as Egypt and the Czech Republic.

③ Low end crystal light

The lead content is only 10%, and the purity is relatively low. For example, some domestic crystals belong to lower grade products.

5. Is K9 crystal the best?

Is it really true that product promotion often says' this product uses the highest grade K9 artificial crystal '? The reason why K9 is called K9 is because its lead content is 9%. K5 is the same. It belongs to optical glass and is crystal clear, which has given rise to many factories that process K9 materials. The products they produce are called crystal glass products in the market. Essentially, it is a type of glass.

PS: Why do we still hear slogans like "pure natural crystal" and "the best K9 crystal"?

Firstly, there are no relevant laws in China regarding artificial crystals, and secondly, there are no manufacturers of high-quality lead crystals for domestically produced crystal glass.

Since most crystal lights on the market are artificial, there is no need to worry about whether they are artificial or natural. Although the current crystal lamps are all made of artificial crystals, the grade and quality of different artificial crystals also vary.

How to distinguish the quality of crystals?

① With perfect craftsmanship, it will last forever

The shaping, polishing, and polishing techniques are all very exquisite, which can better present the crystal's crystal clarity.

② Top notch design, luxurious and sparkling

Professional designers have rich experience and inspiration, and are excellent at showcasing the 360 degree beauty of crystals.

③ Excellent material selection and practical use of materials

A good crystal lamp generally uses strict materials, pays attention to lead content, and has better crystal texture.

Crystal Chandelier Selection Tips

1. Check the electroplating process

Check the surface of the lamp body for bubbles, yellowing, blackening, exposed substrate, electroplating spots, color differences of the same color, and if there are strict requirements, check if there are tears on the surface

2. Check the crystal level

Lead oxide must be 24% or above to be called crystal. Crystal materials generally include domestic ordinary machine grinders, domestic semi handmade, domestic handmade, domestic imitation imported, Egyptian crystals, and Swarovski crystals. The better option in the Chinese market is generally to use domestically produced K9 crystal material, which is a domestically produced A-grade crystal. Secondly, there is K5. Its price, refractive index, cutting surface, and purity are all lower than K9 material. The price of Egyptian crystals is higher than that of domestically produced ones. Swarovski crystals are very expensive and are generally not used in crystal lamps.

3. Check the crystal accessories

There are millions of crystal accessories, including round buckles, flower needles, arrow buckles, needles, oval buckles... The worse the crystal accessories, the faster they rust. Good crystal accessories have the same color and color retention period as the lamp holder. If the crystal accessories are not good, it will greatly reduce the overall sensory experience of the lamp.

4. Check the appearance of the crystal

The crystal appearance is crystal clear and transparent, and there are no streaks, bubbles, water ripples, or impurities in the lamp bead material. The cutting is precise and symmetrical, and the cut surface is smooth and polished, sparkling brightly. The hole size of the lamp body pendant is consistent, smooth and flawless, and the shape and size of the lamp beads are consistent.

5. Check the quality of the chandelier

Firstly, check the adhesion of the chandelier, whether the hardware surface is smooth and whether its shape is deformed. Secondly, check whether the welding points and electrical parts are normal. Then, check whether the specifications, smoothness, weight, appearance, etc. of the chandelier glass meet the requirements.