Craftsmanship
St. Louis Antique Lighting Company takes tremendous care to provide exceptional quality that will last for generations. We bring true craftsmanship to each lighting project.
Engraved Glass Shades
Traditional glass manufacturing techniques ensure accurate reproductions. Each engraved and etched-glass shade is hand-made with care and is a work of art in its own right.
A large-scale engraved-glass globe.
Final inspection of the engraved glass.
Blown Glass Shades
Certain shades cannot be reproduced unless they are hand blown, such as the large-scale opalescent shade featured here. We are proud to work with artists who can recreate these elusive shades, which would otherwise have to be substituted with "something close" rather than wholly accurate.
Video of opalescent glass shades being hand blown.
Double-Acid Etching
Double-acid etching is a traditional method that creates a frosted appearance with a "ghost image" over it. Many historical decorative shades used this technique to add subtle imagery and symbolism that was significant to the fixture. We employ the same traditional methods for the most accurate replications.
The Montana State seal etched
onto a large glass globe.
Colored Glass Shades
With so many historical fixtures documented in black and white photographs, colored glass doesn't always come to mind, yet lighting designers from the past loved color just as much as we do. We create a wide variety of glass shades and diffusers, bringing vivid life to your projects.
Crystal
Few fixtures are more dazzling than a crystal chandelier. Its mineral content makes it much stronger than glass, and it refracts more light to create the beautiful, multi-colored spectacles we have come to associate with grandeur and romance. Only the most durable crystal with the highest light refraction is utilized. Choosing the correct scale and shape to create accurate replications is a subtle and technical art, but the end result is unforgettable.
Crystal options for the Baccarat chandelier replicas at
Metallurgy
Our St. Louis factory houses a full-scale modern metal fabrication shop. Our capabilities include spinning, welding, forging, polishing, patination, machining, beading, shearing, and framing. Almost all of our pattern and mold work is done in-house; only casting and plating are done at another location.
One of many shelves filled with wooden patterns for metal spinning.
At the spinning lathe in our St. Louis factory.
Molds
Our in-house sculptors utilize many traditional techniques, including the "lost-wax" method to recreate the intricate three-dimensional designs that adorn antique metalwork and sculpture. We also partner with skilled artisans for metal casting and plating.
At the casting forge: pouring metal into a mold.
Metal Finishing
We employ many techniques to replicate period-appropriate finishes for our fixtures. We offer painted finishes, traditional patinas, lacquered brass, and metal plating in copper, gold, chrome, nickel, and silver. Custom details such as color and texture are meticulously chosen for precise recreations.
At work inside our painting studio.