Carabelli Creations
About five years ago Paul Weber, a dentist from Cooperstown, New York, purchased a beautiful mid-century lamp for $60. The glass was stunning, with hand blown swirls of amethyst and white and even had a label on it with a word he had never seen before - "Empoli."
He later learned that in the Empoli region outside of Florence, Italy artisans have been creating beautiful glass there for hundreds of years. One of those designs was the combination of an acorn shape sitting atop an urn such as the lamp he had purchased.
However, what bothered him was that despite the high quality of the mid-century glass, virtually all of the other components of the lamp were cheap plastic and tin.
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After disassembling the lamp, he searched for better parts to reconstruct a piece worthy of the Italian artists who created the beautiful glass. Soon a new, improved version of the lamp appeared and can be seen at left. Plated tin was replaced with spun brass and the lamp was rewired with a vintage brass socket.
Upon further research it seemed that many other mid-century glass lamps would suffer from the same construction with inferior materials. Where was the cast brass, cast iron, and marble seen in older antiques? As it turns out durin this period, cast brass and iron were in very short supply for they had been used to fabricate weapons of war all over the world. Although lamp makers still had an almost endless supply of quality glass, they had no choice but to incorporate plated white metal, tin, and plastic in the construction process.
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Thus began the new mission of a new project - "Carabelli Creations" - to rescue these beautiful pieces of glass, reassert them into individually designed, hand assembled lamps worthy of their history and their timeless beauty. To learn more just click on the next image to see an illustrative video.
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Each lamp that we create reflects the unique esthetic of the designer. Each piece is a unique, limited-edition work of art, in contrast to a restoration. Each component part is of the highest quality cast brass and marble and whenever possible of the same vintage as the glass.
The collection is wired with a brand new solid brass socket with a built-in dimmer knob and is re-wired to UL specifications. Upon speial request your lamp can also be wired with a new brass socket containing an on/off knob, a three-way setting or a single setting pull chain. Your lamp is then finished with the highest quality white linen drum shade to accent their design without distracting from their beauty.
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The Caribelli Collection is not available for purchase online or in any stores. Prices vary and are available on request through this site. Every Carabelli Creation is also signed and numbered by the designer for their authenticity as an artistic investment.
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When you own a Carabelli Creation, you can rest assured that there never will be another one exactly like it, anywhere in the world.