Chandelier Glossary ~ You may find the following terms useful when deciding what type of chandelier you want.

Arm ~ The light bearing part of a chandelier sometimes known as a branch.

Bag ~ A bag of crystal drops formed by strings hanging from a circular frame and looped back into the centre underneath, associated with regency style crystal chandeliers.

Bead ~ A glass drop with a hole drilled right through.

Bobeche ~ A dish fitted just below the "candle" nozzle designed to catch drips of wax.  Also known as a drip pan.

Candelabra ~ Not to be confused with chandeliers, candelabras are candlesticks, usually branched and designed to stand on tables, or if  large, the floor.

Canopy ~ An inverted shallow dish at the top of a chandelier from which festoons of beads are often suspended, lending a flourish to the top of the fitting.

Cage ~ An arrangement where the central stem supporting arms and decorations is replaced by a metal structure leaving the centre clear fpr candles or other embellishments.

Corona ~ Another term for a crown-style chandelier.

Crown ~ A circular chandelier reminiscent of a crown, usually of gilded metal or brass and often with upstanding decorative parts.

Crystal ~ Glass with a lead content that gives it a special qualities of clarity.  Also known as lead crystal.

Drip Pan ~ The dish fitted just under the "candle" nozzle.  Also known as a bobeche.

Drop ~ A small piece of glass usually cut into one of many shapes and drilled at one end so that it can be hung from the chandelier with a brass pin.  A chain drop is drilled at both ends so that a group can be hung together to form a string or festoon. 

Dutch ~ Also known as Flemish.  A style of brass chandelier with a bulbous baluster ad arms curing down around a low hung ball.

Festoon ~ An arrangement of glass drops or beads draped and hung across or down a chandelier or sometimes a piece of solid glass shaped into a swag.  \also known as a garland.

Finial ~ The final flourish at the very bottom of the stem.  Some Venetian glass chandeliers have little finials hanging from glass rings on the arms.

Hoop ~ A circular metal support for arms, usually on a regency style or other chandelier with glass pieces.  Also known as a ring.

Neoclassical Style Chandelier ~ Glass chandelier featuring many delicate arms, spires and striongs of beads.

Prism ~ A straight, many sided drop.

Regenecy Style Chandelier ~ A larger chandelier with a multitude of drops.  Above a hoop rise strings of beads that diminish in size and attach at the top to form a canopy.  A bag with concentric rings of pointed glass, forms a waterfall beneath.  Th estem is usually completely hidden.

Spire ~ A tall spike of glass, round in section or flat sided.  To which arms and decorative elements may be attached, made from wood, metal or glass.

Tent ~ A tent shaped structure on the upper part of a chandelier where strings of drops attach to a canopy and at the bottom to a larger ring.   

Venetian ~ A glass from the island of Murano, Venice but usually used to describe and chandelier in venetian style.

Waterfall ~ Concentric rings of icicle drops suspended beneath the hoop or plate.