The first order of service was the anchor point arrangement. This required some thought for two important reasons: firstly, the chandelier weight was something in the order of 370kg and secondly, the chandelier needed to be installed directly under a light box. This meant the positioning of the four anchor points needed careful thought. Fortunately, the builder made an excellent preparation job of it by installing four rock-solid, heavy-duty eyebolts. We then supplied the rest of the components. A friend who owns a yacht rigging company in Plymouth was able to fabricate the wires, turnbuckles, and hanging plate. When it came to hanging day, one of the eyebolts was hard to get to. To be able to fix the rig in place, we had to put a man in our trusty bosun's chair and lift him up to the eyebolt so he could make the last connection!
The next step, after the frame assembly, was to lift the complete frame into position. We do this using heavy-duty block and tackle. To my mind, this is only really practical with a steel frame. If we were installing a large Murano chandelier, for example, where the arms and central stem are made of glass, the risk of breakage would be too great, and we would probably decide to assemble from the ceiling rose down.
We designed this particular chandelier to incorporate a polished stainless steel cover. The primary purpose was to help prevent the accumulation of dust. However, we think it also looks very attractive.
The lamps (7-watt dimmable LEDs) were tested before we started to dress the chandelier!
Dressing the chandelier is quite a laborious process, as each of the 28cm Murano glass prisms needs to be cleaned before installation. Spencer, one of our installers, is seen here enthusiastically counting the remaining glass prisms!
The chandelier is finally assembled and looks amazing.
If you’re planning an installation on this kind of scale, get in touch with the team at Mallory Custom Lighting — we’ve handled projects like this before, and we’re happy to talk through yours.
