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While other classic lighting fads are steadily fading into the background, trends are pulling crystal accents back as a renewed “in” thing. Accent lighting is typically used to highlight the strong points of a room and is considered the most dramatic type of lighting. Crystal accents are simple additions to traditional lighting fixtures. They introduce a novel touch to lighting styles, as well as understated elegance and sophistication to a room. From a grand entryway chandelier to a simple light fixture, crystal can add style to any facet of lighting.

Types of crystal accents

There are different types of crystal lighting fixtures, so you might want to ask your lighting manufacturer regarding the specific components used to create their products. Some lighting fixtures may have accents that are made of pure crystal, while others may have crystal accents that are framed in gold or silver.

Strass Swarovski crystal accents are great for their stunning clarity, and are one of the finest kinds of crystal produced in the industry. The straight edge cuts usually make up perfect prisms, and reflect light very well off common surfaces. A variant of this is the Swarovski Spectra Crystal, which is essentially the same type of accent without the optical coating. Egyptian crystals are nearly on the same level as the Swarovski crystals in terms of clarity, largely due to the high lead content.

Another type of crystal used to accessorize lighting fixtures is wood polished crystal. Wood polished crystal is often high quality and can lean a little toward the pricey end. These accents are riddled with marble dust, and are created in a process that involves a wood wheel, hence the name.

Italian crystal accents are often not as flashy as the previously mentioned crystals. They are fire-polished, leading to a characteristic rounding of the crystals’ edges. This affects the way light bounces off its surfaces, and is good for individuals who love the appearance of crystal accent lighting but don’t like too much glare.

Other types of interesting crystal accents include the Mourano crystals, which are more suitable for colouring than other crystals, and rock crystals, which are naturally cut out of the ground and not significantly altered.

Crystal accents in fixtures

Chandeliers are good fixtures to accessorize with crystal accents. Because these are used as main sources of whole-room lighting, crystal accents often give off striking effects. Even in the daylight, the focus is directed straight to chandelier as light bounces off the crystal, creating interesting prism effects on opaque surfaces in the room.

Crystal accent lighting is also effective as downward lighting fixtures. Pendant lights are good sources of downward light, and are used to create mood lighting that doesn’t reflect huge amounts of glare. Because crystal lighting has the potential to cause glare, a dimmer switch should help control the amount of light it gives off.

It’s important to remember that the kind of crystal accent lighting you use often depends a lot on the type of crystal used to create the fixture.