Syrian Brass Lamp and Lampshade - Grandma's Treasure

 Every vintage lamp has a story, this one is especially sweet.

The lamp was passed down from the client's grandmother, Olga, who immigrated from Portugal in 1921 when she was 18. The lamp was gifted to her on her first wedding anniversary in 1924.

The family passed the lamp down through the generations for almost 100 years. In that time, the original lining of silk had deteriorated and 30% of the beads had been lost. Olga's grandson contacted me and asked if I could restore it. 

Finding the perfect silk for lining the bottom and top of the shade was easy, finding supplementary beads was not. Two thirds of the original 5,600 beads were missing. I got quite an education and renewed appreciation for beading professionals during my search. I eventually found a source for the English cut, 5mm, glass beads at Fire Mountain Bead company in Oregon and spent more than 40 hours stringing and attaching them to this lovely piece. I was sad to see her go!