High, Low, and DIY: Rock Crystal Table Lamp

As a kid I always felt like my obsession with geodes and rock crystals and the gem room at the Academy of Sciences was... well, a little bit dorky. So imagine my triumph when I began to see geodes and minerals popping up all over shelter magazines. Vindication! I especially love the look of a rock crystal lamp base, but they can be shockingly pricey. So what are some more affordable options?

High-end geode and rock crystal lamps sell for thousands of dollars; some designers are offering custom versions as well, available only to the trade. Here are some of the super-fancy versions we found (pictured above, from left to right):

• Agate lamp in a room designed by Chad Eisner, featured in House Beautiful.

• Custom crystal table lamps from Matthew Studios.

• Gorgeous citrine quartz lamps on 1st Dibs (contact dealer for price).

• Rock Crystal Lamp from Anthropologie, $2,200.

Phew! And how about some low-cost versions?

• Matters of Style offers a custom version that's basically a lovely geode affixed to a lucite lamp base; very simple and beautiful, and the price is right: $125 for a medium size, $175 for large.

• If you wanted to make your own version of the lamp from Matters of Style, you could always buy a pair of bookends, like these Geode Bookends from Vivaterra, and affix them to a pair of lamps. This is probably the easiest way to DIY a lamp like this; geodes and rock crystal fragments are also readily available on ebay, at flea markets, and even (if you're a former rock nerd like me, willing to make a bigger commitment) at rock and crystal fairs.

• If you decide to buy your own geodes and go for a DIY, this tutorial from the Martha Stewart Crafts blog is a bit more involved than just gluing a rock onto a lamp, and the finished result is more refined. Blogger Hosanna took her crystal (a flea market find) to a rock shop, where they only charged about $20 to drill a hole (don't try and drill it yourself without special lapidary tools!). She cut her lamp base with a jigsaw to fit the shape of the rock, stained the lamp base a glossy black, and put it all together with an easy DIY lamp kit. Beautiful!

• A final option, if you're finding the thought of all that sawing and drilling (or even just gluing) too laborious or costly, is to consider a nice little agate finial for a subtler version of the look. These are available on ebay for about five bucks.

(Images: House Beautiful, via Beauty Ninja; Matthew Studios, via katiedid; 1st Dibs; Anthropologie; Matters of Style; Vivaterra; Martha Stewart Crafts blog; ebay)

Comments (14)

The black and white art looks familiar. What is it??

The 1st and 4th are my favorites and of course the most expensive!

West Elm *had* a (black resin) version, but I don't see it listed on their site anymore.

When I was a kid every time my parents dragged me into some touristy shop I would see these kinds of rocks. After a few years of that I guess they don't appeal to me.

One lesson learned, based on observing a large collection of inherited crystal and stone pieces, is if you're going to spend time/money/energy buying or converting them make certain they're made of natural stone AND have not been dyed to obtain a heightened color. Why? That dye fades over time and the resulting stone (often seen in geodes & agates & now in some crystal clusters - most frequently seen in the stones pictured in #'s 5, 6, 8 and they'll come in deep blues and greens and pumpkin colors) become seriously unattractive as that dye fades. If you spend a lot of money buying or converting something I expect you'd want it to last. There are many stones, of those types, that have rich color without dye but it can be difficult for someone without experience to detect dyed stone vs. natural stone.

Personally, from a design perspective I'm not a fan of the pieces above because they always look 'forced' to me, I'd rather have a lovely lamp and set a nice stone piece alongside.

I like these too. I have always been a rock dork.

"From a design perspective, I'm not a fan of the pieces above, because they always look 'forced' to me. I'd rather have a lovely lamp and set a nice stone piece alongside."

^
iawtc Rucy.

I have always loved rocks and crystals, but it is their rawness which attracts me. Placing them casually in a windowsill feels more natural and spontaneous. Crafty isn't my thing, either.

As someone who works in a flaky-new-age-bookstore, I'd suggest buying a lamp like these from a flaky-new-age type store, as opposed to a design shop. They will be FAR less expensive. Anyplace that sells tumbled crystals should have a supplier that they can order these from. If they don't have any in store, ask if you can check out their suppliers' catalogue. As long as you make your purchase through their shop, they'll likely be willing to show you.

I'll keep my geodes and lamps separate, too. They're beautiful, but I can't justify drilling a big hole right through a natural work of art that took centuries to form.

john m--

Most of these lamps are created with a "museum mount" meaning the arm supporting the shade and wiring is bent to accommodate the item being made into a lamp. They do it with figurines and porcelains all the time.

There are some exceptions here though, but it can be done without drilling.

But, to appreciate a geode, don't you have to cut it open?

My objection to the hole-drilling is that it can't be displayed as anything other than a lamp after that, or as some other object with a hole through it. It seems wasteful. I don't mind that they're mined.

But the museum mounts look somewhat awkward, with the neck bending in that manner. I guess to me, it's just a little too "decorator," as if they've run out of ideas.

I love the b&w artwork, where is it from?!