Stained glass lamps are one of the most attractive pieces of antique furniture you’ll find—even when they’re damaged or poorly made. So how can you differentiate good antique lamps from bad ones? You’ll have to look past your initial impressions to find a lamp worth the asking price. In particular, keep an eye on these factors.

Glass

Antique lamps may have been constructed with either machine-made or hand-rolled glass. As you may guess, the handcrafted variety is the superior choice both in terms of value and aesthetics. While individual pieces of machine-made glass tend to look very uniform, hand-rolled glass shows dramatic color and shade differences within each piece, for an overall effect reminiscent of beautiful paintings.

Design

The challenge of creating a stained glass lampshade is translating a two-dimensional design to a three-dimensional object. When poorly done, you’ll have large, flat pieces of glass that don’t match the lamp’s curvature, creating a jagged surface. On the other hand, a well-designed lamp will have pieces which suit the lamp’s shape and create the appearance the glass itself is curved. Also, take a look at the visual effect of the design: It should be visually seamless, with clear focal points instead of competing design elements.

Assembly

In addition to the design, you also need to pay attention to the workmanship, and one of the biggest giveaways is the quality of the lead lines connecting the pieces. The lines should be uniform in width and not too thick. You should also check for any lines that are a different color from the rest, which would indicate a poor repair job. Finally, if the shade feels flimsy or can be bent and compressed by hand, it is not correctly reinforced.

Look beyond the pretty colors and lights to assess your next purchase. Forsythe’s Antiques & Fine Art is Russellville, OH’s premier buyer of Cincinnati-area antiques. Their experienced team is happy to appraise and purchase items including antique lamps, furniture, artwork, and gold. For questions or to arrange an appraisal, call them at (513) 791-2323.