There is something about antiques that appeals to all of us; what exactly this is we ourselves probably do not know for sure. Those of us who can afford to actually buy them get something that is a hundred years old and pay through our noses for something that we will never use anything more than just decoration. Even the vast majority that do buy antique items do not get genuine ones but get imitations simply because it appeals to them and it’s more economical.
Whatever the psychology behind this behavior most of us just get antique, or imitation antiques simply because we think that they are really beautiful. One of the most common purchases in this category is antique lanterns. Almost none of us want the genuine article because not only are they really expensive but they burn oil, are smoky, need a lot of cleaning and are, generally, very high maintenance. However beautiful they are it is just not worth the effort to get one, unless you are a collector and are just going to put it on display.
Yet these designs have gone through the test of time and have come out ahead and are still as beautiful now as they were then. Modern ingenuity has made sure that we can have the cake and eat it too by making lanterns that look very much like the yesteryear ones but burn electricity instead of oil. In fact most of the really beautiful supposedly contemporary lanterns that you find these days are usually a different take on the same old one but with just a few modifications to make it more modern looking.
Antique lanterns are available in all price ranges, although the really nice ones tend to be on the expensive side. This difference in price is not so much for the design as for the material. For example the same lamp will cost you different amounts depending on whether you want a brass finished one, bronze finished or pewter finished one. The usual price range is between $100 and $200 and although they are slightly more expensive than normal lighting systems, they do not cost all that much more than more contemporary lighting systems of comparable design and workmanship. Go ahead and browse online even if you aren’t interested in purchasing anything. It is something that you can keep at the back of your mind when next you are looking to buy light fixtures.
