Vellum Stone Dorney Alabaster Carved Scallop Shell Wall Light

A scallop shell carved by hand from honey alabaster, a form that has been used on English walls since the eighteenth century. Every shell is slightly different because the flutes are cut by eye rather than by machine.

Alabaster is a gypsum stone, soft enough to carve and just translucent enough to hold light without turning it milky. Each piece is cut, turned and hand finished in our Wiltshire workshop, then waxed rather than lacquered so the surface keeps a little of its natural chalk. Expect variation between blocks. That is the point of the material and not a fault. Sold singly.

Specification

• Height 300mm, width 260mm, projection from the wall 130mm
• Materials: hand carved alabaster with a cast brass frame and backplate
• Finish: alabaster waxed and unlacquered, brass in your chosen finish
• Lamp: 1 x E14 candle, maximum 40W, dimmable LED suitable
• Supply: hardwired, 220 to 240V, 50Hz, terminal block behind the backplate
• Switching: no integral switch, wired to a wall switch or a dimmer circuit
• Rating: IP20, for dry indoor rooms
• Backplate: round cast brass, 120mm diameter, covers most old fixing holes
• Weight: approximately 4.8 kilograms
• Lead time: 3 to 4 weeks, each piece carved to order
• Sold singly

Fitting

This is a hardwired fitting and should be installed by a qualified electrician working to BS 7671. It arrives with a standard round backplate and fixing screws. Wall plugs are not supplied because the right fixing depends on whether you are going into brick, block, plasterboard or lath and plaster. At roughly 4.8 kilograms it needs a proper fixing. Use the supplied screws into masonry, or a heavy duty plasterboard anchor rated well above the weight of the light.