Chandeliers are ceiling light fixtures that are one of the most decorative that you can install for your home. They are very useful also as most will have a number of lights mounted on them which means that just the one fixture can dramatically improve the lighting in any room. The fact that they improve the aesthetic beauty of any room in which they are 
installed is a long known feature for which chandeliers have been used for a long time. This is why most of us think of them more as decorative ornaments in our homes rather than just a plain old lighting fixture.
The real origins of the chandelier is shrouded by the clouds of time. The original chandeliers were basically just candles mounted on a support device from the ceiling to give better light. They were very often so crude that you’d be surprised that they were the precursors to the art forms of today. It took a few centuries before their design was perfected so that they grew to be more and more complex. By the 15th century, they progressed to having a number of levels to hold more candles enabling even more light than the preceding designs. The designs continued to improve so that by the 18th century there were chandeliers with glass shades. By the 19th century there were gas powered chandeliers that took advantage of the discovery of gas. They were called gasoliers and used gas to provide the flame that gave off the light. In the next century electricity was invented and chandeliers once again evolved to take advantage of this new technology.
Kinds of Chandeliers
There are many different types of styles of chandeliers. The style is determined by the design, craftsmanship, and materials used. A short description of many of them is given below.
Contemporary Chandeliers: A New Twist to an Old Design
Electricity not only changed the way light was generated, but it also changed the way chandeliers were designed. Without in any way disparaging older designs, most people preferred to have newer designs that suited their newer furniture and room decor. These new designs were called contemporary chandeliers, and they were a beautiful blend of design and technology. They not only followed natural themes, they had amazing abstract themes that suited the modern mentality more.
Crystal Chandeliers: A Class Apart
Crystals refract light and are almost like a prism in that extent. Of course you will not get the same splitting of light as a prism because of the cut of the crystal but they are, nonetheless, both beautiful and effective in a lighting system. Effective because like a prism they refract the light meaning that you can magnify your light a number of times, ensuring that even a few small lights can light up a large room. They are most often found in hotel lobbies and restaurants because they are very expensive and most homeowners just cannot afford them. Yet cut glass chandeliers, which are the poorer sisters of crystal chandeliers, will work just as well, although they may not look as good.
Black Chandeliers: A Contrast in Beauty
All chandeliers are beautiful, but black chandeliers are something else entirely. To most people a black chandelier is not something they’d consider to grace their home but what they don’t realize is that what it lacks in color, it makes up with in terms of elegance. This is because, just like an elegant lady, it does not impose itself on its surroundings; instead it enhances the beauty of the room just by its presence. In a large hall, a black chandelier will bring a sense of contrast to the ceiling, making the room seem even larger, while in a bedroom it brings a sense of spice and romance into the surroundings. Of course if you do not want to go with black you can choose from many other colors like amber, pink, red, and many other colors.
Beaded and Shell Chandeliers
Just as the name suggests, beaded and shell chandeliers have beads and shells as decorative items in them. Highly polished and finished beads and shells are used instead of cut glass to reflect the light in these chandeliers. Although, perhaps, not as classy as a crystal chandelier they have a distinct beauty of their own that appeals to many people.
Metal Chandeliers
Metal is the most favored material in making chandeliers because there is nothing stronger, yet as easy to mold as iron. Metal has been used in chandelier making in all designs starting from the ancient to the contemporary for this reason. Depending on the metal used you get brushed nickel chandeliers, wrought iron chandeliers and brass chandeliers.
Murano Chandeliers
In those days Murano in Italy was considered the best place in the world for glass although nowadays you do get good glass chandeliers from other parts of the world too. Nowadays Murano is used to denote a certain tubular form to the design with floral patterns woven into the glass making itself.
Mission Chandeliers
Mission chandeliers are generally chandeliers from a certain period, although they are very famous in the south and west of the US. They are chandeliers that have a number of long spindly arms that end with lights that generally point downward.
Antler Chandeliers
These chandeliers are actually made from antlers. The most common antlers used are from elk, and deer, although you occasionally find moose antlers too. Most rustic locales, like mountain lodges, or even inns generally go for these chandeliers as they are the best suited to the interior theme of the place.
Candle Chandeliers
We’d be remiss to not include the original chandelier design. While these are rarely seen today before the advent of gas and electricity all chandeliers utilized candles in their design. It’s also one reason why chandeliers were largely just for the wealthy as candles did not come cheap prior to the twentieth century.