Choose crystal when you want the fitting itself to sparkle and the room is used after dark, so a dining room, a hall or a landing. Choose glass shades when you want the light to be soft and the fitting to be quiet, so a living room, a bedroom or a kitchen. Choose metal when the shape is the point, the ceiling is low or the budget is tight. On our shelves on 26 October 2026 that means crystal from £115, glass shades from £64.56 and bare metal from £51, with the middle of each range a long way above those numbers.
The material changes three things: what the fitting does to the light, how much it weighs, and how much of your Saturday it takes to clean. It also changes the price more than the number of arms does. This guide is the plain version of what 'crystal' means on a listing, the tests for telling it from glass, and which material we would hang in which room. Size is a separate decision and belongs in our guide to chandelier size by room; finish is another, covered in how to mix metals in a room.
What does 'crystal' actually mean on a chandelier?
Glass. All chandelier crystal is glass, and the word 'crystal' describes a grade of it, not a different substance. In the UK the grades have had legal definitions since 1973: the Crystal Glass (Descriptions) Regulations reserve 'full lead crystal' for glass with 30% lead oxide and 'lead crystal' for 24%, with two lower categories, crystallin and verre sonore, beneath them. The 24% figure is the one most makers quote, because it is the line below which a maker should not be calling the glass lead crystal at all. Lead is there for a reason: it raises the refractive index, so a cut facet bends light harder and shows more colour, and it makes the glass softer to cut and heavier in the hand.
Below the legal grades sit the names you will actually meet on a chandelier listing, and here is the hierarchy as we would rank it.
| Name on the listing | What it is | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Full lead crystal, lead crystal | Glass with 30% or 24% lead oxide under the 1973 UK regulations | The most sparkle and colour from a facet, the heaviest, and the dearest. Rare below a few hundred pounds a fitting |
| Named crystal: Asfour, Schonbek Heritage or Radiance, Swarovski | A maker's own grade, cut and polished to that maker's standard; the lead content varies by maker and by year | The sharpest facets and the most consistent clarity. The name is the guarantee, so look for it in the specification, not the title |
| Crystal glass, crystal droplets | Clear glass cut or moulded into drops; the listing is not claiming a lead grade | Good sparkle at a fair price. This is what most mid-priced 'crystal' chandeliers are |
| K9, K9 crystal, optical crystal | An optical borosilicate crown glass, made in volume in China and similar to the BK7 used in binoculars, according to Celestron and Wikipedia | Very clear, inexpensive, lighter than lead crystal, and it does not ring. Fine for a modern piece, not the same thing as lead crystal |
| Pressed or moulded glass | Clear glass pressed in a mould rather than cut | Softer edges, a gentler shimmer than sparkle. Inexpensive, and nothing wrong with it |
| Acrylic | Clear plastic | Light, cheap and it scratches. One of our customers on an Endon Fargo, who had been hesitant about acrylic, wrote that 'they look fab and reflect the light very well', which is the fair verdict: good from across the room, not something to hold up to a window |
The named makers appear on a handful of our own listings, and we name them only where the listing does. Diyas states Asfour crystal on the Torino 15 light chandelier in polished chrome (£998.00, checked 26 October 2026), and on its biggest Alexandra tiers. Asfour is an Egyptian maker that a US chandelier parts supplier describes as specialising in traditional 30% lead crystal since 1961. Schonbek names its own grades, Heritage Handcut and Radiance, on its listings: the Schonbek Plaza 8 light drum in polished stainless steel (£2,887.83, checked 26 October 2026) is dressed in Radiance crystal. Swarovski appears in the titles of a few Kolarz and Schonbek pieces. Swarovski crystal is a precision-cut glass, and according to a trade retailer's account the company moved its whole range to a lead-free formula in September 2012, so a Swarovski-dressed fitting bought today is not lead crystal in the 24% sense; it is the cut that you are paying for. Swarovski's own site would not load for us when we checked, so treat that date as reported rather than confirmed.
Everything else on the site says 'crystal' or 'crystal glass' without a grade, and that is the honest description for most of the market: clear cut glass that sparkles well and is not claiming 24%. If a listing matters to you at that level of detail, ask us before you order and we will get the maker's answer.
How do you tell a crystal chandelier from a glass one?
Pick up one drop. Lead crystal is heavier than the same drop in plain glass, it is clearer with no green tint at the edge, the facets are crisp enough to feel, and when you flick it with a fingernail it rings rather than clinks. Then hold it between a lamp and a white wall: crystal throws small bars of rainbow, plain glass throws a white smudge. Those are the five home tests, and Chairish runs through the same ones for glassware.
- Weight. Lead makes glass denser, so a lead crystal drop feels heavier than it looks. K9 and acrylic feel light. This only works with two pieces of the same size in your hands.
- Clarity. Look through the thickest part against white paper. Lead crystal and good optical glass are water-clear. Cheap soda-lime glass has a faint green or grey cast, and pressed glass often has seams.
- The ring. A clear, sustained note when tapped says lead crystal. A short dull clink says glass. Do this on a drop held loose in your hand, not on one still hooked to the frame, where the chain kills the sound.
- Prismatic colour. Lit from behind, lead crystal splits white light into visible colour on the wall. Plain glass mostly does not. A precisely cut glass can do it with little or no lead, which is what the named modern cuts rely on.
- Facet sharpness. Run a fingertip over an edge. Cut crystal has edges that meet cleanly. Moulded glass and acrylic have rounded edges and sometimes a mould line.
So, to the question people ask most: are crystal chandeliers actually crystal? They are glass, every one, and the word tells you the grade rather than the material. Is crystal the same as glass? Chemically it is glass with more lead or other metal oxides in it; practically it is heavier, clearer and brighter at the facets. Is crystal more fragile? Lead crystal is softer than ordinary glass, so it scratches and chips more easily if it is knocked, which matters when you are hanging a hundred drops with cold hands; it is no more likely to shatter on the ceiling. Is it worth it? For a fitting you will look at every evening for twenty years, yes. For a landing nobody lingers on, a well-cut crystal glass does the same job from two metres below.
What does each material do to the light?
This is the decision that matters, and it is the one the photographs never show. A chandelier is a frame that holds lamps; what the material does is take the light from those lamps and either scatter it, soften it or leave it alone.
| Material | What the light does | Where it suits | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cut crystal | Scatters points of light across the ceiling and walls and throws colour at the facets; the fitting is brighter than the room | Dining rooms, halls and landings, anywhere seen in the evening | Needs clear lamps to sparkle; frosted lamps kill it. Put it on a dimmer or it glares |
| Clear glass shades | Lets the lamp through almost untouched, so you see the filament and get a crisp, slightly hard light | Kitchens and halls, period rooms with brass | Use decorative filament LEDs at 2700K; the lamp is on show |
| Smoked and amber glass | Tints the light warmer and dimmer, so the globes glow rather than shine | Living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms that want atmosphere over brightness | You lose light output. Plan lamps elsewhere for reading |
| Opal and frosted glass | Diffuses the lamp into an even, glare-free glow with no visible filament | Bedrooms, living rooms, low ceilings where you see the fitting from the side | The softest light of the lot; pair with a dimmer so it is not flat at full |
| Bare metal frame, candle lamps | Does nothing to the light; the candle lamps throw it in every direction, including into your eyes | Period dining rooms, halls, kitchens, any room where the silhouette is the point | Dimmer is compulsory. Choose candle lamps, not golf balls |
| Metal shades or discs | Pushes the light downward in pools and leaves the ceiling dark | Kitchens, islands, modern open plan | Check the lamp is hidden at seated eye level |
Our view: in a dining room, crystal on a dimmer at 2700K is the right answer, because it sparkles at 30% and still lights the table at 100%. In a living room we would rarely hang crystal, because a sofa is where you look at the ceiling and a fitting that is brighter than everything around it is tiring. That room wants glass. The Elstead Kula 5 light in polished nickel (£124.55, checked 26 October 2026) does it with five smoked mirror glass globes on an atomic-era frame, 674mm across and only 341mm tall; the Hinkley Mayflower 6 light in antique brass (£161.40, checked 26 October 2026) does it the traditional way with six etched amber glass shades that keep a warm tint even when the lamps are off, and six E27 lamps give it genuine output for a 660mm fitting. For a bedroom the Elstead Marvele 6 light in aged brass (£322.00, checked 26 October 2026) is the one we would choose: cased opal glass cylinders lit from above and below between fluted brass fins, 660mm across and 400mm high, which is a soft light from a fitting that still looks like something.
One caveat on seeded and bubbled glass, which is fashionable: a customer who bought a Quintiesse Marilyn told us she 'didn't like the bubble effect in the glass balls'. It is a taste, and photographs flatter it, so if you are unsure, come and see it lit in the showroom, Monday to Friday. The lamp matters as much as the glass; our guide to the bulbs a new light needs covers caps and shapes, and a 4W dimmable E14 candle at 2700K is the right lamp for almost every candle-arm chandelier above.
Which chandelier suits which room?
Material first, then size. The size sum is the one in our ceiling light guide and the by-room adjustments are in the chandelier size guide; what follows is only which material we would hang where, and why.
- Dining room. Crystal, on a dimmer, because this is the one room where the fitting is looked at for an hour at a time and the table beneath it reflects the sparkle back. The Diyas Torino 15 light (£998.00, checked 26 October 2026) is the full version, 730mm across with fifteen E14 lamps and a drop that adjusts from 980mm to 2,830mm. If the room is period and the budget allows, a brass multi-arm with candle lamps is the other right answer: the Hinkley Cambridge 6 light in burnished brass (£1,324.95, checked 26 October 2026) is solid brass throughout, 735mm across, and reads as candlelight rather than a light fitting.
- Living room. Glass. Smoked, amber or opal, so the light is soft from the sofa. The Kula, the Mayflower and the Marvele above are all living room fittings. Crystal only if the room is formal and used in the evening, and then the smaller drum shapes rather than a cascade.
- Bedroom. Opal or fabric-shaded glass, or a small crystal piece on a dimmer if you want a hotel look. Never a bare-lamp metal frame: you look straight up at it from the pillow.
- Hall and landing. This is crystal's other home, because the fitting is seen from below and from the stairs and nobody sits under it. The Impex New York 6 light crystal chandelier (£549.00, checked 26 October 2026) in the photograph at the top is the compact version of a stairwell cascade, 850mm tall but only 305mm across, sized for a landing or a hall without double height. Where the hall is a run of doors rather than a void, a black or brass metal frame gives the shape without the sparkle: the Elstead Carisbrooke 6 light in black (£225.95, checked 26 October 2026) is hand-bound black steel with ivory candle tubes, 610mm across and more parish hall than Gothic.
- Kitchen. Metal or clear glass, because both wipe clean and neither holds grease. The Feiss Jax 10 light in burnished brass (£225.96, checked 26 October 2026) is a starburst of thin brass rods with ten G9 LEDs already fitted, 3,200 lumens at 3000K between them, which is proper working light over an island or a table. We would keep crystal out of a kitchen without a good extractor; airborne fat on a hundred facets is a cleaning job you will do once and resent.
- Bathroom. A link, not a recommendation: zones and IP ratings decide this before material does, and our bathroom pendant guide covers it.
Which is heavier, and which is easier to clean?
Crystal is not automatically the heavy one, and the listing weights prove it. The Schonbek Plaza drum above weighs 3.6kg dressed in crystal; the Hinkley Mayflower with its six amber glass shades is 11.88kg, and the solid brass Cambridge is 13.14kg. What makes a chandelier heavy is a cast or solid metal frame and the number of arms, not the drops. The rule that matters is the fixing: a standard ceiling rose is designed for 5kg, and anything over it needs its own fixing into a joist, which our stairwell chandelier guide explains. Tell your electrician the weight before the ceiling is closed.
| Fitting | Material | Listed weight |
|---|---|---|
| Schonbek Plaza 8 light | Radiance crystal on stainless steel | 3.6kg |
| Elstead Kula 5 light | Smoked mirror glass on steel | 4.05kg |
| Elstead Carisbrooke 6 light | Mild steel, no glass | 5.13kg |
| Quintiesse Karlee 5 light | Steel and crystal drops | 5.76kg |
| Impex New York 6 light | Faceted crystal on chrome | 10kg |
| Diyas Torino 15 light | Asfour crystal on chrome | 11.3kg |
| Hinkley Mayflower 6 light | Etched amber glass on mild steel | 11.88kg |
| Hinkley Cambridge 6 light | Solid brass | 13.14kg |
Cleaning is where crystal costs you. A metal frame is a damp cloth twice a year; glass shades come off and go in the sink; crystal is every drop, in place, with a dry cloth and patience, and our crystal chandelier cleaning guide is the method. Two things customers tell us that the listings do not: many crystal fittings arrive with the drops in bags, so budget an evening to hang them (one customer on a Feiss Bellini found it 'tedious to hang the crystal however, worth it!'), and the spare drops in the box are there because a few will chip on the way up.
What do crystal, glass and metal chandeliers cost?
We pulled every live chandelier on the site on 26 October 2026, 389 of them, and sorted them by what the listing says they are made of. The ranges below are the real ones, not a guess, and the 'from' prices are the lowest-priced fitting we list in each material on that date. The middle of each range tells you more than the extremes.
| Material | From (checked 26 Oct 2026) | Where most sit | The top of our range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal (102 fittings) | Quintiesse Karlee 3 light, £115 | About half are under £1,000; a quarter are over £4,000 | Schonbek Trilliane 76 light, £45,665.22 |
| Glass shades (126 fittings) | Feiss Rubin 4 light, £64.56 | Two thirds are under £500; the median is about £325 | Eichholtz Saint Roch extra large, £10,200 |
| Metal, no glass or crystal (133 fittings) | Quoizel Carnegie 3 light, £51 | Half are under £500; a quarter are over £2,000, mostly Eichholtz and Kolarz | Metal Lux Dedalo 28 light, £8,964.58 |
So why is crystal dearer? Partly the glass, because lead crystal and named cuts cost more to make and more to cut; mostly the labour, because every drop is cut, polished, drilled and hung by hand, and a 15 light fitting carries hundreds of them. A metal chandelier is a casting and a finish. That is also why the lowest-priced crystal chandeliers are the ones with the fewest drops: the Quintiesse Karlee 5 light in classic pewter (£178.95, checked 26 October 2026) hangs one faceted drop under each of its five candle arms and one in the centre, 610mm across, and that restraint is what keeps it under £200. At the other end, the Eichholtz Benini Large in antique brass with amber glass (£3,485.00, checked 26 October 2026) shows that glass can cost as much as crystal when every piece is a hand-blown diamond-shaped tube; 17 lamps behind amber glass is a different kind of fitting to anything on this page, and priced like it.
For a rental flat or a room that changes every few years, our honest answer is metal or clear glass under about £250, because it wipes clean, survives a move and does not date. For the house you are staying in, spend the money in the dining room and the hall and save it in the bedrooms.
Are crystal chandeliers out of style?
No, and we would say that even if we did not sell them. What has gone out of style is a particular crystal chandelier: the four-tier gold cascade hung from a 2.4 metre ceiling, lit with cool white golf balls at full brightness, in a room that also has nine downlights. The fitting was never the problem; the room was.
What we would point you to now, from our own range rather than a trend report, is crystal in simpler shapes. Drums and hoops of cut crystal, such as the Schonbek Plaza, that read as modern from across a room and only reveal the facets up close. Smaller cascades in halls. Crystal mixed with black or aged brass rather than chrome. And a lot of glass: the two searches that bring people to our chandelier pages most often after 'crystal chandelier' and 'brass chandelier' are 'amber glass chandelier' and 'smoked glass chandelier', which is why the Kula, the Mayflower and the Benini are in this guide. Brass itself is the finish of the decade, and why antique brass lighting is everywhere explains why.
What is out, in our opinion: polished chrome with crystal in a period house, crystal in a kitchen, any chandelier without a dimmer, and a chandelier that is the only light in the room. If the ceiling is tall enough for a cascade, our guide to lighting a high or vaulted ceiling covers the drop and the rest of the scheme. If it is not, buy the drum.
The whole range is in chandeliers, the crystal pieces in crystal chandeliers and the brass in brass and gold chandeliers. Send us the room, with a photo and the ceiling height, and we will tell you which material we would hang before you spend anything.
The short version
- All chandelier crystal is glass. In the UK 'lead crystal' legally means 24% lead oxide and 'full lead crystal' 30%; most 'crystal' chandeliers are cut crystal glass and do not claim a grade.
- Tell crystal from glass by weight, clarity, the ring when tapped, rainbow colour on the wall and the sharpness of the facets. Named makers (Asfour, Schonbek, Swarovski) are the guarantee, and we name them only where the listing does.
- Crystal scatters and sparkles, glass shades soften and tint, a metal frame leaves the light to the lamps. Dining rooms and halls want crystal; living rooms and bedrooms want glass; kitchens want metal or clear glass.
- Weight comes from the frame, not the drops: 3.6kg to 13kg across the fittings here. Over 5kg needs a joist fixing, not a ceiling rose.
- On 26 October 2026 our crystal chandeliers start at £115, glass shades at £64.56 and bare metal at £51; about half the crystal range is over £1,000.
- Crystal is not out of style. Oversized cascades on low ceilings, cool white lamps and chandeliers without dimmers are.
Frequently asked questions
How can you tell the difference between a crystal and a glass chandelier?
Hold one drop. Lead crystal is heavier than the same drop in plain glass, water-clear with no green edge, rings when flicked with a fingernail, throws small rainbows on a white wall when lit from behind, and has facets with crisp edges. Plain glass is lighter, clinks, throws a white smudge and often has rounded edges or a mould line. Named crystal (Asfour, Schonbek, Swarovski) on the specification is the surest sign of all.
Are crystal chandeliers actually crystal?
They are glass. 'Crystal' describes a grade of glass, and in the UK the Crystal Glass (Descriptions) Regulations 1973 reserve 'lead crystal' for glass with 24% lead oxide and 'full lead crystal' for 30%. Most chandeliers sold as crystal are cut crystal glass without a stated grade, which is honest and sparkles well; lead crystal and named cuts sit above it in price and brilliance.
Which is more expensive, glass or crystal, and why?
Crystal. On 26 October 2026 our crystal chandeliers started at £115 and about half were over £1,000, while two thirds of our glass-shade chandeliers were under £500. The lead or the named cut costs more to make, but most of the difference is labour: every drop is cut, polished, drilled and hung by hand, and a large fitting carries hundreds of them. A glass shade is one piece per arm.
Is crystal more fragile than glass?
Lead crystal is softer than ordinary glass, so it scratches and chips more easily when knocked, which is why makers pack spare drops and why you should hang them with care. Once it is on the ceiling it is no more likely to break than glass. Acrylic will not chip but scratches and dulls with cleaning.
Is Swarovski crystal or glass?
Glass, precision cut. Swarovski crystal is a glass cut to very fine tolerances, which is where its sparkle comes from. A retailer's account we read reports that Swarovski moved its whole range to a lead-free formula in September 2012, which would mean a Swarovski-dressed chandelier bought today is not lead crystal in the 24% sense; we could not confirm that on Swarovski's own site when we checked, so take the date as reported.
What sound does crystal make when you tap it?
A clear note that carries for a moment, like a wine glass, where plain glass gives a short dull clink. Test it on a drop held loose in your hand: a drop still hooked to the frame is damped by the chain and will sound dull whatever it is made of. K9 optical glass and acrylic do not ring either.
How do I know if my crystal chandelier is valuable?
Look for a maker's name on the frame or the box, count the drops and check whether they ring and throw colour. A fitting dressed in named lead crystal (Asfour, Schonbek, older Swarovski Strass) from a known maker holds its value; an unbranded fitting with moulded glass drops does not, however large. For a formal valuation ask an auction house, not a lighting shop.
Which type of chandelier is best?
The one that suits the room's job. Crystal for a dining room or hall seen in the evening, glass shades for a living room or bedroom where you want soft light, metal for a kitchen or a low ceiling where the shape is the point. Whatever the material, put it on a dimmer and do not make it the only light in the room.
Are crystal chandeliers still in style?
Yes, in simpler shapes. Drums and hoops of cut crystal, small cascades in halls and crystal mixed with black or aged brass are the shapes we would choose from our range now. What has dated is the oversized tiered cascade on a 2.4 metre ceiling with cool white lamps and no dimmer. That is a room problem, not a crystal problem.
What chandeliers are out of style?
In our view: polished chrome and crystal in a period house, crystal in a kitchen, cool white lamps in any chandelier, a chandelier with no dimmer, and a chandelier hung as the room's only light. Smoked and amber glass, brass multi-arms and crystal drums are what we would steer you to instead.
