Jonathan Y Eldora Antler Chandelier Cast Resin hand finished to look like natural antlers
I overheard a couple in a lighting store super offended about an antler chandelier. It wasn’t even natural antler, it was made from cast resin.
They thought that deer had died to make the chandelier.* They compared it to killing elephants for the ivory.
5′ x 5′ Elk Antler Chandelier Thunder Ridge Antler Art
No, deer do not die to make chandeliers. Deer shed their antlers every year. Even lighting made from real antlers doesn’t hurt the deer.
White-tailed Deer Photo by Jerry Segrave
About Antlers
Antlers are shed and regrown every year. People collect them and use them to make chandeliers, other lighting, furniture and other things.
Mule Deer with Large Antler Rack Photo from U.S. Forest Service
Lighting is made from the shed antlers of Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer, Moose and Caribou or Reindeer.
Moose Bull Anchorage, Alaska Photo by Lisa Hupp, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
The antlers are collected and assembled into lighting by skilled artisans.
Big Horn Sheep has horns that are not shed Photo by Jack Barrie, Oregon Department of Transportation
Horns
Antlers are not like horns. Horns are not shed. Sheep, goats and cows have horns.
Adult Male Pronghorn Yellowstone National Park Photo by Tobias Klenze
Pronghorns
Pronghorns don’t have horns. What we call horns on a pronghorn is a skin covered bony core with a keratinous (like fingernails) sheath. They aren’t Cervidae (deer) and they aren’t Bovidae (sheep, goats and cattle).
Giraffe Near Namutoni, Etosha, Namibia Photo Axel Tschentscher
Pronghorns are actually Antilocapridae in the super family Giraffoidea. Like a giraffe.
Shed from Pronghorn Yellowstone National Park Photo Jacob W. Frank, National Park Service
Pronghorns shed the keratinous sheath antler/horn every year. (Giraffes only have the skin covered bone. They don’t have the sheath and they don’t shed anything.)
Antler Hunting
Pronghorns shed from October through December. New horn sheath starts to grow underneath the old horn, and kinda pushes the old horn off.
Whitetail deer bucks locking antlers Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee Photo by Brian Stansberry
Deer, elk, and moose shed later in the winter, after they are done using them for the year.
Shed Antler Photo by The Real Kam75
People hunt for the discarded antlers from the middle of December to around the middle of February. The sooner the antlers are found, the better condition they are in and the more they are worth. Antlers in good condition sell for around $10 a pound. As they weather, they are worth less. Matched sets are worth the most, if they are in good condition. Deer don’t shed both antlers at the same time, so it is hard to find a matched set.
Male Caribou in Alaska Photo by Dean Biggins, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Male caribou shed their antlers in November or December, after mating. Female caribou don’t shed their antlers until their calves are born in May.
Antler Chandeliers
Antlers Chandeliers are used in Rustic, Southwestern, Lodge, and other decorating. They make a real statement.
Antler chandelier made with resin can look really good and don’t have to cost much. They are available at a lot of different prices.
You will pay significantly more for a chandelier made with real antler. These chandeliers are made by craftsmen. They are an art. It’s not just the cost of the materials. There is a lot of skill and time put into selecting just the right antlers and making them look good. It takes skill to make them balanced to hang straight.
Thunder Ridge Antler Art sells some really beautiful natural antler chandeliers on Amazon Handmade.
4-Light Antler Chandelier Made with 15 Mule Deer Antlers Thunder Ridge Antler Art
Thunder Ridge Antler Art
All of my antler chandeliers are hand crafted from genuine deer, elk, moose and fallow antlers. No fake plastic resin antlers! Each and every work of art begins with the finest quality REAL shed antlers available. The antlers I use are “shed antlers” which in turn means no animals have been harmed or harvested in the antler collection process. Deer and elk naturally drop their antlers (shed) seasonally in order to grow new and larger antlers during the spring and summer. The wiring for my chandeliers is fully concealed within the antlers themselves, they feature candelabra sockets that are rated to 60 watts each, genuine elk antler socket covers, antique brass chain and finished off with an antler burr on the bottom. All of my chandeliers are built to last, fully tested, hang level, screwed together and every hole is carefully filled and blended in to match the antler making them virtually undetectable. A true work of art with the utmost attention to detail is what sets my chandeliers apart from the others and they are designed to last a lifetime. I specialize in and have a passion for creating gorgeous quality built chandeliers at a great price that are second to none.
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If you are hanging your chandelier yourself, you really ought to have chain pliers. The tips open the chain link easily, without scratching it. The grooves on the other side of the spring close the link again. They don’t cost much and they will keep you from damaging the finish on your chain and save…
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This beautiful dining room (House Beautiful December/January 2014) has hints of Chinoiserie Style with oriental lanterns in front of the mirror on the buffet. The china is a fanciful Oriental landscape and the flatware is gold bamboo. The lighting is a beautiful traditional crystal chandelier. There are a lot of options or Oriental, Asian and…
My nephew moved to Nevada from Knoxville, Tennessee. He enjoys decorating and has been incorporating some local motifs. Just the light makes everything he already owned look different. I pulled out a book I bought in the early ’90s, The Southwestern Companion by Norman Kolpas. The book has beautiful photography. It tells some history and includes…
For a fun change up, hang some blown glass ornaments from your chandelier or pendants. You can loop them over the arms or replace some of the crystals. The look goes beautifully with painted finish chandeliers. Quorum International 6073-4-70 San Miguel Crystal Drop Chandelier on Amazon These exotic drops are hand blown in Egypt. No…
