Who does not like antiques. There is no one who is immune to their charm, whether it be furniture, vehicles, dresses or even lamps. The only reason why more people do not have antique stuff in their homes is because they are so expensive. Especially when it comes to lamps, antiques have a charm all their own and most lamps that are widely used are based upon designs that are more than a century old.
Nowadays if you say antique lamps, it could either mean that they are genuine ones, or it could also mean that they are designed after antique lamps and are therefore faithful representations. Even the newer ones look really nice and as long as you are not bothered about the aesthetics of not using a genuine one, one of these is good enough. A typical example would be Tiffany lamps. Those lamps made originally by Louis Tiffany now sell in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and are now a collector’s item. On the other hand you get much cheaper imitations and depending on how much you spend on it some of them are nearly indistinguishable from the original except by a trained person.
Depending on how much you want to spend, you can get very cheap imitations at around $100 that is really not worth the price that you pay for it. If you go a little higher you may get better ones, but it will take a little bit of looking. When you reach the $350 range and above you start getting really good ones. If you are that interested you can contact manufacturers who will manufacture the lamp in the same way that Louis Tiffany did, by hand. Of course these will cost you in the thousands, but then you have something that will otherwise be unattainable to you.
Another good example would be the slag lamp. Slag glass is generally not used nowadays simply because it is too expensive. A simple ordinary slag glass lamp will set you back more than $500 and is really not worth it to many. A more beautiful and elaborate design is worth much more. Generally speaking a good slag lamp will cost you more than an equivalently good tiffany lamp.
There are many more other kinds of antique lamps that you can choose from and not just from a certain model or manufacturer but also from certain time periods. The mid to late Victorian era is considered by many to be one of the best periods in lamp manufacturing history, and most antique lamps are from this period.
Some of us may wonder why we would have to pay so much more for what is in effect just an imitation, and the question would be very valid. The reason would be in how elaborately designed the lamp comes. The new age design runs to the minimalistic design trend and therefore does not cost as much, while the antique lamps had so much of design that sometimes the purpose of the lamp itself was lost because of the design. It all depends on what you like. If you like one of those lamps, you will get it and if you are looking for a really good modern one, you will pay just as much for it. The cost of any product depends on the demand for it, not on the cost of manufacture which is why antique lamps are so expensive.
Obviously you are looking for antique lamps which is why you are reading this. Just one word of advice though, if you want to purchase online, remember that the manufacturers very rarely sell directly unless it is for some special made to order product. They usually go with authorized online stores but there are many others who are not authorized. Just be careful.