A black chandelier may be a bit of an oxymoron because chandeliers are supposed to provide light and black chandeliers are not great lighting systems. This does not mean that these chandeliers are totally useless. On the contrary they are very useful when making a stylistic statement. Think horses and usually a jet black horse is chosen to make an impact rather than a white one. White projects purity making it safe as a color while black is more hidden and mysterious making it more attractive as a color.
You will have to be careful when thinking of a black chandelier for this very reason. Black does not suit everything or everyone, and if you are looking for a chandelier for a church, stay away from black. In a home you will have to use it carefully because you do not want to create a gloomy look with a black chandelier, you just want to spice things up with a different looking one. It is for this reason that there are two different kinds of chandeliers; ones that come with bulbs and can be used as a lighting system and ones that don’t.
If you are looking at the black chandelier as a lighting system, it is better to go in for those that are not overpoweringly black. Although black is black, you do get ones that are not completely jet black, but are transparently black. These chandeliers will allow a certain amount of light to pass through while still giving you the effect that you want to create. As long as you get one that is the appropriate size for your room, you are generally safe with these. In fact black chandeliers are a good choice if you want to put them up in rooms that are brightly lit from other sources of light as well because then they become a decorative item in your home.
This brings us to the second kind which is the one that does not have any bulbs and are purely decorative in nature. If used properly black is a very attractive color and tends to enhance the effect of any room because of the sheen that it imparts. This is true of chandeliers too and although they tend to absorb light, if used as part of an overall theme it will do wonders in your home. For example if you have a sufficiently large room, you could hang a simple crystal chandelier on one side and focus a spotlight on it, and if you get the angle right, not only will the chandelier not absorb the light it will glint and shine in a way that will pull everyone’s eyes to it.
For those who do not want to take the risk of getting it wrong but still want to try something different there are other kinds that will only have the arms of the chandelier in black. This ensures that the chandelier does not over power you with its color and yet looks different from the usual ones. This will only accentuate the lighting system, and the simple ones are usually the best here.
Price wise you have a large range to choose from starting from around $100 all the way up to $15000. The difference in the price is obviously because of the difference in the quality of the materials used and the design. The cheaper ones will have plastic instead of glass and are altogether not worth the money that you pay for them. Spending it on some other kind of lighting system will be better. Getting the ones made of glass is obviously what is best, and although they cost a little more than the plastic ones, you will still get very nice looking pieces starting $200 or so. Go online and check out the different options you have it will help you make a decision.